This is our favorite sun-dried tomato pasta because it’s made with a quick and creamy Sicilian-inspired sauce of ricotta, tomatoes, and parmesan. It’s excellent for a 20-minute dinner!
For more easy pasta recipes, check out our broccoli pasta, asparagus pasta, lemon ricotta pasta, and red pepper pasta.
Why this recipe works…
This creamy sun-dried tomato pasta is inspired by our unforgettable trip to Sicily, bursting with bold Mediterranean flavors in every bite.
Louise and I have fallen in love with Sicilian cuisine, where simple, high-quality ingredients come together to create the most incredible dishes.
From eggplant pasta alla Norma to crispy cannoli and flavorful caponata, we ate so much food ๐.
What we love about this sauce is that it comes together in just two minutes.
Simply blend ripe vine tomatoes with creamy ricotta, grated Parmigiano, rich olive oil, fragrant basil, and your choice of nuts, like pine nuts, cashews, or almonds.
Chopped sun-dried tomatoes add an extra layer of depth and umami, while fresh spinach makes this dish a well-rounded, satisfying meal.
We think youโll love this recipeโit’s quick, creamy, and packed with wholesome goodness!
Ingredients
Find complete ingredient list, quantities, and substitutions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Pasta: Choose your favorite shape. Short pasta like rigatoni, paccheri, and penne are best because they hold the sauce better. For the best texture and flavor, opt for Italian-imported bronze-cut pasta. Its rough, porous surface clings to the sauce beautifully, ensuring every bite is rich and flavorful.
- Sun-dried tomatoes in oil: They are tender and flavorful; drain them before use to reduce oil. Packed dry sun-dried tomatoes aren’t as flavorful and require soaking in hot water before use.
- Nuts: I like to use pine nuts, but cashews, walnuts, macadamia nuts, and peeled almonds are also excellent here.
- Parmigiano: We recommend getting a piece of Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano and grating it at home. Substitute generic parmesan cheese or, if vegan, a non-dairy parmesan.
- Ricotta: Ricotta from whole milk is best. If vegan, substitute a non-dairy ricotta.
Variations
The most common question you guys ask us when making pasta dishes is how to add more protein. This recipe contains already 21 g of protein per portion.
If that’s not enough, you have three main options, depending on your diet.
- TOFU: For vegetarians and vegans, tofu is the best option. We recommend fried tofu or baked tofu chunks mixed in at the end.
- CHICKEN: Grilled or pan-fried chicken works well too. Chop it into pieces and mix in with the sauce.
- SHRIMP: Fresh basil and tomatoes pair beautifully with shrimp. Grill them or cook them on a pan for a few minutes before mixing them with the pasta.
How to make sun-dried tomato pasta
Step 1: Make the sauce.
To a food processor, add quartered vine tomatoes, ricotta cheese, grated parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, salt, and black pepper.
Blend for a couple of minutes or until creamy, scraping down the sides if necessary. Taste and adjust for salt.
Step 2: Cook the pasta and spinach.
Cook the pasta al dente in a large pot of salted boiling water.
In a skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil, and add crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, and spinach.
Cook for 5 minutes to allow the spinach to wilt. Discard garlic.
Step 3: Mix all.
Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the spinach. Turn the heat off, pour in the sauce, then add chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
Stir well until the sauce covers the pasta. Serve immediately with an optional grating of lemon zest for freshness.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can swap whole milk ricotta for a non-dairy ricotta or cream cheese. As a substitute for Parmigiano, you can try a non-dairy hard cheese or add 1/2 cup of extra nuts and two tablespoons of nutritional yeast.
Pine nuts and macadamia nuts work best because they produce a creamier sauce than other nuts.
Almonds, walnuts, and cashews also work, but the sauce will be a little coarser. It’s still delicious, though!
Yes! The sauce keeps for a couple of days in an airtight container in the fridge. For best results, I recommend making the sauce shortly before or on the same day as using it since it might change in color as it sits in the fridge.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 36 hours. Reheat it in the microwave or on a skillet with a splash of water. Avoid reheating it multiple times. Not suitable for freezing.
Top Tip
Pick the right pasta: For the best texture and flavor, opt for Italian-imported bronze-cut pasta. Its rough, porous surface clings to the sauce beautifully.
Short pasta with a hole like rigatoni, paccheri, and penne are best because they hold the sauce better. Every bite will be delicious!
More easy pasta recipes…
If you tried this sun-dried tomato pasta recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a ๐ star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta
- 12 ounces vine tomatoes 3 medium-sized
- ยฝ cup ricotta
- ยฝ cup parmesan
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- โ cup basil fresh leaves
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts sub cashews, macadamia, walnuts, or almonds
- ยพ teaspoon salt + black pepper to taste
- 4 cups spinach
- 2 cloves garlic
- ยฝ teaspoon red pepper flakes more or less to taste
- ยฝ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- 1 grating of lemon zest
Instructions
- To a food processor, add 12 ounces vine tomatoes, ยฝ cup ricotta, ยฝ cup parmesan, 2 tablespoons olive oil, โ cup basil, 3 tablespoons pine nuts, ยพ teaspoon salt, and 2 twists black pepper.Blend for a couple of minutes or until creamy, scraping down the sides if necessary. Taste and adjust for salt.
- Cook 12 ounces pasta al dente in a large pot of salted boiling water.In a skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil, and add 2 cloves garlic,ยฝ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 4 cups spinach.Cook for 5 minutes to allow the spinach to wilt then discard garlic.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the spinach. Turn the heat off, pour in the sauce, then add ยฝ cup sun-dried tomatoes (chopped).Stir well until the sauce covers the pasta. Serve immediately with an optional 1 grating of lemon zest for freshness.
Video
Notes
- Pine nuts:ย substitute macadamia, cashew, walnuts, and almonds best if peeled from the brown membrane.
- Sun-dried tomatoes in oil:ย you can substitute dry packed sun-dried tomatoes. Re-hydrate them by soaking them in hot water for 10 minutes before use. Note that they are not as flavorful and tender as oil-packed.
- Whole milk ricotta: to make the recipe dairy-free substitute non-dairy ricotta or cream cheese.
- Parmesan: to make the recipe dairy-free, substitute a non-dairy parmesan or add 1/4 cup of extra nuts and 2 – 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast.ย
- Spinach: substitute kale.
- Fresh basil: substitute dried oregano.
Nutrition
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Weโre here to share delicious, easy, and healthy plant-based recipes (vegetarian & vegan) ๐ฟโจ.
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So fresh tasting! It came together quick. A million times better than anything you can pour from a jar. Thank you!
I did it without blending the ingredients (since I love a lil bit of crunch) and this recipe tasted so good!