Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
This Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta is a wonderful family friendly meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes with a delicious, creamy and herby tomato sauce.
When I’m in the mood for pasta, all I want is the creamiest kind. Saucy pasta is the best pasta and this one has it all: really flavorful sauce and a ton of ways to sneak in some good for you ingredients.
Grab your favorite pasta, make this quick sauce and dinner is served. But if your stomach can’t handle all the tomatoes, don’t worry, this Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta is super delicious and creamy as well using a white sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Creamy Pasta
- Smoky, herby tomato based sauce loaded with sun-dried tomatoes. Rich and full of umami flavor while being a very balanced and healthy plant-based meal.
- Comes together in less than 30 minutes. Very minimal chopping, and the main sauce cooks at the same time as the pasta. Mix together and enjoy!
- Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and high protein. One serving of this meal provides 16 grams of protein thanks to the protein in both the pasta and beans.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- White Beans: I used canned white beans that were low sodium. Rinse and drain well before using. You can also use chickpeas if desired.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes Packed in Oil: I love getting jars that are already pre-sliced and flavored in Italian Herbs. Saves some extra steps and also adds great flavor to the dish.
- Canned Tomatoes: While using fresh tomatoes is great, for convenience and also to keep this as pantry friendly as possible, I like to rely on canned or jarred tomatoes. I prefer to use San Marzano tomatoes or Fire Roasted Crushed tomatoes when possible as they tend to be less acidic in flavor and more naturally sweet.
- Tahini: This helps add creaminess to our sauce without any heavy creams. It also makes this meal nut-free, but if you are not allergic to nuts, you can also use a little cashew butter or 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk as a substitute. Make sure to use a good quality tahini for best taste.
- Balsamic Vinegar: Use a good quality vinegar if you can. If you are not a fan of balsamic, you can also use apple cider vinegar or some lemon juice at the end.
- Pasta: Use your favorite, but I truly love shapes that can scoop up sauce. Most important part is to make sure that you cook your pasta appropriately.
How to Make this Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Start by sautéing your onions and peppers with a pinch of salt until onions become translucent. Add in the sun-dried tomatoes and continue to saute for an additional minute, then stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add in the spices and herbs along with the beans and stir to coat the beans well. Add in the tomatoes, and continue to stir well, allowing the tomatoes to cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the tahini and reserved pasta water and mix well to combine until a creamy mixture forms. Add in the cooked pasta along with the balsamic vinegar and stir well to combine.
Tips for the Perfect Plate of Pasta
- Make sure to salt the water when cooking your pasta. A generous pinch of salt might seem like a lot, but only a small portion of salt infuses into the pasta and gives the overall dish way more flavor.
- Cook your pasta until al dente. This will ensure that when you mix the pasta into the sauce that it doesn’t get mushy and has the right bite.
- This recipe is easy to double. You can either double the amount of sauce and save some for later to use with freshly cooked pasta or double the portion of the whole recipe to feed a whole family.
- Balance the acidity of the sauce with sugar as needed. If you notice your tomato sauce is very acidic, add 1-2 tsp of sugar to help tone it down. This will help balance the sauce and make it more enjoyable. Acidity of this dish will depend on the type of tomatoes you use. I often like using fire roasted tomatoes or San Marzano tomatoes as they are very balanced in flavor without the acidity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Once cooked, allow to cool and then place in an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Great to meal prep and easy to reheat as well. To reheat, place the pasta in a sauce pan with a little splash of water and stir until heated through and creamy. Readjust salt and pepper to taste.
Use a pasta that is designed to scoop up sauce. Small shells or orecchiette work really well for scooping sauce. Rigatoni with ridges also work really well to hold the creamy sauce.
Since we are using tahini as our sauce thickener, this whole dish is nut-free. If you are allergic to sesame seeds, you can also try substituting for cashew cream if you are okay with nuts or try thinning out some creamy sunflower seed butter as an alternative.
Yes! Just use a gluten-free pasta you love. I personally really love Barilla’s lentil pasta. It’s gluten-free, and added bonus a lot more protein than original pasta.
Often when we think about creamy sauces, we think that they are automatically unhealthy. However, the ingredients for this sauce focus as much as possible on wholesome ingredients. There is no heavy cream in this sauce, instead we replace that with some tahini to help give this sauce that luscious creamy texture.
How to Serve
This plant-based meal is nutritionally complete as is. It provides a combination of complex carbohydrates, plant protein, heart healthy fats, fiber and various vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
While this is the case, you can always add more to enhance the meal further:
- Try stirring in some spinach at the very end until wilted to get some extra antioxidants and minerals.
- Serve with some super easy garlic bread. Best part, you only need sandwich bread for this extra treat.
More Quick and Easy Vegan Dinner Ideas
- Skillet Spiced Chickpeas and Kale
- Easy Homemade Seitan Stir-Fry
- Tofu Broccoli Stir-Fry
- Roasted Butternut Squash Quinoa Nourish Bowl
- Black Bean Tacos with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta is a wonderful family friendly meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes with a delicious, creamy and herby tomato sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 tsp or more red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1, 15 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 1, 15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 8 oz of orecchiette pasta + 2 cups reserved pasta water (half of a 1lb box)
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and start cooking the pasta according to box instructions until al dente. Make sure to reserve some pasta water when draining off the pasta.
- As the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Heat up a splash of oil in a large skillet and start sautéing the onions and peppers with a pinch of salt, stirring until the onions have become translucent.
- Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and red pepper flakes, sautéing until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Toss in your rinsed beans, spices and herbs and stir it in the pan for 1-2 minutes to combine.
- Pour in the canned tomatoes and stir it well into the beans. Cook the tomato mixture for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently to help cook the tomato.
- Stir in the tahini, then once mixed add in the reserved pasta water and mix well to combine again.
- As the sauce starts to thicken slightly, add in the balsamic vinegar and cooked pasta. Stir everything together to coat, adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve as desired.
Notes
Make sure to salt the water when cooking your pasta. A generous pinch of salt might seem like a lot, but only a small portion of salt infuses into the pasta and gives the overall dish way more flavor.
Cook your pasta until al dente. This will ensure that when you mix the pasta into the sauce that it doesn’t get mushy and has the right bite.
This recipe is easy to double. You can either double the amount of sauce and save some for later to use with freshly cooked pasta or double the portion of the whole recipe to feed a whole family.
Balance the acidity of the sauce with sugar as needed. If you notice your tomato sauce is very acidic, add 1-2 tsp of sugar to help tone it down. This will help balance the sauce and make it more enjoyable. Acidity of this dish will depend on the type of tomatoes you use. I often like using fire roasted tomatoes or San Marzano tomatoes as they are very balanced in flavor without the acidity.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
★ Catherine
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Hi— I have not tried this recipe yet, but it looks very good and I will give it a try. I noticed though that the first step in the instructions says to boil water with salt but it never says to actually cook the pasta in the water. So it’s a little unclear whether the pasta should be cooked in the water or whether the dry pasta should be added to the sauce at the end and cooked in the sauce. Perhaps you can clarify? Thank you!
Hi Rebecca! Thanks for bringing this to my attention! Just updated it to clarify and apologies for the confusion there! Hope you love this pasta dish.
I made this tonight and loved loved loved it! I love all your recipes that I have tried. I went plant-based a couple of months ago and have been looking for plant-based recipes that I love. I am happy to say that I have found my go-to in your blog when it comes recipes. Your recipes are quick and easy and soooo full of flavour. I am not one to comment on public spaces, but I just had to. Thank you! Posting all the way from South Africa!
Oh my goodness! Naledi, this is the kindest message. I’m so thrilled you have loved this and all the recipes you’ve tried so far. Truly means so so much to me to hear and truly grateful. And extra happy that you’ve been able to use these recipes and truly enjoy them all the way from South Africa. Thank you for taking the time to share this!