Tomato Pesto

Tomatoes bring summer into the jar and onto the table

Königskind Tomato Pesto with black walnuts is a fruity, summery pesto made from ripe tomatoes, genuine Parmigiano Reggiano, and the legendary black walnuts from their own production—handmade by Uwe König in his small gourmet manufactory in the Oberberg region. A multi-layered companion for pasta, mozzarella, and warm white bread, featuring the delicate spice of black walnuts.

The Tomato Pesto with black walnuts from Königskind is a fruity, summery, and subtly spiced pesto from the Oberberg region. With sun-ripened tomatoes, black walnuts from Königskind's own production, sunflower oil, genuine Parmigiano Reggiano, tomato paste for concentrated depth, a splash of lemon juice, chili, salt, and fine spices, only a few select ingredients make it into the jar—without artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, or flavor enhancers. Uwe König processes the tomatoes fresh and refines the pesto with his own pickled black walnuts, which have been aged for months.

Deeply fruity, full-bodied, and with a subtly spicy chili-nut note

Once opened, the full summer aroma of the tomatoes rises—warm, juicy, and slightly caramelly, accompanied by the deep, spicy note of black walnuts with their vanilla-cinnamon infusion and a subtle hint of chili heat. The color is a bright, deep red with dark nut flecks that visually turn the pesto into a delicate work of art. The consistency is creamy and velvety with visible fruit pieces and fine nut bits that give the pesto a smooth texture.

On the tongue, the pesto begins with the full sweetness of tomatoes and fruitiness, followed by the black walnut with its subtly spicy, almost vanilla-cinnamon depth—shaped by the long infusion with cloves and cinnamon. The Parmigiano Reggiano provides its salty-umami spice, the tomato paste adds concentrated depth, a splash of lemon lifts the entire profile into a harmonious whole, and the chili adds a final fine, spicy accent. A full-bodied, balanced pesto that combines summer tomato freshness with the characterful depth of a signature Königskind ingredient.

For pasta, mozzarella, and warm white bread

The Tomato Pesto is a versatile summer companion. It is classic with pasta: stir 3 tablespoons of pesto into warm linguine or spaghettoni, add a little pasta water to make the sauce silky, top with a few shavings of Parmigiano and a few basil leaves, and a summer dish is ready in 10 minutes. The pesto also shines with orecchiette and 50 g of fried bacon or in a cold pasta salad bowl.

Fresh Mozzarella di Bufala is its most harmonious partner: a thick slice of buffalo mozzarella on a plate, a generous spoonful of tomato pesto on top, a few basil leaves, a drizzle of good olive oil—and you have an appetizer that will impress not just the host. On a warm slice of toasted white bread as bruschetta, on a crostino with goat cream cheese, with warm jacket potatoes, or as a dip for raw vegetables on a summer evening—the pesto fits wherever tomatoes are welcome.

It also pairs well with grilled fish and light meat dishes: with a piece of baked salmon fillet, Mediterranean-fried chicken breast, or grilled halloumi with arugula. The special feature is the black walnuts—they give the pesto a depth you won't find in classic tomato pestos. Other seasonal pestos: the spring-fresh wild garlic pesto, the autumn-rich porcini mushroom pesto, and the winter-warm kale pesto. You can find them all in our Königskind collection.

Königskind manufactory with home-pickled black walnuts

The Königskind gourmet manufactory is the family-run passion project of Uwe König and his wife Sabine. What began as a hobby in their home kitchen in 2005 grew into a full-time business in 2014 due to the increasing demand for their pestos, chutneys, and fruit spreads. To this day, all Königskind products are cooked in the idyllic kitchen "unterm Ziegenbusch" in Wiehl—everything is handmade in manageable quantities, with the care that only a small, traditional family business can provide.

A special Königskind signature are the black walnuts that Uwe König makes himself: green, unripe walnuts are harvested in early summer, prepared for several weeks, and then slowly simmered with sugar, cloves, vanilla pods, cinnamon, and limes. They then age for at least 6 months in jars until they have developed their deep, spicy aroma. With a proud 21% black walnuts in the jar, the tomato pesto gives this Königskind signature the space it deserves—an ingredient you rarely find in such quantity in a pesto.

The tomato pesto is part of the Königskind seasonal line: alongside the spring-fresh wild garlic pesto, the autumn-rich porcini mushroom pesto, and the winter-warm kale pesto, it completes the year-round pesto range.