One Pan Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Spinach Pasta (Printable Version)

Rich one-pot pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and velvety cream sauce ready in 30 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta & Vegetables

01 - 12 oz penne or fusilli pasta, uncooked
02 - 3.5 oz sun-dried tomatoes, drained if in oil, sliced
03 - 4 oz fresh baby spinach
04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

05 - 3 cups vegetable broth
06 - 1 cup heavy cream
07 - ¼ cup reserved sun-dried tomato oil or olive oil

→ Cheese & Seasonings

08 - ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
09 - ½ tsp dried Italian herbs
10 - ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# How-To:

01 - Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the reserved sun-dried tomato oil.
02 - Add minced garlic and sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Sauté for 2–3 minutes until fragrant.
03 - Pour in uncooked pasta and vegetable broth. Stir well, bringing to a gentle boil.
04 - Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is nearly al dente and most liquid is absorbed.
05 - Stir in heavy cream, Italian herbs, red pepper flakes, and fresh spinach. Cook for 2–3 minutes until spinach wilts and sauce thickens.
06 - Add grated Parmesan, stirring until sauce is creamy. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
07 - Remove from heat. Let pasta rest 2 minutes before serving for optimal creaminess.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • The sauce develops this incredible silky texture because the pasta releases starch directly into the cooking liquid
  • Sun-dried tomatoes pack such concentrated umami that you barely need any other seasoning
  • Everything happens in one pan so you can actually relax while it cooks instead of frantically washing bowls
02 -
  • The liquid level might look alarming at first, but trust the process as the pasta absorbs it and releases starch to naturally thicken the sauce
  • Don't rinse the sun-dried tomatoes if they're packed in oil, that oil is too valuable to waste
  • Letting the pasta rest for those final 2 minutes makes all the difference between good and restaurant-quality creaminess
03 -
  • Reserve about ¼ cup of pasta water before adding cream, just in case you need to loosen the sauce at the end
  • Grate your Parmesan fresh from a block instead of using pre-grated cheese, it melts so much better into the sauce

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