Sicilian Tomato Pesto Sauce
A classic, Italian, no cook sauce. Sicilian Tomato Pesto Sauce is delicious mixed with pasta, serve with meatballs or with simple crusty bread. Also called Pesto alla Trapanese, this lesser known sauce is tomato based with almonds and naturally sweet versus the basil pesto that we know so well.
Sweet cherry tomatoes, fresh basil garlic and almonds along with a little tang from Pecorino Romano makes for a well-balanced tomato sauce. If you’re not familiar with Pecorino Romano cheese, it looks like Parmesan, but it is a sheep’s milk cheese that has a stronger flavor which is perfect for grating into sauces and adding an extra flavor boost.
I have seen recipes that use ricotta instead of Pecorino Romano which results in a creamier sauce with a milder flavor and this is a delicious option if you don’t want to use Pecorino.
Seasonal cherry tomatoes are perfect for this Sicilian Tomato Pesto Sauce. I have also made it with tomatoes on the vine and Roma which are also delicious. Just make sure they are very ripe for maximum sweetness and flavor.
When it comes to the texture of the sauce, it can be blended to be slightly chunky (you will get little bits of the almonds) or smooth. I like it a little chunky.
In-keeping with the Sicilian theme, I also have a Sicilian Lentil Pasta that is a really comforting pasta dish and also Pistachio Pesto Pasta which is a pistachio nut-based pesto with parsley and pecorino.
I prefer to make this pesto a day ahead of when I’m going to use it because it tastes better the next day after the flavors have a chance to meld and develop. It can be kept refrigerated for up to 1 week or freeze for 3 months.
If you can’t find slivered almonds, roasted, unsalted almonds will work fine. I don’t even peel them, and it comes out just fine. If you do want them peeled/blanched, I have an easy method for doing this > How To Peel/Blanch Almonds.
If you can’t find them already roasted, preheat oven to 350°F/180°C, spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes for the slivered, 10-12 for whole. Slivered will roast up faster than whole almonds so keep an eye on them.
If you have made this Sicilian Tomato Pesto Sauce, please leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out.
Sicilian Tomato Pesto Sauce
Sweet cherry tomatoes, fresh basil garlic and almonds along with a little tang from Pecorino Romano .
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (42 grams) slivered or roasted, unsalted almonds (see note)
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 5 tablespoons Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
- 1-pound (454 grams) cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup (6 grams) fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup (50 ml) olive oil
Instructions
- Add the almonds, garlic and cheese to a blender or food processor and pulse until the almonds are chopped. Add the tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Pulse until the tomatoes are chopped. With the blender running, drizzle in the olive oil.
- Transfer to sealed jars. Keep refrigerated for up to 1 week or freeze for 3 months.
- Serve warm over freshly cooked pasta.
Notes
If you can’t find them already roasted, preheat oven to 350°F/180°C, spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast for 8 minutes for the slivered, 10-12 for whole. Slivered will roast up faster than whole almonds so keep an eye on them.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 248Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 7mgSodium 357mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 4gSugar 3gProtein 10g
This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.
18 Comments on “Sicilian Tomato Pesto Sauce”
Hi! Do I peel the tomatoes first?
The tomatoes do not need to be peeled as they get blended. Let me know if you have any other questions, enjoy.
Fab, thank you!! Discovered this pesto when in Mallorca last week, and promised friends I’d try and replicate it 🙂 looking forward to making it.
Fantastic, enjoy
Can I put these jars in pressure cooker at 10 lbs for 15 min to can?
I have never pressure canned before so I can’t answer this, but I would think you could can this sauce just like any tomato sauce.
It’s beautiful! Heat before serving? Or over cold pasta on a summer’s day? Or either way?
You can serve the sauce room temperature tossed with hot pasta or over cold pasta, both are delicious. Enjoy.
Thanks Janet! Had it tonight, and my wife loved it! Thanks again — I’m a hero.
You sure are a hero Chris, good for you and your wife 🙂
Delicious! I subbed vegan Parmesan cheese. A perfect way to use up the last of my summer tomatoes.
Wonderful, thank you so much for sharing.
What about using full sized tomatoes?
You can use large tomatoes, just make sure they are sweet and very ripe. Tomatoes on the vine are usually sweetest. Let me know if you have any more questions. Enjoy.
Looking for a pesto to use up my cherry tomatoes. This has great flavor. I added a dash of lemon juice. My sauce was not as thick as I would have liked. I hesitated to add more almonds, and ran out of cheese. Thoughts?
It sounds like you have very juicy tomatoes (which is not a bad thing). The only thing I could suggest is straining the sauce after blending. I’m glad the flavor worked for you, and love the addition of the lemon.
This was good. I picked this recipe because the color was better than others I saw. I’m making it again this weekend.
I’m so happy you chose my recipe