If your pantry doesn’t have at least one jarful of intensely flavored sun dried tomatoes from your own garden, you’re seriously missing out.
Seriously, as you scroll through this list of mouthwatering sun dried tomato recipes, you’ll be wanting to stock up on some quality dried tomatoes for a little taste of a hot summer evening on a cold winter night.
If it’s savory dishes that are close to your heart, hearty sun dried tomatoes are just what you need.
They are rich in vitamins, minerals and beneficial antioxidants including lycopene. Plus, they can last for up to a year when properly stored. What’s not to love about an instant, healthy snack?
How To Make “Sun Dried” Tomatoes In The Oven
Traditionally, sun dried tomatoes are laid on a screen and dried by the heat of the sun. This method is only possible in reliably warm and sunny climates and pests can wreak havoc on the process.
Instead, a more reliable way to dry tomatoes is in the oven.
Start by removing the stems from your tomatoes and slicing as thinly as possible. Place the slices on a cooling rack making sure to leave space for air flow around each slice.
Set your oven temperature as low as possible. If your lowest oven temp is more than 170 degrees, use a wooden spoon to prop the door open.
Insert the tomatoes into the oven and monitor. Check on the tomatoes after 4 hours and every half an hour after that until they are done.
The time it takes for the tomatoes to dry varies greatly depending on the size of the tomatoes, the water content, the temperature of the oven and even the humidity of your home.
To check your tomatoes, try to snap one. If it bends, it’s not yet done. If it snaps, it is.
Our editor, Tracey, suggests taking the dried tomatoes one step further and pulverizing them into a rich and delicious tomato powder. Here’s why and how to use it.
20 Best Recipes with Sun Dried Tomatoes
1. Spicy Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Shrimp
Tomatoes and garlic just go together, there’s nothing to argue about there. So, when it comes time for a little fine dining, it’s more than okay to use them together. Along with an entire pound of shrimp (prawns) that is.
You can even use a bag of frozen ones, because, hey, we don’t all live by the sea. But still want to enjoy the fruits of the ocean from time to time.
When you make this recipe, be sure to add just enough chili flakes to your liking.
Spicy Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Shrimp @ Cafe Delites
2. Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Soup
If your idea of a busy weeknight meal is that it should take less than 30 minutes to prepare, you are in luck.
This soup made from scratch uses a can of unsalted cannellini beans, vegetable broth, heavy cream, dried basil and tomatoes, fresh mushrooms (you can opt to leave them out) and, of course, spinach. Fresh is best, but frozen works well too. It’s creamy and rich in flavor, perfect for dipping a slice of sourdough bread in.
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato & Spinach Soup @ Eating Well
3. Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
If you can’t live without some sort of pesto in your life, you won’t want to miss this one. It can be served with toast, pasta, pizza, eggs, meats and fish, enhancing your life with every bite.
You’ll need a food processor for this, along with almonds, rosemary leaves, garlic and a generous amount of sun-dried tomatoes. You can store it under a cover in the fridge for up to a week. I guarantee you it will not last that long.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (Pesto Rosso) @ Striped Spatula
4. Grilled Cheese with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Our favorite local café here in Romania offers up delicious square sandwiches with cheese, prosciutto and a slathering of dried tomatoes in oil. While in size it is among the smallest, nothing like their loaded schnitzel sandwich, it makes up for it in intense flavor. Perfect next to a mug of black coffee. I don’t know why they taste so good together, they just do.
If you are trying to get your kids to eat more things that are good for them, or anyone else in the family for that matter, it’s worth offering up these toasted cheese sandwiches with a similar sun-dried pesto recipe from above. Sandwiches are mandatory. Salad is optional.
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto @ Once Upon A Chef
5. Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus and Roasted Broccoli Crostini
Whether you are making an appetizer for a crowd or a meal for two, hummus should definitely be on your go-to list. It’s simple to make, most people love it (not my daughter) and it tastes fantastic. Add that sun-dried tomato hummus to a thick slice of bread and you have yourself a filling lunch.
Top your crostini with broccoli if you are feeling the theme of green. Opt for some smoked duck or roast beef with horseradish if it is something more adventurous you are after.
Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus @ Cookie + Kate
6. Turkey Meatballs with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
There’s always room to put a new dish on your Thanksgiving menu. These beautiful meatballs can be baked in the oven for your convenience, or pan-seared on the stove. Either way, they are guaranteed to be delicious.
You can keep the meal low-carb by serving the meatballs with roasted eggplant or sautéed zucchini. Or go whole carbs and serve it with your favorite pasta and garlic bread, a pot of polenta works too. There’s no wrong way to serve this dish.
Turkey Meatballs with Sundried Tomatoes and Basil @ Feasting at Home
7. Baked Brie with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
I don’t know about you, but brie makes my heart sing. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t live without it, or at least I wouldn’t want to. Now, I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I will. Maybe for Christmas and then again for New Year’s. It looks to be a nice party dish. Plus it’s vegetarian, so I can share it with the in-laws too.
If you don’t have fresh thyme, go ahead and use dried. It’s as simple as baking the brie in the oven. Pure yum.
Baked Brie Dip W/ Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Thyme @ White On Rice Couple
8. Salmon in Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
If you are looking for a dinner that is both elegant and easy to prepare, this is it. But, you’ll likely want to serve it with a garnish, not to waste that fragrant mouthwatering sauce. Rice or pasta are two simple options, though I suggest cauliflower rice if you are watching your carbs. Loaded with heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, it is sure to please.
Salmon in Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce @ Creme de la Crumb
9. Marry Me Chicken
There’s apparently more than one version of Marry Me Chicken you can gather inspiration from. If you are cooking for a date, you might want to check them out. They may just say yes to a second date.
It’s another delicious dish that’s ready to eat in less than 30 minutes, complete with a luscious herby sauce. It’s budget-friendly, uses minimal ingredients and is virtually fuss-free. if you don’t have angel hair pasta on hand, you can even serve it over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.
If you are wishing to propose after all, don’t forget a chocolatey dessert and a bottle of Pinot Grigio to win the other’s heart.
Marry Me Chicken @ Insanely Good Recipes
10. Asparagus and Tomato Puff Pastry Bites
Dried tomatoes are for more than just main dishes. They also make the most pleasing of appetizers. Especially where dried tomato pesto is concerned. Seriously, you need to learn how to make it. Scroll back up to number 3 if you missed it.
With a jar of sun-dried pesto in hand, all you need to do, is collect the other ingredients. Puff pastry sheets, asparagus tips, a single egg and a whole tablespoon of milk. Sounds too good to be true? You’ll just have to bake it and listen for compliments.
Asparagus, Sun-Dried Tomato Puff Pasty Bites @ Culinary Ginger
11. Chicken Cutlets with Cream Sauce
One-pot meals are a game changer for a busy household. This applies to both homesteaders and apartment dwellers, as well as everybody in between.
Naturally it beats fast food, hands down. It also happens to use some herbs you may have growing in your garden, such as parsley or basil. Toss in some onions, shallots or garlic and you are good to go. It’s creamy and tomatoey, and definitely a family favorite.
Chicken Cutlets with Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce @ Not Entirely Average
12. White Bean and Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi
There are a few foods I wouldn’t want to live without, beans are one of them. It doesn’t matter what kind they are, so long as they are in a warming soup or a hearty stew. Better yet, bathed in a creamy sauce surrounded by sun-dried tomatoes, perhaps with some dried oregano tossed in for an Italian-inspired flavor.
It’s not written in the recipe, but I’d love to try this with some stalks of chard from the garden. I’m not sure why so few people grow this amazing leafy vegetable and I’m here to keep reminding people that it exists. Be sure to sow some chard seeds next year.
White Bean & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi @ Eating Well
13. Italian Beef Stuffed Peppers
Hungarian stuffed peppers often make their way onto our dinner plates, and though I’ll admit to never having tried these beef stuffed peppers, they do sound delish.
With tomatoes, onions, garlic, baby spinach, peppers and chipotle paste, you simply cannot go wrong. Anything stuffed is good, right?!
Italian Beef & Sundried Stuffed Peppers @ Mindful Chef
14. Sun-Dried Tomato Soup
You might recall a sun-dried soup recipe higher up on the list. I assure you, this one is different. Not only is it lacking in spinach, it has a few other ingredients that you may like.
For instance, it calls for Italian sausage and chicken broth. If you have extra broth in the fridge or freezer, you can use it to enrich any soup. It also gives you reason to use up some more carrots from the garden – or the back of the fridge. Yes, you could even boil some carrot tops in the soup too. That will give it an even more enticing flavor.
Italian Sun-Dried Tomato Soup @ The Café Sucre Farine
15. Chicken and Rice Skillet with Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomatoes
Gluten-free comfort food is good for everyone. I know this to be a fact. I gave up gluten for 10 years to heal my gut, and now that I’m able to consume gluten again with no problems whatsoever, I still prefer homemade food without it.
Outside of baking, it’s super easy. Choose your meat, add some veggies, a little bit of dairy and your grain of choice, in this case – rice. In the end, you can add some more shredded cheese for an even more pleasing dish. You won’t be disappointed.
Chicken and Rice Skillet with Broccoli and Sundried Tomatoes @ Peanut Butter Runner
16. Dried-Tomato Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Really, you can stuff any kind of winter squash, but the one you want to grow, or look out for, is spaghetti squash. Roasting the squash does take some time if you really want to bring out the flavor, so you might consider this a weekend feast rather than a quick evening meal.
While most recipes use chicken as the stuffing, I’d like to suggest you to think outside the squash. You might try stuffing it with goat, sheep or rabbit meat, depending on what you have available in your freezer, or fresh from the butcher. Creativity and flexibility in the kitchen will have you eating well in any situation.
Sun-Dried Tomato, Mozzarella & Chicken-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash @ Eating Well
17. Creamy Tuscan Scallops
Forget how intimidated you are to cook scallops for a moment. Most restaurants won’t even do it better than you. Besides, scallops are rich in B12, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids. If you need more of that in your life, scallops are always the answer.
While it’s probably not an every week meal, it is a special one, perfect for holidays and dinner parties. Fresh is best, but frozen scallops will work for this recipe too, just be sure they are properly thawed before cooking.
Creamy Tuscan Scallops @ Cafe Delites
18. Sun-Dried Tomato Chickpea Burgers
Did you know that you can turn garbanzo beans into burgers and meat-free meatballs? If you are looking for more ways to get more beans into your diet, you might want to try this recipe. You’ll also need a cup of basil, or parsley, onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes (obviously) and some spices such as turmeric and cumin.
Serve these chickpea burgers with whatever kind of buns you have on hand, or add them to a bowl of cauliflower rice. Don’t forget to make some garlic dill sauce as a tasty topping.
Sun-Dried Tomato Chickpea Burgers @ Minimalist Baker
19. Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza
No list of sun-dried tomato recipes would be complete without a mention of pizza.
And yet again, the pesto comes into play, using it instead of a marinara sauce. Top your pie with prosciutto, fresh cherry tomatoes, rocket, goat cheese and even more sun-dried tomatoes for a wonderful treat. Eat it hot from the oven, or straight from the fridge the following day. It’s much more rewarding than having pizza delivered to your door.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza @ The Almond Eater
20. Sun-Dried Tomato Quick Bread
No yeast? No problem. Tracey already has you covered with 5 delicious yeast-free bread recipes.
Sure, you can toss any spices or sun-dried tomatoes in them, but you should really check out this quick bread recipe, especially if you are thinking of baking biscuits. You have 3 choices to make: choose an herb, pick a type of shredded cheese, then opt for an extra.
Sun-dried tomatoes top the list as an extra, but you can also add sliced olives, canned corn, crumbly bacon or a finely diced jalapeño. Personally, I think I might add all of the above.
