Spring is here and it seems the right time to bring this creamy pasta to the table. It has sun-dried tomatoes and lots of fresh baby spinach but this creamy vegetarian pasta is anything but boring!
So today’s recipe is a fun one, just in time for sunshine and happy times.
Now you can use just about any pasta you want, I just happened to want linguine for mine. Spaghetti, fettuccine, ziti, rigatoni, whatever you like. Just use half a pound of it, which is usually half a box.
I used julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes in oil. Drain the oil and chop them up some more so they stretch well in the pasta. Once you start sauteing it, you’ll get this lovely aroma. So stick your nose close to the pan so you don’t miss it 😉 I used about half a cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes but if you want to add more, feel free. Get it to your taste, this recipe is very versatile.
Reserve some pasta water, we’ll use that to add some volume to the cream sauce which is mostly just heavy cream and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Call it a pseudo Alfredo sauce if you will.
I roughly chopped up the baby spinach to make it easier to cook since we’re adding it in last. Don’t worry about the water content, the baby spinach doesn’t seem to add much of that so your pasta sauce won’t be watered down.
As usual, I’ll stress on using freshly grated Parmesan cheese so it’ll melt well in the cream sauce. The pre-shredded stuff just won’t melt as beautifully. So buy a block of Parmesan and use any grater you have handy. I love my microplane for stuff like this. It makes grating so much more easier. I used to hate grating stuff on my box grater, but not anymore!
We’ll also be adding some fresh basil for a true Italian flavor and some Italian seasoning. If you want a little kick, there’s also the option to add in some red pepper flakes.
Now this is a vegetarian pasta but if you want to convert it to non-vegetarian or simply must have your protein, you could add in some sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts to the sauteing part and cook it until it’s no longer pink. Season it with some Italian seasoning while cooking. Or for an even easier option, buy a rotisserie chicken and chop it up and add it in last. Like I said before, this recipe is versatile!
And that’s all there is to it. Happy cooking!
Print
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. linguine, cooked al dente
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup pasta water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated and divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Over medium high heat, saute garlic until fragrant
- Add sun-dried tomatoes and saute for 2 minutes
- Pour in pasta water and simmer for 1 minute
- Reduce heat to medium low and pour in heavy cream
- Add in 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, stirring to mix
- Toss in basil, seasonings and baby spinach and simmer gently until the spinach has cooked down
- Season with salt and pepper to taste
- Toss in the pasta with the sauce and combine
- Top with remaining Parmesan cheese
- Dish and serve hot
18 Comments
Annie @ The Garlic Diaries
April 15, 2015 at 5:43 PMImmediately got so hungry while looking at your gorgeous pictures :). This pasta is making me drool! Can’t wait to try it!
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
April 17, 2015 at 2:20 AMThank you, Annie 🙂 Hoping you like it!
Sumit
May 6, 2015 at 3:34 AMHi Farah,
It looks delicious. It is one of my second favorite pasta. I have not cook this for ages, thanks for the reminder 🙂
The Cooking Jar
May 8, 2015 at 2:01 PMMost welcome, Sumit! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
plasterers bristol
July 3, 2015 at 1:44 AMThis sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
The Cooking Jar
July 7, 2015 at 8:06 PMHappy cooking, Simon!
Ken Pesile
January 4, 2017 at 4:58 PMJust made your recipe and it turned out great. DELICIOUS! Thank you.
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
February 20, 2017 at 1:39 PMYay! Always happy to hear it worked out well. Thanks for trying it out, Ken!
Rick
January 8, 2017 at 6:58 PMDelicious! Googled “sun dried tomato, spinach and cream” (stuff I had in the fridge) to make a sauce for my homemade fettuccine and got this one. Followed it to the letter and it was fantastic! Big hit with the whole family. It is a keeper and I’m probably going to borrow it for an Italian themed dinner party in a few weeks. Thanks!!
The Cooking Jar
February 20, 2017 at 1:42 PMHomemade fettuccine, wow! Props to you, I’ve never made pasta from scratch. And I hope your Italian themed dinner party turned out well.
Lori Lusetti
March 16, 2017 at 11:32 PMThis is absolutely THE best! I used Penne pasta and added a little extra fresh grated parmesan to make it even creamier. My dinner guest had a third helping! I cant wait to make it again! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe.
Lori
The Cooking Jar
March 19, 2017 at 1:58 PMThanks for trying it out, Lori! Can’t hurt to add in more Parmesan 🙂
Enjoy the next helping you have!
Lindsay
January 20, 2020 at 11:40 AMThis was excellent and so easy to make. I added mushrooms for my meat loving partner. We will definitely make this again😊
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
December 13, 2020 at 5:56 PMExcellent addition! I love mushrooms as well, especially the meaty portabella 🙂
LAURIE
March 11, 2020 at 6:54 PMOh my goodness – just tried this, it was awesome. Also I loved how you broke down each step!
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
December 13, 2020 at 5:59 PMI’m glad someone reads the blurbs! I’ve been trying to shape them around tips and tricks to help out (in case the directions are too brief). Thanks for getting back to me on that!
Mary
November 30, 2020 at 1:53 PMQuick, easy and delicious. A good way to use up that big tub of spinach and Costco jar of sundried tomatoes!
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
December 13, 2020 at 5:59 PMGlad to have helped you finish up your pantry items, Mary! Thanks for trying it out 🙂