Easy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
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This is my favorite sun dried tomato pasta recipe! It’s made with fresh herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, penne pasta, spinach, and a tangy tomato sauce. This sundried tomato pasta is flavorful yet light enough to enjoy during warmer weather.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
The tangy, delicious tomato sauce perfectly compliments this dish’s tart sun-dried tomatoes. With fresh spinach and basil, this dish is incredibly fresh tasting. Plus, this sun dried tomato pasta is simple to make – you’ll only need a handful of ingredients.
The best part about this pasta with sundried tomatoes is that it’s vegetarian-friendly. You can always pair it with fish or chicken for additional protein.
Other must-try recipes with sun dried tomatoes
What are sun dried tomatoes?
To put it simply, sun dried tomatoes are dehydrated tomatoes. They have a bold, concentrated tomato flavour that’s accented by a tangy, acidic taste. Initially, these tomatoes were made by sitting in direct sunlight (hence their name). However, it’s also common now to produce sundried tomatoes with a dehydrator or oven.
These tasty tomatoes work well in salad and pasta dishes, like this sun-dried tomato pasta recipe.
Ingredients
Penne
As mentioned in other recipes, I love using penne for sun-dried tomato pasta recipes. It holds the sauce well, so every bite is flavourful. You can also use other pasta like rigatoni or shells for this sun dried tomato pasta recipe.
Butterbeans
Butterbeans have such a delicious, creamy texture that they work well in saucy Italian dishes like this pasta with sundried tomatoes. If you can’t get your hands on butterbeans, cannellini, navy, and borlotti beans will also work well. Expect a slightly different texture when using other beans with this sundried tomato pasta recipe.
Tomato Puree
Adding tomato puree helps create the base for the sundried tomato pasta sauce. You can also use passata, pizza, or marinara sauce for this dish. They will all add a tasty tomato flavour.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
You won’t need to change this sun-dried tomato pasta to make it vegan/vegetarian; it’s already animal product-free!
With one easy swap, you can also turn this sun-dried tomato pasta into a gluten-free meal. Simply use gluten-free pasta instead of regular pasta, and you’re good to go! Double-check that the tomato puree/pasta sauce is gluten-free, as some brands’ recipes contain gluten.
How to make sun dried tomato pasta
- Start by finely chopping the onions and slice the garlic on a chopping board (Image 1).
- Then add the onion and sun-dried tomatoes into a non-stick frying pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper (& and an extra sprinkle of chilli flakes) and gently fry for 5 minutes (Image 2).
3. Add the tomato puree and garlic half way through and continue to fry for a few more minutes (Image 3).
4. During this time, add your penne to boiling salted pasta water. Set your timer to the packet time minus 2 minutes. Before draining, reserve a mug full of pasta water (Image 4).
5. Transfer the sun-dried tomato/onion mix from the frying pan into a blender along with the butterbeans and stock (Image 5).
6. Blend until you have a smooth clreamy consistency (Image 6).
7. Pour back into your frying pan along with the undercooked pasta. Add the spinach at this stage and continue to cook for 2 minutes, adding a few ladles of pasta water to loosen the sauce (Image 7).
8. Serve with some fresh basil and optional chilli flakes. You could also add a few extra slices of sun-dried tomato for texture and flavour (Image 8).
Here are some other pasta recipes to give you inspiration; Pesto Pasta Salad, Mushroom Stroganoff Pasta and Creamy Tomato and Spinach One Pot Pasta
Tips for the best result
Salt the pasta water
I always recommend salting the water whenever you make pasta dishes (like this sun dried tomato pasta). It helps add flavour to the pasta and prevents it from sticking together as it cooks. If you skip this step, you’ll have pasta clumps that are difficult to work with.
Utilise the sundried tomato oil
If you rehydrate your sundried tomatoes in oil, you can use this oil for an extra boost of flavour for other recipes with sun-dried tomatoes in oil. It works particularly well with salads and pasta dishes. Add it to this dish to create a bolder tomato flavour.
Keep a small cup of pasta water in the fridge
After a day or two in the fridge, leftover pasta starts to get dried out. You can liven up refrigerated pasta with sun dried tomatoes with extra pasta water. Simply store a cup in the fridge alongside the pasta. Then, pour in a splash before reheating the pasta.
Top the dish with parmesan cheese
Make this dish even more flavourful by adding freshly grated parmesan cheese as a topping. You can also add a dash of Italian seasoning to the sauce before serving the cooked pasta.
Turn this dish into a full meal by serving it with a chicken; a few of my favourite options include Garlic Butter Chicken, Grinder Salad (Italian Sub Salad) and The BEST Crispy Bone-in Chicken Thighs
FAQs
Yes, overall, sun-dried tomatoes are healthy. They’re simply dehydrated tomatoes that have a more robust tomato flavour. Sun-dried tomatoes also retain the same nutrients they had before they were dehydrated, so they have vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants.
Sundried tomatoes pair well with chicken, pasta, salads, and soups. If you’re making this sun dried tomato pasta dish, try enjoying it alongside other Italian mains like an Spicy Pepperoni Courgette Pizzas and Healthy Crustless Pizza Bowls.
Yes, you can make many dishes with a sundried tomato. They work well on pizzas, frittatas, etc. You can even fry up rehydrated sundried tomatoes for a tasty snack.
If you purchase dry-packed sundried tomatoes, you’ll want to rehydrate them first. You can do this by soaking them in oil or broth. I prefer soaking them in oil since it infuses the oil with a delicious tomato flavour. You can use this oil later for other Italian-inspired recipes with sun dried tomatoes.
If you tried this Easy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta recipe, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Easy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 white onion, diced (£0.16)
- 75 g sun-dried tomatoes (£2.00/2)=(£1.00)
- 3 cloves garlic (£0.40)
- 2 tbsp tomato puree £0.65
- 400 g penne (£0.41)
- 400 g 1 tin (240g drained weight) butter beans (£0.75)
- 100 g spinach (£1.00/2)=(£0.50)
- Fresh basil (£0.55)
Cupboard Essentials
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 200 ml vegetable stock
- Salt & Pepper
- Chilli flakes/red pepper flakes
Method
- Start by adding the onion and sun-dried tomatoes into a non-stick frying pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper (& and an extra sprinkle of chilli flakes) and gently fry for 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree and the garlic half way through and fry for a couple of minutes.
- During this time, add your penne to boiling salted pasta water. Set your timer to the packet time minus 2 minutes. Before draining, reserve a mug full of pasta water.
- Transfer the sun dried tomato/onion mix from the frying pan into a blender along with the butterbeans and stock. Pour back into your frying pan along with the undercooked pasta.
- Add the spinach at this stage and continue to cook for 2 minutes, adding a few ladles of pasta water to loosen the sauce.
- Serve with some fresh basil and optional chilli flakes. You could also add a few extra slices of sun-dried tomato for texture and flavour.
Notes
- Salt the pasta water for flavour and to prevent sticking.
- Use sun-dried tomato oil for extra flavour in other recipes.
- Keep the pasta water in the fridge to add to the pasta when reheating.
- Enhance the flavour with parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.
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