Update: This post is from March, 2018, and each time I have layered it differently. This illustrates my latest, although there’s one more layer of cheese as the last ingredient that I didn’t show in the collage. The pesto kind of hides it in the final flip.

Today’s version is my favorite with one pasta bowl fitting the exact amount with the following layers — nuts, tomatoes, cheese, pesto, nuts cheese.

by Kelly J. Larson

I made my sister-in-law’s sun-dried tomato and pesto torte recipe today using a clover shaped candy dish to shape it — and since her name is Penni, I’ll call this my Lucky Penni Torte. What a tasty appetizer it is, filled with robust flavors.

Normally it has two layers, but using my small shamrock dish, I only made one layer. Also I assembled several mini versions for later with the remaining ingredients.

Reading Penni’s instructions again, I just realized that when I made the torte in December, she never told me I did not layer it in the order she had suggested. I suppose you can change it up for different looks. It tastes amazing regardless.

Sun-dried Tomato & Pesto Torte

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese (ACCIDENTALLY omitted from the above ingredients photo, but it is included in the dish, thankfully!)
• 8.5 ounce jar of sun-dried tomatoes, drained, chopped
• 6.3 ounce jar of pesto
• 4 ounces pine nuts, toasted
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper

Brown the pine nuts in a large skillet on medium high for a few minutes. Cool on a paper towel.

Drain the oil from the tomatoes in a colander, then transfer to a food processor to finely chop them.

Combine cream cheese, butter, feta cheese, white pepper and white wine vinegar (Penni uses dry Vermouth) in stand mixer until creamy.

Line bowl with plastic wrap. Add pine nuts to bottom.

Add a layer of sun-dried tomatoes.

Add a layer of pesto.

Add cheese layer.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours before unmolding.

Serve with crackers or vegetables or both.

For a party of one, these mini sun-dried tomato and pesto tortes are formed in a mini muffin silicone tray, which will easily pop out without the use of plastic wrap beneath them.

This sun-dried tomato and pesto torte fits perfectly in one pasta bowl and is a huge party favorite.