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Home » Recipes » Main Dish

20-Minute Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Spinach

September 1, 2019 By Katya 36 Comments

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spinach sun dried tomato pasta
pasta with sun dried tomatoes

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.

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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
ingredients for sun dried tomato pasta recipe

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.

step by step on how to make sun dried tomato and spinach pasta

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 
close up spinach and sun dried tomato pasta

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. 

pasta with dried tomatoes

If you try Sun Dried Tomato Pasta, don’t forget to leave feedback and a rating.

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20-Minute Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Spinach - such an easy weeknight dinner! | littlebroken.com @littlebroken

20-Minute Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Spinach

★★★★★ 5 from 9 reviews
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Main
  • Method: Simmer
  • Cuisine: Italian
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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

Scale
  • 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

  1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions until al dente.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @littlebrokenblog on Instagram and hashtag it #littlebrokenblog

Filed Under: Main Dish, Recipes Tagged With: 20 minute, dinner, easy, meatless, pasta, quick, spicy, spinach, tomato, video

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Comments

  1. Tianna says

    February 18, 2021 at 3:21 AM

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katya says

      February 18, 2021 at 1:29 PM

      I’m so happy to hear that ! Thank you for the feedback Tianna.

      Reply
  2. Isshu Mittal says

    July 22, 2020 at 1:28 PM

    This was an awesome dish easy to make and the flavor was delicious. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.

    Reply
  3. Kerry, Birmingham UK says

    May 18, 2020 at 3:44 PM

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katya says

      May 19, 2020 at 1:11 PM

      Thank you Kerry! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.

      Reply
  4. Melissa says

    March 14, 2020 at 6:51 PM

    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!!

    Reply
    • Katya says

      March 15, 2020 at 1:03 PM

      Thank you ! So happy to hear you enjoyed it.

      Reply
  5. Olga says

    February 24, 2020 at 10:25 PM

    perfect meal for quick dinners!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  6. Sam says

    November 16, 2019 at 3:53 AM

    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?

    Reply
    • Katya says

      November 18, 2019 at 9:01 PM

      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.

      Reply
  7. Portia says

    August 7, 2019 at 6:37 PM

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katya says

      August 7, 2019 at 9:01 PM

      That’s awesome! Thanks for feedback Portia.

      Reply
  8. Lori Maguire says

    August 6, 2019 at 5:57 PM

    Hi…just wondering if would be as good without the parmesan? Trying to stay dairy free but this looks so amazingly delicious!

    Reply
    • Katya says

      August 7, 2019 at 11:54 AM

      You can omit the cheese but to be honest it kind of ties everything together at the end.

      Reply
    • Lisa says

      October 23, 2019 at 6:01 PM

      I made this vegan with nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan and it was really delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  9. Diane says

    June 14, 2019 at 4:11 PM

    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!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katya says

      June 14, 2019 at 9:42 PM

      That’s great! So glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply
  10. Tricia says

    January 8, 2019 at 12:18 AM

    Love this recipe! It was easy to prep and follow. I didn’t use the basil, but next time I will ! It is delicious ????

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katya says

      January 8, 2019 at 7:49 AM

      Thank you Tricia! So glad to hear that you enjoyed it.

      Reply
  11. Katherine Velazquez says

    January 7, 2019 at 6:55 PM

    Excellent! Definitely adding it to our regular family menu recipes.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katya says

      January 7, 2019 at 8:16 PM

      Thank you!

      Reply
  12. Rosanna says

    November 16, 2017 at 4:51 PM

    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

    Reply
    • Katya says

      November 17, 2017 at 9:24 AM

      Hi Rosanna! A blender would be the next best choice. Hope you enjoy this pasta!

      Reply
  13. Stephanie says

    May 25, 2017 at 12:51 PM

    What can I do if my sundried tomatoes are not in oil?

    Reply
    • Katya says

      May 25, 2017 at 1:35 PM

      Hi Stephanie: I think if you re-hydrate them in little bit of warm water they should work just as well. Thanks!

      Reply
    • Katya says

      May 25, 2017 at 1:36 PM

      and you may also need to add little more olive oil to the pesto

      Reply
  14. Alma @ Freelance Content Writer says

    November 29, 2016 at 3:24 AM

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Katya says

      November 29, 2016 at 12:11 PM

      It really is easy to make and the flavors are outstanding. I hope you enjoyed it for dinner tonight!

      Reply
  15. Natasha says

    October 7, 2016 at 1:29 PM

    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 🙂

    Reply
    • Natasha says

      October 7, 2016 at 5:13 PM

      I made this and it is soooo good!!!! I live that it’s meatless. Crazy good ????

      Reply
      • Katya says

        October 7, 2016 at 9:06 PM

        Yeay! So happy to hear that and thank you for your feedback!

        Reply
    • Katya says

      October 7, 2016 at 9:05 PM

      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)

      Reply
  16. Katie says

    September 2, 2016 at 10:58 AM

    This was really good! So much flavor for such a simple recipe! It will definitely be added to our rotation.

    Reply
    • Katya says

      September 2, 2016 at 11:00 AM

      Thank you Katie! Makes me happy that you loved it enough to add to your rotation 🙂

      Reply
  17. Platt College says

    August 30, 2016 at 4:33 PM

    The pictures really make this dish look yummy. Must try this!

    Reply
    • Katya says

      August 30, 2016 at 8:39 PM

      Thank you! Hope you enjoy it.

      Reply

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Hello and Welcome! I’m Katya. I believe life is too short to eat bad food and wear boring shoes. I'm glad you're here! Learn more...discounted at the UK Meds

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