Sun dried tomato pasta is the easy 20 minute dinner that turns a jar of pantry tomatoes into something silky and luxurious. ♡
This sun dried tomato pasta coats al dente rigatoni in a creamy garlic tomato sauce punched up with parmesan, basil, and a touch of red pepper flakes. Ready in 20 minutes using mostly pantry ingredients, this easy pasta dinner is the one I reach for when the grocery run got skipped. If you love creamy Italian pastas, try my creamy Tuscan orzo and one pot pasta primavera next.
One pan, basic pantry ingredients, all creamy richness. Let’s make it together.
Ingredients
Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
- 12 oz rigatoni pasta
- 1 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped, oil reserved
- 3 tbsp reserved sun dried tomato oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn
- extra parmesan and basil, for serving
Optional add ins
- baby spinach stirred in at the end
- grilled chicken strips
- Italian sausage crumbled and browned
- toasted pine nuts on top
- a squeeze of lemon to brighten
How to Make Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
- Boil. Cook the rigatoni in well salted water until 1 minute short of al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.
- Sauté. Heat the reserved sun dried tomato oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion for 3 minutes until translucent.
- Aromatics. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Cook 1 minute until the paste deepens to brick red.
- Build. Stir in the chopped sun dried tomatoes, heavy cream, and Italian seasoning. Simmer 3 minutes until the cream thickens.
- Finish sauce. Reduce the heat to low. Whisk in the parmesan in handfuls until the sauce is glossy. Add pasta water a splash at a time if it thickens too much.
- Toss. Add the drained rigatoni to the pan and toss for 60 seconds so every noodle picks up sauce.
- Serve. Finish with torn basil, extra parmesan, and freshly cracked black pepper.
Why This Recipe Works
Using the oil from the sun dried tomato jar is a flavor unlock most home cooks skip. That oil is infused with tomato, garlic, and herbs from sitting on the shelf, so it gives you depth from the very first step. Cooking your onion in that oil flavors the entire pan before you add anything else.
Tomato paste cooked with the garlic builds a base called tomato sofrito. Browning the paste until it turns brick red caramelizes the sugars and removes the raw metallic flavor, which is what takes a tomato cream sauce from sharp to restaurant layered.
Finishing the sauce with starchy pasta water instead of more cream keeps the dish balanced. Starch thickens the sauce and helps it cling to every ridge of the rigatoni. Adding more cream would make it heavy and dull, while pasta water delivers silky body without weighing the dish down.
Tips
- Storage. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The sauce thickens overnight in the fridge.
- Reheating. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of cream or water to loosen the sauce. Stir frequently to keep the cheese smooth.
- Meal prep. Portion into glass containers for easy lunches all week.
- Mistake to avoid. Do not use pre grated parmesan. It contains anti caking agents that clump when they hit hot cream.
- Ingredient swap. Penne, fusilli, or short ziti all work here. Use any short ridged shape that holds sauce.
- Jar quality. Sun dried tomatoes in oil deliver better flavor than the dry pack kind. If you only have dry, rehydrate them in hot water first.
- Freshness tip. Always use fresh basil and tear it rather than chopping to avoid bruising.
Variations
- Tuscan chicken: top with grilled chicken strips and a big handful of baby spinach
- Spicy arrabbiata: double the red pepper flakes and add 1/4 tsp more chipotle
- Sausage and sun dried: brown 1/2 lb Italian sausage at the start
- Vegan: swap cream for full fat coconut cream and parmesan for nutritional yeast
- Pesto swirl: stir 2 tbsp basil pesto into the finished sauce
- Shrimp lovers: add 1/2 lb shrimp to the skillet for the last 3 minutes
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Skipping the pasta water. It is the glue that helps the sauce cling to the pasta. Always reserve a cup before draining.
- Boiling the cream. A hard boil breaks the cream and turns the sauce grainy. Keep the simmer gentle.
- Overcooking the pasta. Pull the pasta 1 minute early so it finishes cooking in the sauce and picks up flavor.
- Dumping the parmesan all at once. Added too fast, the cheese clumps. Whisk it in one handful at a time.
- Using dry pack tomatoes without rehydrating. They stay tough and chewy. The jarred oil packed version cooks into the sauce.
Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
Method
- Cook rigatoni in salted water 1 minute short of al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain.
- Heat reserved sun dried tomato oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion 3 minutes.
- Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Cook 1 minute until deeper brick red.
- Stir in chopped sun dried tomatoes, heavy cream, and Italian seasoning. Simmer 3 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low. Whisk in parmesan in handfuls until glossy. Add pasta water to loosen as needed.
- Add drained rigatoni to the pan and toss 60 seconds to coat.
- Finish with torn basil, extra parmesan, and black pepper.
