How do you store leftover pasta?

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.

What is the best pasta to use?

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.

Is this pasta nut-free?

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.

Can this be made gluten-free?

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.

Is this creamy pasta sauce healthy?

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.

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

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

Scale

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

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

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.