Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes
This dreamy dish features tender pasta in a creamy, pesto-spiked sauce that’s dotted with chewy-sweet sun dried tomatoes. It’s light yet satisfying and easily on the table in under 30 minutes.
I whipped up this dish when my son made an impromptu visit! I love it because I was able to grab pantry staples to create an amazing, wholesome dish. No running out for ingredients!
I used linguine, but virtually any pasta shape works. I had linguine on hand, and I love the long strands for this sauce, but you can easily swap in penne, bowties, rigatoni, elbows, or noodles of choice. Gluten-free pasta works too!
Choose your favorite pesto for this dish. I typically use refrigerated pesto for dishes like this, but as mentioned, my son made an unexpected visit so I pulled the pesto from my pantry! The dish was equally fabulous.
I also prefer oil-packed sun dried tomatoes for this dish. The oil-packed sun dried tomatoes are often seasoned with flavored olive oil, so they deliver much more flavor.
Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 8 ounces linguine, spaghetti, or pasta of choice
- 1/4 cup diced oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more/less to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, or more if needed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons grated or shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, combine the sun dried tomatoes, pesto, and crushed red pepper flakes. Set the pan over medium heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the pasta to the cream mixture and toss to coat. If desired, add more cream to create a thinner sauce.
- Season the dish with salt and pepper.
- Serve with parmesan cheese on top and on the side.