Food Recipes Red Pesto Fettuccine Be the first to rate & review! Shake up your weeknight pasta routine with this simple, flavor-packed pesto made with easy-to-find pantry staples. By Julia Levy Julia Levy Julia Levy has been testing and developing recipes for over eight years. She has worked in the culinary arts since 2009 as a humble line cook and intern. In her 12-plus years in the food industry, she has held various positions such as prep cook, food runner, and test kitchen assistant. She began her recipe-developing career at Oxmoor House and currently creates recipes for Real Simple, among many others. Highlights: * Received her Bachelor's of Science in Culinary Nutrition from Johnson & Wales University * Received an Associate of Occupational Studies, Culinary Arts from The Culinary Institute of America * Published at Southern Living, HuffPost, New York Daily News, Health, Cooking Light, and more Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on May 17, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Prep Time: 25 mins Total Time: 25 mins Servings: 4 Jump to Nutrition Facts Newsflash: pesto doesn't have to be green. Made with sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste, this red pesto is rich, umami-packed, and simple to whip up in the food processor. And here's another way we've maxed out the flavor of this quick-cooking pasta dish: Walnuts are toasted on the stove-top in both olive oil and the oil from the jarred sun-dried tomatoes. Half of the nuts get blitzed with the pesto, and the other half get roughly chopped and sprinkled over the finished dish for a hit of savory crunch. Just like green pesto, there are infinite possibilities to use up leftover red pesto. Spread on sandwiches, swirl into soup, stir into ricotta for a dip; top fried eggs or fold into scrambled eggs; or dollop on lasagna or pizza. And if you’ve got just a small amount left in the container, pour in some olive oil and vinegar, cover, and shake to make a salad dressing. Ingredients 1 lb. fettuccine (or other long, thin pasta such as spaghetti or linguine) 1/2 cup raw walnuts 3 medium cloves garlic, smashed 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup drained julienned sun-dried tomatoes in oil plus 2 Tbsp. oil from jar (from a 5-oz. jar) 2 Tbsp. tomato paste 2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup), plus more for topping 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper, plus more to taste 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for cooking pasta Directions Cook pasta in boiling salted water in a large pot according to package directions for al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return it to pot. While pasta is boiling, cook walnuts, garlic, olive oil, and tomato oil in a small skillet over medium, stirring often, until walnuts and garlic are lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Remove half of walnuts with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add tomato paste to skillet; cook over medium, stirring constantly, until darkened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Chop reserved toasted walnuts. Place tomato-walnut mixture from skillet (including any remaining oil), sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, lemon juice, crushed red pepper, and salt in a food processor; pulse until smooth. Add pesto to cooked pasta in pot along with 1/2 cup reserved cooking water, tossing to coat. Add more cooking water as needed until sauce reaches desired consistency. Serve topped with chopped walnuts and more cheese, plus more crushed red pepper, if desired. Make-Ahead: Refrigerate prepared pesto in an airtight container or jar for up to 1 week. Refrigerate leftovers of the finished pasta dish in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 478 Calories 27g Fat 49g Carbs 15g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Calories 478 % Daily Value * Total Fat 27g 34% Saturated Fat 6g 28% Cholesterol 16mg 5% Sodium 465mg 20% Total Carbohydrate 49g 18% Dietary Fiber 4g 13% Total Sugars 4g Protein 15g 29% Vitamin C 40mg 45% Calcium 202mg 16% Iron 3mg 15% Potassium 564mg 12% *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.