Flavor loaded 20-minute pasta with sun-dried tomato pesto and fresh baby spinach is SO easy to make!
The best part you don’t need much more to serve this pasta dish. Toss your favorite house salad with Greek salad dressing and you have yourself the perfect meatless dinner for those busy back to school nights.
Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
We are officially back on our school time routine. Early morning breakfast, school lunches, drop off, pick up, and after school sports.
Some days it feels like I’m on the go non-stop, so dinner time has to be quick and easy. That’s why I love meals like this 20-minute sun dried tomato pasta recipe. ♥
Four ingredient sun-dried tomato pesto made in a food processor then combined with hot gemelli pasta (←love love this pasta). Also fresh baby spinach and creamy Parmesan cheese get added in.
It’s heaven in a bowl. It truly is. Serve it with a huge chopped salad and you’ve got dinner in no time. Plus it makes tasty leftovers for lunch.
Ingredients for Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Recipe
I wasn’t joking when I said this meal is easy! You literally need 7-ingredients total and you’re good to go.
- Pasta – your favorite short shaped pasta!
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes – the ones in oil – you’ll use that yummy flavored oil in pesto.
- Garlic
- Fresh basil – or arugula (see below for pesto variations)
- Red pepper flakes
- Baby spinach
- Parmesan cheese – preferably freshly grated
Different Ways to Make Pesto
Think beyond basil and Parmesan cheese. Best part about pesto is that it can be made variety of ways.
- Greens: instead of basil, try adding tender greens such as arugula, parsley, or mint.
- Cheese: Pecorino Romano, aged Asiago or manchego cheese are all hard and salty cheeses suitable for pesto.
- Nuts: add in your favorite nuts, such as almonds, pumpkin seeds, or pine nuts. Just make sure to buy roasted nuts or roast them yourself. It’ll add delicious rich flavor to the pesto.
- Few Other Things: fresh lemon juice, lemon zest or balsamic vinegar is great for brightening up the pesto. Also to switch up the flavors, consider adding jarred artichokes or olives.
How to Make Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta
You’ll need a food processor or high-powered blender for the pesto and a large pot for cooking the pasta.
Step 1: Before you get going on the pesto, cook the pasta. Read the back of the box for specific directions. But basically, you’ll want to cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Cooking time will depend on the type of pasta used.
Step 2: While the pasta is cooking, in a food processor, pulse the tomatoes and their oil until chopped. Add garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes, and pulse until the mixture resembles paste-like consistency.
Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper.
Step 3: When pasta is ready, reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid and drain the rest.
Step 4: Return the pasta back to heat and add spinach, sun-dried tomato pesto, and reserved cooking liquid. Stir until the spinach has wilted.
Add Parmesan cheese and taste for salt and pepper. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Pasta Mix-In Ideas
Once you have this recipe down, you can spruce it up even further with these additional mix-ins:
- Seafood – scallops, shrimp, or salmon
- Chicken – any type of chicken works!
- Garlic breadcrumbs – just like here
- Something creamy – splash of half and half or cream cheese
- Veggies – mushrooms or broccolini
- White beans
How Do You Reheat Pesto Pasta?
It is best to warm up pasta on the stovetop with little water, chicken broth, or even white wine. Simply add cold pasta to a saucepan or sauté pan with liquid of choice and stir until warmed through.
Leftover pasta with pesto that is properly stored, will last for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.
If you try Sun Dried Tomato Pasta, don’t forget to leave feedback and a rating.
Print20-Minute Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Spinach
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Flavor loaded 20-minute pasta with sun-dried tomato pesto and fresh baby spinach is SO easy to make! It makes the perfect meatless dinner or quick side dish for those busy back to school nights.
Ingredients
- 16 oz. gemelli or other short shaped pasta
- 1 (8.5 oz.) jar oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach, packed
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions until al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, in a bowl of a food processor, pulse the tomatoes and their oil until finely chopped. Add garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until the mixture resembles paste like consistency. It will be thick and you may have to stop the food processor to scrape down the sides.
- Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the heat and stir in the spinach, sun-dried tomato pesto, and reserved cooking water. Stir until the spinach has wilted. Then add the Parmesan cheese. Taste for salt and pepper.
- Serve with sprinkle of chopped basil and more Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
- Pesto: pesto can also be made in a high-powdered blender. You will just have to stop and scrape down sides few times.
- Leftovers: leftover pasta stored in an airtight container will last for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat with little water, chicken broth, or white wine.
Keywords: easy, quick, family friendly
Tianna says
Amazing pasta! Made it using fresh basil from the garden. I’d just recommend to keep some pasta water when stirring the pesto into the pasta to make the sauce a bit more runny- tastes like it came straight from the restaurant!
★★★★★
Katya says
I’m so happy to hear that ! Thank you for the feedback Tianna.
Isshu Mittal says
This was an awesome dish easy to make and the flavor was delicious. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Kerry, Birmingham UK says
Came across your recipe by googling quick pasta ideas with sundried tomatoes. Wow it was delicious! I added chopped black olives to go on top. Thanks for sharing with the world. I’ll be making this again!
★★★★★
Katya says
Thank you Kerry! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Melissa says
Great quick dinner option! My 8 year old loves penne pasta so I opted for penne, ran out of basil…but still delicious as I had the rest of the ingredients!! Next time I think it would be delicious with a shwarma chicken that I make and I may throw in some olives!! Thank you for sharing such a flavourful and versatile recipe!!
Katya says
Thank you ! So happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Olga says
perfect meal for quick dinners!
★★★★★
Sam says
I’m really excited to try this recipe! One question though (as a uni student that likes to bulk make and freeze thins) how well would this recipe store in the freezer/after defrosting?
Katya says
It could possibly work. I’ve never tried freezing this particular pasta dish and I think it’ll do okay. The spinach might turn a little darker but other than that it should work.
Portia says
This recipe is fantastic! Fast and easy. I threw in a handful of pumpkin seeds. My picky toddler ate two portions and some off my plate too!
★★★★★
Katya says
That’s awesome! Thanks for feedback Portia.
Lori Maguire says
Hi…just wondering if would be as good without the parmesan? Trying to stay dairy free but this looks so amazingly delicious!
Katya says
You can omit the cheese but to be honest it kind of ties everything together at the end.
Lisa says
I made this vegan with nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan and it was really delicious!
★★★★★
Diane says
This recipe is absolutely delicious and quick to make! I pulsed half the jar of sun dried tomatoes (with the oil) and left the other half as is. This is also delicious as a cold salad!!
★★★★★
Katya says
That’s great! So glad you enjoyed it.
Tricia says
Love this recipe! It was easy to prep and follow. I didn’t use the basil, but next time I will ! It is delicious ????
★★★★★
Katya says
Thank you Tricia! So glad to hear that you enjoyed it.
Katherine Velazquez says
Excellent! Definitely adding it to our regular family menu recipes.
★★★★★
Katya says
Thank you!
Rosanna says
So excited to try this. I do not have a food processor. What is the best way to make pesto without one?
Will add to my christmas wish list:)
Thank you!
Rosanna
Katya says
Hi Rosanna! A blender would be the next best choice. Hope you enjoy this pasta!
Stephanie says
What can I do if my sundried tomatoes are not in oil?
Katya says
Hi Stephanie: I think if you re-hydrate them in little bit of warm water they should work just as well. Thanks!
Katya says
and you may also need to add little more olive oil to the pesto
Alma @ Freelance Content Writer says
This looks amazing, and resembles it could be prepared in no time at all looks really delicious! A lot flavor for such a simple dish! I am making this for dinner tonight, with a side of rosted shellfishes.
★★★★★
Katya says
It really is easy to make and the flavors are outstanding. I hope you enjoyed it for dinner tonight!
Natasha says
This looks amazing, and looks like it can be prepared in no time! I am making this for dinner tonight, with a side of roasted Brussels sprouts 🙂
Natasha says
I made this and it is soooo good!!!! I live that it’s meatless. Crazy good ????
Katya says
Yeay! So happy to hear that and thank you for your feedback!
Katya says
Thank you so much Natasha! It is quite an easy pasta dish and I really hope you enjoy it. (p.s. brussels sprouts sounds sooo good)
Katie says
This was really good! So much flavor for such a simple recipe! It will definitely be added to our rotation.
Katya says
Thank you Katie! Makes me happy that you loved it enough to add to your rotation 🙂
Platt College says
The pictures really make this dish look yummy. Must try this!
Katya says
Thank you! Hope you enjoy it.