Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

This creamy sun-dried tomato pasta is made with a garlicky cashew Alfredo sauce, flavorful sun-dried tomatoes, and delicious pasta. It makes for the perfect weeknight dinner as it is super quick and easy to prepare!

If you have taken a look at my pasta recipes (like this Cashew Cajun Shrimp Alfredo recipe), then you might already know how much I love to cook with my homemade cashew Alfredo sauce.

It is incredibly healthy, delicious, and very simple to make! It is the perfect sauce for making creamy and cheesy pasta recipes without using any dairy products.

This time I paired the sauce with delicious pasta, intensely flavored sun-dried tomatoes, lots of garlic, and fresh basil. All you have to do is add your favorite vegetables and protein to turn this creamy sun-dried tomato pasta into a healthy and nutritious meal!

Ingredients For Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

To make this sun-dried tomato pasta, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Pasta: You can use any type and shape of pasta for making this dish! I used farfalle but you can absolutely choose something else.
• Aromatics: Onion and garlic are important to make the sauce super flavorful and delicious! So definitely don’t forget to add them.
• Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes: I recommend using oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes to make this creamy pasta dish as they are very juicy and flavorful.
• Homemade vegan Alfredo sauce: To make the vegan Alfredo sauce you’ll need cashews, nutritional yeast, water, a little lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
• Tomato paste: Tomato paste is one of those bonus ingredients that I love to use as it adds to the taste of the dish. But if you don’t have any tomato paste on hand, just make the recipe without it. It will still taste great!
• Fresh basil leaves: Please don’t forget to add fresh basil leaves! They go super well with the creamy sauce and the sun-dried tomatoes.

How to make sun-dried tomato pasta

Preparing this creamy sun-dried tomato pasta is super simple! Just follow these steps.

1. Prepare the vegan Alfredo sauce: Add all sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until the sauce is creamy. Then set the sauce aside.
2. Cook the pasta: Next, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Reserve some pasta water. Then drain and set aside.
3. Sauté: While the pasta cooks, sauté the garlic, onion, and sun-dried tomatoes until the onion turns translucent. Add the tomato paste and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the sauce: Next, add the vegan Alfredo sauce and pasta water. Thin the sauce with cashew milk or water. Season with salt and pepper and stir.
5. Combine: Now transfer the pasta to the pan. Toss until everything is combined.
6. Garnish and serve: Garnish with chopped basil and enjoy!

Cooking tips

The recipe is super simple, but keep the following things in mind when you make this sun-dried tomato pasta.

• Thin the sauce: The sauce usually thickens, so you need to add more water or cashew milk when that happens. Just keep an eye on the sauce and add more liquid as needed.
• Reserve pasta water: Before you drain the pasta water, make sure you save some of it! It helps to make the sauce stick to the pasta, so don’t forget to reserve some of it.

Variations and Serving Options

This sun-dried tomato pasta is the perfect recipe to be creative in the kitchen! I didn’t add any veggies or protein to this recipe as there are so many different ways to combine it.

All I want to give you here are a few ideas on how you can turn this creamy pasta dish into a healthy and nutritious meal.

So if you feel like adding vegetables, consider using:

• Baby spinach: I almost always stir in baby spinach when I make pasta dishes. It’s super healthy and tastes great in pasta sauces!
• Zucchini: Zucchini is another favorite for adding vegetables to your pasta dishes. You can either spiralize or dice the zucchini.
• Mushrooms: Mushrooms are perfect when you make creamy pasta sauces! Just slice and sauté them with the other ingredients.
• Cherry tomatoes: If you want to add a little sweetness to the dish, feel free to use cherry tomatoes!

If you want to add some protein, you can serve this pasta dish with:

• Salmon: I absolutely love to pan-fry salmon fillets and then serve them with a squeeze of lemon juice. It’s a very simple, healthy, and delicious addition to this creamy sun-dried tomato pasta!
• Shrimp: Another favorite are shrimp! I usually season them with Cajun seasoning or a combination of paprika powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Then sear them in a pan for 6-8 minutes. It’s so good!
• Chicken breast: Another option is serving this dish with baked or pan-fried chicken breast. Just season the chicken breasts well (like I would season the shrimp) and bake at 425 °F (220 °C) for around 20 minutes or pan-fry until cooked through.

You could also add more seasonings to this pasta dish. Here are some of my favorites:

• Red chili flakes: I probably add red chili flakes to all of my recipes, but it just makes everything a lot better! So if you love a little extra heat, add some red chili flakes.
• Dried herbs: Another option is adding dried herbs to the sauce. One of my favorites is dried rosemary.

And if you want to garnish your bowl of creamy sun-dried tomato pasta with delicious toppings, try one of the following options:

• Parsley: If you don’t like basil and prefer parsley, feel free to go for it! Basil and parsley are my two favorite fresh herbs for garnishing pasta dishes as they really add to the taste of the dish and look super pretty.
• Parmesan: Always add a little parmesan cheese to your pasta dishes! It just tastes amazing.

Frequently Asked Questions

More quick and delicious pasta recipes

If you are a pasta lover, you should definitely try one of the following recipes! They are all super simple and taste amazing.

• Taco Pasta
• Vegan Penne alla Vodka
• Baked Feta Pasta with Shrimp
• Spicy Cajun Shrimp Pasta
• Lemon Garlic Pasta