Easy Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Updated Nov 03, 2025, Published on Oct 24, 2025
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This Easy Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta recipe is simple, comforting, and full of flavor. The sun-dried tomato cream sauce is made with just a handful of ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes, shallots, and garlic. Using the oil from the jar infuses every bite with rich, savory flavor that balances perfectly with a squeeze of lemon and freshly grated Parmesan. It’s the kind of pasta you can throw together on a weeknight and will crave again and again.
Love recipes with sun-dried tomatoes? Try my One Pan Sun-Dried Tomato and Boursin Cheese Orzo or Sun-Dried Tomato & Broccolini Vodka Pasta next!
Why You'll Love This Pasta
- Packed with flavor: The oil from the sun-dried tomato jar adds incredible depth to the sauce.
- Creamy and comforting: Heavy cream makes the sauce silky and indulgent, but is balanced by the bright sun-dried tomatoes and squeeze of lemon.
- Quick and easy: Ready in about 30 minutes using simple pantry staples.
- Versatile: Serve it as is or add your favorite protein such as mini beef and sausage meatballs, easy Italian meatballs or crispy parmesan chicken.
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients
See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with exact quantities.
- Pasta: I used Busiate from Bona Furtuna for this recipe, a traditional Sicilian shape with a beautiful spiral that holds creamy sauces perfectly. Any pasta shape will work for this recipe, such as fusilli, rigatoni, penne, linguine, or fettuccine.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: I used the 8.5-ounce jar from Whole Foods that’s packed in flavorful sun-dried tomato oil. I used the oil from the jar to cook the sauce ingredients and added about half the jar’s worth of tomatoes (around 20 pieces), draining the excess oil with a fork and chopping them into smaller pieces before adding to the pan.
How to Make Easy Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
See the recipe card below for the full list of instructions.
- Chop: Finely chop the shallot and garlic. Drain the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, chop them into smaller pieces, and set aside.
- Sauté: Heat the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add: Stir in the red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minutes. Then add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and cook 2 minutes to let the flavors develop.
- Simmer: Pour in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens.
- Combine: Cook the pasta while preparing the sauce. Once cooked, add it directly to the skillet and toss to coat, adding splashes of pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
- Serve: Top with freshly grated Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon juice before serving.
Ready to try it? Scroll to the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and full instructions.
Easy Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Recipe FAQ's
Yes, half-and-half works well if you want a lighter sauce. The texture will be slightly thinner but still creamy and flavorful.
Any pasta shape works! I used Busiate from Bona Furtuna, but short shapes like fusilli, rigatoni, or penne hold the sauce beautifully. Long noodles like linguine or fettuccine also work great.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water or cream, or warm in the microwave until heated through.
Yes! This pasta is completely vegetarian as written. Add in a handful or two of spinach at the end of cooking for an extra boost of veggies.
Recommended Pairings to Consider
Chicken
Crispy Parmesan Chicken
Main Course
Easy Italian-Style Meatballs
30 Minutes or Less
Summer Farmer’s Market Vegetables
Easy Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Equipment
- Sauté Pan or large high-rimmed pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound Pasta, any shape (like penne or linguine)
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (from sun-dried tomato jar), from an 8.5-ounce jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 Shallots, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes, adjust to taste
- 20 Sun-Dried Tomatoes, from an 8.5-ounce jar packed in extra virgin olive oil (about half the jar), chopped
- 1 ½ cups Heavy Cream
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
- Lemon, freshly squeezed for serving
- Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated for serving
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Start the sauce: While the pasta cooks, heat the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the tomatoes and cream: Stir in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the cream, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer while the pasta finishes cooking.
- Combine: Add the pasta directly to the sauce and toss to coat. Stir in splashes of reserved pasta water as needed until the sauce reaches your desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve: Divide among bowls and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and freshly grated Parmesan.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Warm gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water or cream to loosen the sauce, or reheat in the microwave.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve with your favorite protein such as meatballs or crispy parmesan chicken, and a simple green salad.
- Substitutions: Use half-and-half instead of heavy cream for a lighter sauce. Stir in spinach at the very end of cooking for extra color and freshness.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This one was so so good! I added one of your meatball recipes too and it worked great together so so tasty!!