Late in the winter, as it starts to turn to spring, the sun comes out and we all start to spend a lot of time outdoors. But there aren’t a lot of fresh vegetables available yet. If you are like me and try to eat more seasonally, you are done with all the winter veggies and want something fresh and of course healthy.
But Fresh tomatoes are months away (I just planted my little tomato seedlings) and I have a long time to wait before I can have fresh, sun-kissed tomato sauce. So what is the next best thing? Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce.
That’s where this creamy sun-dried tomato pasta recipe comes in. It’s fast, easy, and packs in some amazing fresh flavor from the herbs, and tomatoes.
The Inspiration
Sun-Dried tomatoes packed in olive oil are an amazing way to preserve the fruit (who doesn’t know that a tomato is a fruit), and the process actually makes them taste a little sweeter, too!
Drying fruits in the sun isn’t new. It is a way to preserve them so you can enjoy them long after the harvest is done, and regular fresh fruits would have gone bad.
Originally tomatoes were laid out on tile roofs and salt was added to preserve them. Over the next week or so, the water from the tomato would evaporate, leaving behind a shriveled little red ball that would be canned in olive oil, and last for months on the shelf.
This process preserves all the “good stuff” like lycopene, antioxidants, and vitamin C which are naturally found in fresh tomatoes.
What I love about this dish
Aside from the fresh flavor, and how fast it is to make, the best thing about this dish is that you don’t need any extra oil.
I use the oil right from the jar of sundried tomatoes to sautee the onion, garlic, and herbs.
You can use whatever pasta you like with this dish, too. My favorite is a good linguine noodle, but spaghetti, rotini, bow-tie, and many others work too. In fact, you can use it with that old box of pasta you have sitting in the back of the cupboard if you want. It will taste amazing!
Substitutions and alterations
This is a super tasty and easy-to-prepare dish. Very forgiving and hard to mess up. I like to use Fettuccini pasta, but you can sub in anything you want. Spaghetti, Rotini, Spiral, it all is good!
- Gluten-Free option – The only item in this dish that has gluten protein is the pasta. Substitute a Chickpea, or brown rice pasta if needed
- Vegan Option – Don’t use the Ricotta or parmesan. Or use a vegan version
- Carnivore Option – Not every dish needs meat.
Goes with
Leftovers and freezing
This dish is great the next day. If you make a whole box of pasta, and don’t have a big family (or teenagers) you will most likely have leftovers. They can be stored in the fridge for a day or 2. Eat cold, or reheat in the microwave for a few minutes. Add some fresh Parm on top for extra yumminess.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz Sun-Dried Tomato Packed in Oil
- 1 lb Fettuccine
- ½ Red Onion Chopped
- 4 Cloves Garlic Chopped
- 1 TSP Smoked Paprika
- ½ TSP Dried Chili Flakes
- 1 TBSP Dill
- 8 oz Ricotta
- 1 Lemon Juiced
- 1 C Parmesan Cheese Grated
- ¼ C Fresh Basil Chopped
- 1/4 C Fresh Cilantro Chopped
- Salt for Pasta Water & Seasoning
Instructions
Prepare Pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt (see notes below for info on boiling pasta water)
- Once water is boiling cook pasta according to directions.
Prepare sun-dried tomato sauce
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and add in the oil the tomatoes were packed in.
- Add the chopped garlic, onion, chili flakes, dill, and smoked paprika. Cook until onions are soft
- Add in the chopped Tomato, and Parmesan and turn off heat.
- Put the ricotta at the bottom of a serving dish and add lemon juice. Mix.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain, and add directly to skillet with sauce.
- Mix well and place on the bed of ricotta. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs, and Enjoy! 💚
Notes
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How do you get your Parmesan to look like that?
I love sun-dried tomatoes!