This Sun Dried Tomato Pasta is a quick weeknight dinner that’s ready in about 20 minutes. Penne is tossed in a garlicky Parmesan cream sauce with oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes for a cozy, savory bite.
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: A creamy, garlicky sauce with tangy sun-dried tomatoes, savory Parmesan, and homemade herby goodness.
- Skill Level: This beginner-friendly recipe is super quick, easy to make, and very forgiving.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve with cooked chicken, salmon, or Italian sausage, and a side of garlic bread and a Caesar salad.
Ingredients and Easy Swaps
- Penne or Other Medium Pasta: Ridged shapes hold creamy sauce well. Swap the pasta for rotini, rigatoni, shells, farfalle, or another favorite pasta shape.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Choose a jar of tomatoes in oil, not dry-packed, and chop them into small pieces so the flavor spreads evenly.
- Sun-Dried Tomato Oil: This is the main flavor builder for creamy sun-dried tomato pasta, so use 3 tablespoons for the base, then add more if needed.
- Half-and-Half: Half-and-half stays a bit lighter, or swap in some heavy cream if you want a richer sauce.
- Parmesan: Finely grated melts more smoothly, as thick shreds can clump. Replace with Asiago or a Romano and Mozzarella blend.
How to Make Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
- Cook pasta al dente, reserving some pasta water.
- Cook garlic and herbs in the sun-dried tomato oil, and add chopped tomatoes.
- Stir in the half-and-half mixture, toss with drained pasta and Parmesan.
- Stir in pasta water to smooth out the sauce as needed.
Storage and Leftovers
Cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat or in the microwave at 50–70% power, stirring often and adding a splash of milk, half-and-half, or water to loosen.
Freezing is not recommended
Creamy Pasta Night Lineup
Did you make this Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta? Leave a comment and rating below.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces penne or medium pasta
- 7 ounces oil packed sun dried tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup half and half or light cream
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese additional for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon salt more to taste
- fresh basil or parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook pasta according to package directions, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Drain well, but do not rinse.
- Drain the sun-dried tomatoes, reserving the oil. Chop the tomatoes and set aside.
- Add 3 tablespoons of the reserved sun-dried tomato oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute or until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes more.
- Whisk the half-and-half and cornstarch in a small bowl and add to the skillet. Continue whisking until bubbly and it begins to thicken. Let simmer until thickened.
- Stir in the pasta, cheese, and salt, then simmer for 2 more minutes. Slowly add the reserved pasta water, a little at a time, until the sauce reaches your preferred consistency. Garnish and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pasta, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Mediterranean© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Easy & delicious!
Still trying to find a recipe to mimic Johnny Carino’s pasta dish with sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms. This comes close! Sadly they went out of business and the most comforting dish went with them. (Wish when restaurants went out of business, they would publish their most loved dishes! ) Loved this recipe as well as all of your recipes. It was a favorite of my husband’s and daughter’s. Will definitely keep it in my rotation of recipes. I added grilled chicken to try to mimic JC’s. And the jar of oil packed sun dried tomatoes are definitely better than the package sun dried tomatoes.
I am so happy to hear you found this recipe Denise!
This is a very tasty dish and my family said “it’s a keeper”
So easy to put together ❤️
So glad you loved it Cecilia!
This recipe has good flavors and is easy to make on a weeknight. The only thing I changed was instead of a cornstarch slurry, I added a tablespoon or two of flour to the oil before the half and half. I wouldn’t do that again, it was too thick. I might even skip that step all together. Yummy dinner, kid approved!
I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit Jen!
amazing!
Hi Alexia, I am happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe.
Made this as a side dish for chicken. It was really good but next time I make it i will substitute fresh cooked bacon for the sundried tomatoes. Added fresh ground pepper at the end.
So glad you enjoyed it Sandie!
Thank you for another recipe that was quite pleasing. Easy peasey. Light & quite tasty. Definitely another ☆☆☆☆☆ recipe added to my menu. Thank you 😊
Happy to her this will be a regular in your rotation Denise!