Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
A rich yet light creamy sun-dried tomato pasta sauce with garlic, lemon, Parmesan, and baby spinach. Quick and easy to make, but packed with bold, balanced flavor.
Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
- 200 grams dried pasta (or 300 grams fresh)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ small onion finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves finely diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 40 grams parmesan finely grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ - ¾ cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped, see notes
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves
Instructions
- Boil the pasta in well-salted water, reserving 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Undercook dried pasta by 1 minute so it finishes cooking in the sauce.
- 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 little more olive oil if needed.
- 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, lowering the heat so it barely bubbles.
- 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 the cooked pasta and ¼ cup pasta water and mix well. Let it gently bubble for 1–2 minutes to thicken, the sauce will continue to thicken off the heat so keep it on the saucy side.
- 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 - Use jarred sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and blot off excess oil before chopping. I like to finely blitz half so the flavor melts into the sauce, then chop the rest for a bit of texture.
Pasta - Fresh or dried pasta both work well and use any shape you like.
Sauce texture - The sauce will thicken as it cools, loosen with a splash of pasta water if needed.
Lemon juice - Keep the heat low when adding the lemon juice and stir it in quickly so it blends smoothly into the sauce. If you’re worried about curdling, remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice right at the end.