🍅 California Roasted Tomato & Garlic Pesto
Turn an abundance of summer tomatoes into a rich California Roasted Tomato & Garlic Pesto made with slow-roasted fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, lemon, olive oil and a touch of red pepper. Sweet, tangy and savory, this versatile homemade condiment is delicious on pizza, pasta, eggs, sandwiches, crostini, chicken, shrimp and roasted vegetables. tretaylor.com
The Nomad Kitchen | Sauces, Spreads & Delicious Things
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Sometimes the best recipes begin with an abundance.
A friend handed me a beautiful bag of homegrown California tomatoes—the kind of ripe summer tomatoes that practically demand you do something wonderful with them. Instead of turning them into another ordinary tomato sauce, I decided to concentrate the whole glorious mess.
Slow-roasted tomatoes. Four entire heads of roasted garlic. A little jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes for an extra punch of deep tomato flavor. Lemon. Rice vinegar. Brown sugar. Red pepper flakes.
And then we let the whole thing spend the night together.
Because some relationships really do improve overnight. 🍅❤️🧄
The result is a bright, sweet, tangy, garlicky, slightly spicy tomato pesto that lives somewhere between a pesto, a spread and a concentrated sauce.
And yes—I used store-bought sun-dried tomatoes along with my homemade roasted tomatoes.
That is not cheating. That is good management.
🌿 WHAT YOU’LL NEED
🍅 For the Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
10 medium ripe tomatoes, preferably homegrown or peak-season
Olive oil or olive-oil spray
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
🧄 For the Roasted Garlic
4 whole heads fresh garlic
Olive oil
Pinch of salt
❤️ For the Pesto
All of your slow-roasted tomatoes
All of your roasted garlic
1 small jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
3 tablespoons brown sugar
½ cup rice vinegar
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed for texture
🔥 STEP ONE: SLOW-ROAST THE TOMATOES
Preheat the oven to 250°F.
Slice the tomatoes approximately ¼-inch thick and arrange them in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheets.
Give them a light coating of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Slow-roast for approximately 3 to 4 hours. Mine hit the sweet spot at about 3½ hours.
You aren't trying to turn them into little tomato fossils. 😂
You want them beautifully concentrated, slightly chewy around the edges and still luscious enough to retain some moisture.
Allow them to cool completely.
✨ The overnight trick
Transfer the cooled tomatoes and all those wonderful concentrated juices into a sealed container or zip-top bag and refrigerate overnight.
Don't throw away those juices.
That's flavor.
🧄 STEP TWO: ROAST THE GARLIC
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Prepare 4 whole heads of garlic for roasting with a little olive oil and salt.
Roast for approximately 20 minutes, or until the cloves are soft, fragrant and golden. Depending on the size and freshness of your garlic, they may need a little longer.
Allow them to cool enough to handle, then squeeze those beautiful soft cloves right out of their skins.
Yes. Four heads.
We are not frightened of garlic in this kitchen.
❤️ STEP THREE: MAKE THE PESTO
Into a food processor, add:
🍅 All the slow-roasted tomatoes and their juices
🧄 All the roasted garlic
☀️ The jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
🍯 3 tablespoons brown sugar
🥂 ½ cup rice vinegar
🍋 Juice of 1 lemon
🌶️ 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
🧂 Salt and pepper to taste
Process on high until everything becomes a thick, gorgeous, intensely red spread.
Drizzle in additional extra-virgin olive oil as needed until you reach the consistency you love.
I like this somewhere between a thick pesto and a luxurious tomato spread—not watery, but loose enough to spoon, smear and toss into something delicious.
🌙 STEP FOUR: LET IT MARRY
This may be the most important step.
Put the finished pesto into a covered container and refrigerate it overnight before judging it.
The roasted garlic mellows. The vinegar settles down. The sweetness works its way into the tomatoes. The red pepper wakes everything up.
Tomorrow?
That's when you meet the real sauce.
🍕 WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT?
Oh, honey.
We are just getting started.
Use it as:
🍕 Personal pizza sauce — spread it thinly under mozzarella, burrata or goat cheese.
🍳 Breakfast eggs — spoon it beneath fried or poached eggs with avocado.
🥖 Crostini spread — add ricotta, goat cheese or fresh mozzarella.
🍝 Instant pasta sauce — loosen it with pasta water and olive oil.
🍤 Shrimp starter — sauté shrimp and finish with a spoonful of pesto.
🍗 Chicken glaze — brush it onto roasted or grilled chicken.
🥪 Sandwich spread — especially with turkey, chicken, mozzarella or grilled vegetables.
🥔 Potato magic — spoon it onto roasted potatoes or crispy potato skins.
🧀 Cheese-board condiment — spectacular beside goat cheese, Parmesan or creamy Brie.
🥦 Roasted vegetable finish — toss a spoonful through hot vegetables just before serving.
