Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
15 mins
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Total Time
30 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
400 kcal
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Course
Main Course
Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
Description
This recipe blends chopped sun dried tomatoes with basil, cream, milk, Parmesan cheese, and seasonings to create a smooth, creamy sauce. Garlic and onion are sautéed in sun dried tomato oil to bring out their sweetness before adding cooked pasta and fresh spinach. The sauce is poured over the pasta with some reserved pasta cooking water, which helps emulsify the oil and liquids into a cohesive, glossy sauce that clings to each piece of pasta.
The use of yoghurt or sour cream is optional but helps balance the richness by cutting through creaminess and thickening the sauce. Tomato paste adds color and thickening but is not essential. The method gives a creamy yet vibrant sauce with the sweetness and tang of sun dried tomatoes complementing the mild spinach and pasta.
The pasta is best served immediately, garnished with additional Parmesan cheese and fresh basil if desired. This recipe suits a comforting vegetarian main dish or side.
Sun dried tomatoes with or without oil can be used; if oil-packed, excess oil should be shaken off to prevent an overly oily sauce. The emulsification step with pasta water is key to the sauce’s texture and adherence to the pasta pieces.
Ingredients
Creamy Sauce
- 3/4 cup (tightly packed) sun dried tomatoes roughly chopped; + more for garnish
- 1/2 cup basil lightly packed, leaves
- 1/4 cup yoghurt optional) (Note 2, or sour cream
- 1/4 cup cream (Note 3)
- 1 3/4 cups milk (I use low fat)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional) (Note 4)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese , finely grated
- 1/2 tsp salt
- black pepper
Pasta
- 300 g pasta I like penne/ziti, of choice
- 1 tbsp sun dried tomato oil
- 2 garlic crushed, cloves
- 1 onion finely diced (brown, white or yellow, small
- 4 cups (tightly packed) spinach fresh; finely shredded
To Serve (optional)
- Parmesan Cheese
- basil finely shredded, fresh
Instructions
- Place the Creamy Sauce ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Adjust salt to your taste.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for 20 seconds, then add onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until translucent and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, cook your pasta of choice in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente (just cooked through but still firm). SCOOP out 1 mug of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Add the pasta into the skillet, then pour the Creamy Sauce in, all the spinach and about 1/2 cup of the pasta water (Note 5). Stir to coat the pasta in the sauce and to wilt the spinach. Cook, stirring gently, for about 2 minutes until the sauce is warmed through. Adjust salt to taste.
- Use the remaining pasta water to get the sauce to the consistency you want.
- Remove from the stove and serve immediately, with more parmesan cheese and basil if desired.
Notes
- Use sun dried tomatoes packed in oil or dry; if oil-packed, shake off excess oil to prevent greasiness.
- Yoghurt or sour cream is optional; it balances creaminess and thickens the sauce, but lemon juice can substitute if unavailable.
- Adjust cream and milk quantities to preference, increasing cream for a richer dish.
- Tomato paste mainly adds color and slight thickness but can be omitted.
- The reserved pasta water emulsifies with the oil to create a glossy, smooth sauce that coats the pasta well.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 400 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 289g | |
| Calories | 400cal | 20% |
| Carbohydrates | 57.1g | 19% |
| Protein | 17.9g | 36% |
| Fat | 11.9g | 18% |
| Saturated Fat | 3.5g | 18% |
| Cholesterol | 69mg | 23% |
| Sodium | 526mg | 22% |
| Potassium | 907mg | 19% |
| Fiber | 2.5g | 10% |
| Sugar | 8.3g | 17% |
| Vitamin A | 3650IU | 73% |
| Vitamin C | 44.6mg | 50% |
| Calcium | 290mg | 29% |
| Iron | 4.1mg | 23% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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