Savory Baked Brie with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Warm, melty, and bursting with flavor, this savory baked brie with sun-dried tomato pesto is the perfect combination of savory, nutty, creamy, and a little spicy.

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Sun-dried tomatoes: Provide intense, concentrated tomato sweetness to the pesto. The oil they're packed in also serves as the base for the pesto, adding richness and helping bind the ingredients together.
• Pine nuts: Add a buttery, delicate nuttiness and create the classic pesto texture. You can substitute pine nuts with walnuts or almonds, if preferred.
• Calabrian chilies: Provide a gentle, fruity heat that helps cut through the richness of the brie. If you can't find Calabrian chilies, use red chili flakes instead.
• Basil: Used in the pesto, bringing freshness and herbaceous notes.
• Brie: The creamy brie wheel is baked until gooey and warm. You can use any large Brie wheel between 12-16 ounces, adjusting the amount of pesto needed.

Substitutions and variations

• Herbs: Replace basil with parsley or use a combination of the two.
• Toppings: You can add chopped olives, additional fresh herbs, sea salt, or lemon zest as finishing garnishes.

Recipe

Print Recipe

Savory Baked Brie with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: French, Italian

Keyword: vegetarian

Servings: 8

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed fresh basil
• ½ cup grated parmesan
• ⅓ cup toasted pine nuts
• 3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped Calabrian chilies
• 1 garlic clove
• ⅓ cup sun-dried tomato oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 13 ounce creamy brie wheel

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Make sun-dried tomato pesto. Combine basil, parmesan, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, Calabrian chilies, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse ingredients until finely chopped. Alternatively, finely chop the ingredients by hand.
• Transfer mixture to a bowl and add sun-dried tomato oil, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
• Place the brie on a baking dish or sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Use a sharp knife to cut a crosshatch pattern on the brie, making sure not to cut completely through the cheese.
• Spoon about half of the pesto on top of the cheese in an even layer. Bake brie for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese begins to ooze. Remove from oven and serve warm with crackers and bread.

Notes

You can use any brie wheel between 12 - 16 ounces.

This recipe makes extra pesto. Reserve for another time, or you can make half the amount.

The pesto has a mild heat level. Add additional Calabrian chilies if you want a spicier kick.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make pesto

I love that this savory baked brie looks impressive but is easy enough for anyone to prepare. It's just a matter of making the pesto and baking it together with the brie.

Fortunately, the pesto comes together in minutes. Just toss fresh basil, grated parmesan, toasted pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, Calabrian chilies, and a garlic clove into your food processor and pulse until everything is finely chopped.

The Calabrian chilies add a gentle, fruity heat that's totally optional but highly recommended. They elevate the sauce without making it too spicy. If you want more of a kick, you can add extra chilies.

Now, if you don't have a food processor, you can chop everything by hand; it'll just take a bit more time and elbow grease.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the sun-dried tomato oil (from the jar!), salt, and pepper. The oil not only adds flavor but also helps bring the pesto together into a spreadable consistency.

This pesto will be thicker than standard pestos, but I wanted to reduce the amount of oil to avoid having an overly greasy appetizer.

Step 2: Bake brie

Now it's time to prepare the brie. Place the brie wheel on a parchment-lined baking sheet or baking dish and use a sharp knife to cut a crosshatch pattern on top.

You want to score the surface without cutting all the way through the cheese. The crosshatch lets the pesto seep into the brie while baking, infusing it with flavor, but keeps the wheel intact so it doesn't melt into a puddle.

On the same note, we want to keep the rind on the brie to avoid having it spill over while baking.

Spoon the pesto evenly over the top and pop it in a 350°F oven for 12-15 minutes. You'll know it's done when the cheese is soft to the touch and just starting to ooze out the sides.

It should look slightly bulgy and feel jiggly when you gently press on it, but it shouldn't be completely melted.

Pull it out of the oven while it still has some structure, then serve it immediately with crackers, bread, or whatever you like to dip.

I knew the combination of brie with pesto was going to be a winner, but what I didn't expect was the results. When you get a bite of that creamy cheese with bits of sun-dried tomatoes and basil on toasted bread, it tastes like margherita pizza! And who doesn't like pizza, am I right?

For more recipes with sun-dried tomato pesto, check out this sun-dried tomato pesto swirl bread and sun-dried tomato pesto pasta with burrata.

Make-ahead and storage tips

• Make-ahead: You can make the pesto up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refridgerator until ready to use.
• Store: Although best consumed immediately, you can store leftovers in the refridgerator for up to 2 days.

Frequently asked questions

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