My creamy sun-dried tomato pasta features tangy tomato flavor front and center, enhanced by spicy red chili and toasted garlic. It all comes together in a velvety vegan cream sauce that perfectly smothers your favorite pasta!
On first glance, a sunny tomato pasta like this conjures summery, warm weather vibes doesn’t it? In actuality, this hearty pasta dish is one you can easily whip up any time of year--as it is made almost entirely from pantry ingredients!
We’re talking shelf-stable staples like sun dried tomatoes in oil, savory nutritional yeast, dried Italian herbs, cornflour, red pepper flakes, and dried penne pasta, plus a couple of pantry veggies like onions and garlic.
You’ll need a bit of almond milk too--which I don’t know about you, but I always have a carton or two of the shelf-stable stuff in my cupboard--and a handful of arugula or other baby greens to round things out.
Whether you’re looking to celebrate the high summer or simply lift the mood during the doldrums of winter, this bright and tangy pasta can do it all!
Table of Contents
Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Ingredients
- Penne pasta - This short cut pasta is the perfect shape for soaking up all of your delicious sun-dried tomato sauce, but shapes such as rotini or ziti rigati (ziti with ridges) will work well too. Many dried pastas are inherently vegan, but always check the label to make sure yours does not contain eggs.
- Olive oil - For sautéeing the garlic, which forms the base of your creamy sauce. Use regular or extra virgin olive oil here.
- Garlic cloves - The flavor of fresh garlic is important in this dish, so stick with the real deal and avoid any dried or powdered garlic this time.
- Cornflour - Cornstarch’s more grainy, less powdery cousin! Cornflour will help to thicken your sauce without making it too gluey.
- Salt - For seasoning your pasta water as well as the sauce itself.
- Almond milk - Helps to make your pasta sauce thick and creamy. I find the flavor and texture of almond milk to be perfect for this recipe, but other options like oat milk or cashew milk should work well too. Just make sure to use unflavored, unsweetened non-dairy milk.
- Nutritional yeast - Gives the sauce a savory, cheesy flavor. Use your favorite nooch brand or check out our Best Nutritional Yeast taste test and review for some recommendations!
- Sun-dried tomatoes - Make sure to get oil-packed as opposed to dry sun-dried tomatoes. You’ll find them in the grocery aisle near olives and pickles, or sometimes in the pasta aisle near tomato sauces and canned tomato products. In addition to the tomatoes themselves, we will also be making use of any herby oil that is packed in the jar too, so don’t pour it off just yet!
- Onion - Rounds out the flavor of your pasta sauce with a funky sweetness that only onion can deliver. Use yellow, sweet, or white onion here.
- Dried Italian herbs - Made up of aromatic herbs like basil, oregano, and thyme--Italian herb blends are a quick way to punch up the flavor profile! Use any store-bought Italian seasoning or whip up my homemade blend.
- Crushed red pepper flakes - Adds a bit of heat that complements that tangy sun-dried tomato flavor.
- Fresh arugula - I like to serve this hearty pasta with a side of peppery arugula. If you don’t care for it, use some fresh baby spinach instead! Feel free to lightly dress your greens in fresh lemon juice and olive oil.
How to Make Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
- Cook pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside when finished.
- Saute garlic. While the pasta cooks, you can start working on the creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced fresh garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute. It should be nice and sizzled and very fragrant.
- Add cornflour. Sprinkle cornflour over the garlic and oil, stirring to combine it all together. Stir in a pinch of salt, keeping in mind that you can always add a bit more salt to the finished sauce at the end if needed!
- Add almond milk. Stir half of your almond milk into the cornflour mixture and continue cooking until it gets thick and cohesive. Then stir in the remaining almond milk and remove the skillet from the heat.
- Blend the sauce. Allow the hot almond milk mixture to cool for several minutes, then carefully pour it into a blender or food processor. Add nutritional yeast and some of your sun-dried tomatoes--reserving the rest of them for finishing the pasta later. Secure the blender lid tightly and blitz until creamy and smooth.
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat a clean skillet over a medium-high heat. Roughly chop the remaining sun dried tomatoes and add them--along with some oil / herb mixture from their jar--to the hot skillet. Add a chopped onion and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until the onion is tender and translucent. Season the onion mixture with dried Italian herbs and crushed red chili flakes, then stir and cook for about 30 more seconds--not too long or the spices could burn!
- Finish the sauce. Pour the sauce from the blender into the skillet with the onion-tomato mixture. Stir and simmer for about 3 minutes until warmed through and well-combined, then turn off the heat.
- Coat the pasta. Add your cooked pasta to the skillet with the cream sauce and toss until evenly coated. If the sauce seems too thick, you can always add a splash of pasta water or almond milk to loosen it up.
- Serve! This pasta is best served immediately while the sauce is at its creamiest. I like to enjoy it alongside a pile of peppery, lightly dressed arugula.
Chef Tips
To prevent your pasta from sticking together:
Lightly toss it in a bit of olive oil after it is cooked and drained--this will keep it from turning into a clump while you finish your cream sauce. You only need to do this if it will be sitting to the side for more than a few minutes though. If your sauce is already cooked and ready to go by the time the pasta is done, no need for the oil, just toss it right in!
Watch Me make this Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
How to Store
Refrigerating. Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing. This sun-dried tomato pasta freezes well! Simply allow the leftovers to cool and then transfer them to a freezer-safe airtight container or zip-top freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Thawing. When you’re ready to enjoy your leftover sun-dried tomato pasta, just transfer it from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before you plan to eat it so that it can thaw overnight.
Reheating. Place your sun-dried tomato pasta leftovers in a skillet or saucepan over low-medium heat and stir frequently until warmed through. The pasta may soak up the sauce as it sits in the fridge, so feel free to add a bit more almond milk to loosen it up.
📋 Recipe
Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz. vegan penne pasta
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp cornflour
- Salt, to taste
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 ½ Tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¾ cup sun-dried tomatoes (plus some oil from the jar), split into ½ cup and ¼ cup
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- Fresh arugula, as needed for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta to al dente. Drain and set aside when finished.
- While the pasta cooks, start the sauce by heating the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced fresh garlic and cook, stirring, for about a minute until sizzled and fragrant.
- Sprinkle cornflour over the garlic and oil, stirring to combine, then stir in a pinch of salt.
- Stir 1 cup of almond milk into the cornflour mixture and continue cooking until thick and cohesive. Stir in the remaining 1 cup of almond milk, then remove the skillet from the heat.
- Allow the hot almond milk mixture to cool for several minutes, then carefully pour it into a blender. Add the nutritional yeast and ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes. Secure the blender lid tightly and blitz until creamy and smooth.
- Heat a clean skillet over a medium-high heat. Roughly chop the remaining sun dried tomatoes and add them--along with some oil / herb mixture from their jar--to the hot skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until tender and translucent. Season with the dried Italian herbs and chili flakes, stir, and cook for about 30 more seconds.
- Pour the sauce from the blender into the skillet with the onion-tomato mixture. Stir and simmer for about 3 minutes, just until warmed and combined, then turn off the heat.
- Add your cooked pasta to the skillet with the cream sauce and toss until evenly coated. If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash of pasta water or almond milk to loosen it up.
- This pasta is best served immediately while the sauce is at its creamiest. I like to enjoy it alongside a pile of peppery, lightly dressed arugula.
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