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This 30-minute, one-pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta is bright, creamy, and so flavorful! Made with simple ingredients, like onion, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and spinach, it’s the perfect quick and easy weeknight vegetarian dinner!
Delivering restaurant-quality flavor without all the work, this ultra-luxe sun-dried tomato pasta cooks in just one pot and is ready in under 30 minutes! The ingredients are simple, and the process couldn’t be easier. Top off your plate with your favorite protein or keep it vegetarian – there are so many ways to make this amazing pasta your own!
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
This creamy sun-dried tomato pasta is super customizable. Below are notes about the ingredients plus popular substitutions. You can find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Pasta: This dish is perfect with most types of pasta, including rotini (shown here), ziti, penne, farfalle, cavatappi, and rigatoni. I don’t recommend using chickpea or gluten-free pasta, as the starch from wheat-based pasta water is essential for creating a thick, creamy sauce. Without it, the sauce won’t achieve the same smooth, velvety consistency.
- Aromatics: Substitute onion with diced shallots or omit from the recipe for a smoother sauce.
- Seasoning: This pasta has so much flavor from the sun-dried tomatoes and heavy cream that less is better when seasoning. A little dried oregano, salt, and black pepper to finish is all it needs. Feel free to swap the dried oregano for dried basil or homemade Italian seasoning, and sprinkle with some red pepper flakes for heat.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: The grocery store sells two main types of sun-dried tomatoes: oil-packed and dry-packed. Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes are preserved in oil, often with herbs and garlic, making them soft, flavorful, and ready to use without rehydrating. Dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes are dried, with a texture similar to dried fruit, and are not stored in oil, making them chewier and more concentrated in flavor. This recipe can be made with either type, but for softer sun-dried tomatoes, choose oil-packed.
- Heavy Cream: For a lighter sauce, substitute with half-and-half or create your own by mixing equal parts heavy whipping cream and whole milk. I don’t recommend using lower-fat alternatives, as they increase the risk of the sauce separating.
- Spinach: Substitute with kale for a similar nutrient-packed leafy green.
Optional Additions
This easy sun-dried tomato pasta is super versatile. Here are some examples:
- White Wine: Adds depth and acidity. It also helps deglaze the pan, lifting flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan for a more complex sauce. Be sure to use a dry white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Add about 1/2 cup (before the heavy cream) and allow enough time for it to reduce by half.
- Cream Cheese: Contributes a velvety, slightly tangy creaminess, making the sauce extra smooth and luscious. It also thickens the sauce considerably. If you add cream cheese, reduce the amount of heavy cream by at least half.
- Parmesan Cheese: Grate your Parm straight from the black for the best flavor and guaranteed silky sauce. I love using my Microplane grater to get an ultra-fine texture that blends seamlessly into the sauce.
- Tomato Pesto: Adding 1-2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato pesto is a great way to thicken the sauce and add extra flavor. Add it to the softened onions and sun-dried tomatoes before adding the heavy cream.
- Protein: Baked chicken breasts or leftover shredded chicken are my go-to when I need to pack the protein, but sweet (or spicy) Italian sausage is also delicious. Shrimp is great when you need something to cook quickly.
Jessica Says
Recipe Tips
Here are a few of my top tips for making the best creamy sun-dried tomato pasta:
- Simmer, don’t boil: To keep the sauce smooth and creamy, simmer gently over medium to low heat. Avoid boiling, as high heat can cause the fat and water to separate, leading to curdling, especially with lower-fat dairy.
- Temper the dairy before adding: A sudden temperature change can cause the proteins in dairy to seize up and separate. Gradually warming it before adding it to hot sauces helps it blend more smoothly. How can you do this? Remove the dairy from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, or gently heat it in a separate pan. OR, stir in a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce to gradually raise its temperature. Once warmed, slowly mix it into the sauce over low heat, stirring constantly.
- Reserve the pasta cooking water: Pasta cooking water is like magic for cream-based pasta sauces (ask my Alfredo sauce recipe). Just a splash helps emulsify the sauce, making it silkier and preventing separation (especially useful when using lower-fat dairy like half-and-half or whole milk). Starchy water thickens the sauce slightly, helping the sauce coat each strand of pasta evenly, but also helps loosen up the sauce if it becomes too thick. Reserve at least 1-2 cups of pasta water before draining, and add about two tablespoons at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
Reader Tip:
“…I always buy the oil-packed kind and I always save the infused oil because it is liquid gold! In recipes similar to this I often use the oil for the sautéing part (or use 1/2 butter and 1/2 infused oil). It really adds some great additional flavor to the dish.“
– Bill in STL
How to Reheat Leftover Pasta
Should you find yourself with leftovers, save some of that starchy pasta water in a sealed jar in the fridge alongside your leftovers. It helps bring the sauce back together and keeps the texture silky. Always reheat gently; high heat can cause the sauce to separate. When reheating, start by adding a splash of pasta cooking water (or cream/milk) to loosen the sauce and keep it from drying out.
On the stovetop, warm it gently over low heat, or reheat in the microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring between each.
More Creamy Pasta Recipes
If you make this easy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment section below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more delicious food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
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Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces rotini pasta
- 2 tablespoon butter, or olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, minced
- ½ cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed, drained (see notes)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature, see notes
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, see notes
- 2 cups baby spinach, packed
- fresh oregano, basil, or parsley, to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 12 ounces of rotini pasta and cook one minute less than the package instructions (it will finish cooking in the sauce). Before draining, reserve 1-2 cups of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta and set it aside.
- Soften the onion. Return the pot to medium heat. Melt the butter, then add the onion. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring until softened and translucent.
- Sauté the sun-dried tomatoes and seasoning. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 1 minute, releasing their flavor into the butter. Add the minced garlic, dried oregano, and salt, stirring for 30 seconds until fragrant (be careful not to burn the garlic).
- Make the creamy sauce. Pour in two cups of room-temperature heavy cream and two cups of low-sodium chicken broth (for a more decadent sauce, reduce the chicken broth to one cup), stirring to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer (not boiling!) over medium-low heat, allowing the flavors to meld. Simmer for 3–4 minutes, stirring continuously, until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Add the spinach and pasta. Stir in the chopped spinach, letting it wilt for 1–2 minutes, then add the cooked pasta. Gently toss to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of reserved pasta water (1–2 tablespoons at a time) until you reach your desired consistency.
- Season and serve. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed. Remove from heat and stir in freshly grated parmesan cheese, if using, and garnish with fresh parsley, oregano, or basil, if desired.
Notes
- Simmer gently over medium-low heat. Boiling can cause dairy to split or curdle.
- Bring the heavy cream to room temperature before adding it to the hot pasta. The best way to do this is to let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- Save 1–2 cups of the pasta cooking water before draining. Add about 2 tablespoons at a time to thin and emulsify the sauce as needed.
- Refrigerate leftover pasta in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Reheat slowly over low heat in a saucepan or the microwave until warm. Add a few tablespoons of cream/milk/reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce, if needed.
- Freezing is not recommended.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looks outstanding and I will be making it very soon. Just looking at the recipe I can tell it’s going to be great … thanks for posting Jessica. One thing about the sun-dried tomatoes … I always buy the oil-packed kind and I always save the infused oil because it is liquid gold! In recipes similar to this I often use the oil for the sautéing part (or use 1/2 butter and 1/2 infused oil). It really adds some great additional flavor to the dish.
Been almost a month Bill.How did that liquid gold come out?