Easy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

An absolutely flavor packed and delicious sun-dried tomato pasta sauce. So easy, so quick and uses easy to find, simple ingredients. A light, zingy creamy sauce with sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and fresh baby spinach. It's a pasta sauce for all year round and quick enough for busy weeknights but delicious enough for a dinner party!

Hi! How good are sun-dried tomatoes? It's such a concentrated tomato flavor and packs such a punch in a pasta sauce. It feels so summery but they come in a jar for all year round convenience. This sauce is so creamy and delicious but feels light with the squeeze of lemon and the fresh spinach.

Use this delicious sauce as a base to add in other vegetables or protein to suit the time of year you are in.

For some other tomato based dishes, try:

• My original Creamy Tomato Sauce, it is a much simpler version.
• Italian Puttanesca Pasta, this is a classic for a reason.
• Pasta alla Norma, a delicious eggplant pasta that I have amped up with roasted red peppers.

Main Ingredients:

Jar of sun-dried tomatoes - I like to chop half up as fine as I can (use a food processor if you like) then cut the other half into strips. Dry off the oil with some paper hand towels.

Cream - I like to use a light or single cream as I find heat and the addition of Parmesan thickens it up nicely. Use heavy cream if that is all you have and you can add some extra pasta water if needed.

Onion - I use 50 grams of chopped onion. Onions can vary in size so much, so weight is a good guide.

Garlic - Fresh garlic cloves are always best!

Parmesan cheese - Freshly grated with a microplane or star side of a box grater. Pre-shredded or grated Parmesan is usually full of additives and it won't melt nicely.

Lemon - I always add a good squeeze of lemon juice into a creamy sauce. Use the zest to finish the dish too.

Spinach - Throwing some fresh baby spinach into a pasta sauce at the end adds some freshness and great nutrition to the dish.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Some tasty additions

This is a great base recipe so add anything you have in the fridge or pantry to make it a meal the whole family will love.

• Add some protein with some pan fried chicken breast or thighs. Check out my Creamy Chicken Pasta for how to cook a perfectly golden and tender chicken breast. My Creamy Salmon Pasta has a great method for baking salmon which would be lovely here.
• Add some vegetables. When cooking the onions, add in some broccoli florets, green beans, sliced zucchini or anything else you love.
• Some toasted walnuts or pine nuts would be delicious on top.
• Want a bit of heat? Add some red pepper flakes to finish.
• I love adding some torn fresh basil leaves on top for extra flavor.

Expert tips for this dish

1. Season your pasta water correctly! See notes on this below. It makes a HUGE difference. I use about 1.75L of water and 1 tablespoon table salt. If you use kosher salt you may need to add more.
2. Don't have your heat too high. When making a creamy sauce I have the heat quite gentle. Bring the cream to a VERY gentle simmer then lower the heat when adding the Parmesan.
3. Under-cook your pasta. I always under-cook dried pasta by a minute from the package instructions so it can bubble away in the finished sauce and still be perfectly al dente.

How to make this recipe

Full ingredient list and method are in the recipe card below. Cook your pasta in well salted water, reserving a cup of pasta water before draining.

ONE: In a large skillet over a medium heat, gently fry the onion in extra virgin olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds.

TWO: Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute or so, stirring.

THREE: Add the cream and pepper and bring to a very gentle simmer and then add the parmesan cheese.

FOUR: Add the lemon juice, whisk in quickly then stir through the chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

FIVE: Add your cooked pasta with ¼ cup pasta water, mix well. Let it gently bubble away for a minute or two on a low heat to thicken slightly.

SIX: Add the baby spinach, toss well then serve. I like to top with some extra Parmesan and some lemon zest is lovely too.

Salting your pasta water correctly

If you can stomach a mouthful of your pasta water, you probably haven't salted it enough! I have learnt a lot about salting water from Samin Nosrat and her book and series Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.

For two people I generally use about 1.75L of boiling water and I use about ¾ - 1 tablespoon of table salt. Personally, I don't want to waste fancy salt in water. Table salt is generally the saltiest of all salts so if you use something like Diamond Crystal Kosher salt or Maldon, you might need to go closer to 1.5-2 tablespoons.

Experiment with what works for your tastes. I can't stress enough the importance of salting your pasta water. It makes a HUGE difference. Remember, pasta has zero salt in it so seasoning your water is the one chance you have to add some flavour INTO the pasta.

Recipe FAQs

Want some other recipes to try?

If you loved this creamy sun dried tomato pasta then check out my recipe section for all sorts of pasta recipes. For another easy weeknight meal try my Lemon Ricotta Pasta. A recent favorite for me is my Easy Miso Pasta. Want a classic? Try my Cacio e Pepe, my method works every time!!

Made this recipe and loved it?

I would love love LOVE if you could leave me a review down below and let me know what you thought! I love to hear any changes or adaptions you have made too. Also if you put a photo on instagram, please tag me so I can see, it makes my day!

Recipe

Easy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

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5 from 4 votes

Author: Emilie Pullar

Prep time:10 minutes minutes

Cook Time:10 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 people

Print Recipe Pin Rate

A flavor packed creamy sun-dried tomato pasta sauce with garlic, lemon, lots of parmesan and baby spinach to finish. So quick and easy and you won't believe how delicious it is!

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Ingredients

• Pasta 200 grams dried or 300 grams fresh
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 50 grams onion finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves finely diced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ¾ cup cream
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 40 grams parmesan finely grated
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 120 grams sun-dried tomatoes chopped (that is the finished weight needed out of the jar) see notes
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves

Instructions

• Boil your pasta in well salted water and reserve a cup of pasta water before draining. I tend to undercook dried pasta for a minute so it can bubble in the sauce at the end and not overcook.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over a medium heat and gently fry the onion for 3 - 4 minutes until softened.
• Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add a touch more olive oil if it is too dry.
• Add the tomato paste and cook for a further minute, stirring it around.
• Add the cream and pepper and bring to a very gentle simmer, you might want to turn the heat down here, it should barely be bubbling.
• Add the parmesan in a couple of separate lots, letting it melt in between each addition.
• Add the lemon juice and whisk in quickly.
• Add the sun-dried tomatoes and mix through.
• Add your cooked pasta and ¼ cup pasta water and mix well. Let it gently bubble away for a minute or so to thicken slightly. Cream sauces thicken up a lot off the heat so make it saucy on the stove top!
• Toss the spinach through, let it wilt slightly and serve straight away.
• Top with extra grated parmesan and some lemon zest if you wish.

Notes

Sun-dried tomatoes - I like to finely dice half (or blitz in a food processor) and roughly chop the rest so there is a difference in textures. All roughly chopped is fine!

Onion - I used 50 grams of diced onion. Onions vary in size a lot so use that as a guide.

Read all the notes in post above, it's all useful info and tips!

Author: Emilie Pullar

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Course: Vegetarian

Cuisine: Italian Inspired

Keyword: sun dried tomatoes, sun-dried tomato pasta, tomato pasta

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