Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

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In just 30 minutes, you can have this Creamy and flavorful Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta. It's so easy to make too — just boil the bow tie pasta while you make the silky-smooth sauce. It'll be on your table in a flash! 

Calling all pasta lovers! This Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta will make your taste buds dance! The sauce is super creamy and has a robust flavor from sun-dried tomatoes.

Even though the sauce is creamy, it's not too heavy, so it's perfect for the warmer months. You won't believe how easy it is and it comes together so fast! Plus, the ingredients are short and simple!

How to make Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

This recipe is pretty easy to make and it will go quickly so make sure to have everything prepped and ready to go before you begin. Here's how to make it:

• 1 - Rehydrate the tomatoes. Boil ¾ cup of water in a small pot, and remove from heat. Add the tomatoes and cover for 15 minutes. Drain and save the soaking water.
• 1 A - (not pictured) Whisk the soy milk, cornstarch, nutritional yeast, lemon, and salt together in a large bowl. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until just shy of al dente.
• 2 - Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Sauté until garlic is fragrant.
• 3 - Add the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper. Sauté for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
• 4 - Pour in the reserved soaking water and gently simmer for a few minutes.
• 5- Whisk the sauce again and add it to the pan. Cook until it thickens slightly.
• 6 - When the pasta is done, reserve ½ cup of cooking water and drain. Add pasta to the skillet and stir to coat. Add a ¼ cup of pasta water and cook down until creamy and pasta is coated, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, then sprinkle with fresh basil and pepper.

• Different brands of sun-dried tomatoes have varied salt content, so I kept the added salt low. You can add more if needed after you taste the completed sauce.
• Don't heat the sauce too high or it could burn. You don't want it to overly reduce either. Just gently simmer until it thickens slightly.
• If your pasta is done before the sauce, you may want to toss it with olive oil to prevent sticking.

Substitute Ideas

If you don't have all of the listed ingredients, don't worry, here are some perfect substitute ideas:

• Sun-Dried Tomatoes - you can use the ones that are packed in oil. Save 2 tablespoons of the oil and drain the rest. Use the soaking oil to replace the olive oil in the recipe. To fully replace the soaking water in the recipe, use ½ cup of low-sodium vegetable broth.
• Nutritional Yeast - you can bump up the cornstarch to 2 tablespoons total and add 1 teaspoon of white or yellow miso paste.
• Basil - you can also use fresh parsley.
• Farfalle pasta- you can replace it with Conchiglie, Penne, Fusilli, or ziti.
• Can't find sun-dried tomatoes? Learn how to make them in your oven, here.

Flavor amp-up ideas

This sun-dried tomato pasta has all of the flavor it needs, but if you feel like turning it up a notch, here are a few amp-up ideas:

• For a smoky flavor, add ½ teaspoon of liquid smoke or smoked paprika. Add more to taste.
• For extra zing, add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
• To add umami flavor, add 1 teaspoon of white or yellow miso paste.
• For a little zip, add ½-1 teaspoon of dijon mustard.
• A sprinkle of lemon zest for extra zing.
• Only choose 1 or 2 of these options or it could overpower the flavors of the written recipe. You just want to enhance, not alter.

Can I make this gluten-free?

YES! Just switch out the regular pasta for your favorite gluten-free variety. I really love the Jovial brand of gluten-free pasta. It has the perfect texture that's similar to wheat pasta.

Serving Suggestions

It's perfect all on its own, but it goes nicely with salad, a piece of artisan bread, and a glass of white wine. Don't forget to top it with lots of vegan parmesan cheese!

More pasta recipes to try

• One-Pot Tomato Orzo
• Vegan Penne Alla Vodka
• Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
• Vegan Sausage and Peppers Pasta

I love to hear from you

If you make this Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.

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5 from 12 votes

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

In just 30 minutes, you can have this Creamy and flavorful Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta. It's so easy to make too...just boil the bow tie pasta while you make the silky-smooth sauce. It'll be on your table in a flash! 

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 428kcal

Author: Melissa Huggins

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes , sliced or chopped (dry-packed) *see note
• ▢ 2 cups soy milk , unsweetened (or any plant-based milk)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• ▢ 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice , freshly squeezed
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt , more to taste (+ more for cooking water)
• ▢ 12 ounces farfalle pasta
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic , minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ▢ ⅓ cup fresh basil , chopped
• ▢ Fresh-cracked pepper , to taste

Recommended Equipment

• Large Skillet
• Large Pot

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• To rehydrate the tomatoes, boil ¾ cup of water in a small pot, and remove from heat. Add the tomatoes and cover for 15 minutes. Drain the tomatoes, but save the soaking water.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the soy milk, cornstarch, nutritional yeast, lemon, and salt until smooth. Set aside.
• Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until just shy of al dente (according to package instructions).
• Start cooking the sauce when there are 5-6 minutes left on the pasta cook time. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Sauté until garlic is fragrant and slightly golden. 1-2 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper. Sauté for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the soaking water to deglaze the pan. Gently simmer for 1-2 minutes.
• Whisk the sauce in the bowl again and add it to the pan. Cook until it thickens slightly for about 2-4 minutes. Stir often and lower the heat if needed. If the pasta isn't finished, just lower the heat on the sauce or remove it for a minute. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed.
• When the pasta is done, reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain. Add pasta to the skillet and stir to coat. Add just a ¼ cup of pasta water and cook down until creamy and pasta is coated, about 1-2 minutes (add remaining pasta water if needed). Taste and add more seasoning if needed. Remove from heat, then sprinkle with basil and fresh-cracked pepper. Serve with vegan parmesan if desired. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Tomatoes: if you don't have dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, you can use the ones that are packed in oil. Save 2 tablespoons of the oil and drain the rest. Use the soaking oil to replace the olive oil in the recipe. This will create the flavor that the soaking water does in the written recipe. To fully replace the soaking water in the recipe, use ½ cup of low-sodium vegetable broth. 

Nutritional Yeast: it adds a umami flavor that's somewhat cheesy and it slightly thickens. If you don't have it, you can bump up the cornstarch to 2 tablespoons total and add 1 teaspoon of white or yellow miso paste. This will add more salt, so you may want to reduce the salt in the recipe. A dash of apple cider vinegar is nice too. 

Nutrition

Calories: 428kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 367mg | Potassium: 788mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 3mg

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