Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Stracchino Pasta

This creamy sun-dried tomato pasta is quick and easy to make and full of flavour. Made with a simple sundried tomato pesto sauteed cherry tomatoes and creamy Italian stracchino cheese. Ready in 20 minutes!

Quick recipe snapshot

• Ready in 20 minutes – this pasta is pretty much ready by the time your pasta is cooked, it's quick.
• Full of umami flavour – sundried tomatoes give this sauce such a rich, salty flavour that's hard to resist!
• The sauce is made with 5 ingredients!

As you know, we love a quick and easy pasta recipe but it's got to be quick enough for busy weeknights yet good and exciting enough to serve at weekends when you crave something a little extra special.

Much like our Pasta alla MontecarloPasta alle Sette P and Orecchiette alla Positanese all of which are must-tries, this creamy sun-dried tomato pasta also fits the bill and we hope you love it as much as we do.

See the recipe below plus our top tips and some good ways to adapt it!

Visual walk-through of the recipe

See our step-by-step photos below to give you a visual representation of the recipe. The full written recipe and tips can be found in the recipe card below.

Blitz the sun-dried tomato paste – blitz the sun-dried tomatoes with the stracchino (or cream cheese), parmigiano reggiano and garlic clove using an immersion blender or food processor (photos 1 and 2).

Sauté the tomatoes – saute the cherry tomatoes until they are starting to soften (photo 3), then remove and set them aside for topping later.

Make the sauce – add the sun-dried tomato paste to the pan and emulsify it with pasta water to a smooth sauce (photos 4-6).

Add the pasta – add the pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. Serve in bowls topped with the cherry tomatoes and more Parmigiano Reggiano (photos 7 and 8).

Swaps

• Stracchino cheese substitution – this may be hard to find if you don't have access to an Italian food store. You can replace it with a good-quality cream cheese instead.
• Sun-dried tomatoes in oil Vs dried – We highly recommend using sundried tomatoes jarred in oil. If yours are dried then you'll need to soften them first in hot water.
• Add fresh herbs – add fresh basil in at the end when you emulsify the sauce.
• Add sausage or pancetta – Italian sausage (spicy or sweet) would go well with this as would pancetta. Fry the meat is you decide to use it after the cherry tomatoes.
• Add shrimp – sauteed shrimp is another good and easy way to adapt this recipe.
• Add some heat – why not add some fresh chilli or dried chilli flakes to add a little spice.

Recipe tips and FAQs

• Save your pasta water – the starchy pasta water is what we use to emulsify the sundried tomato paste into a good sauce so reserve some.
• Use any dried pasta you like – this sauce is versatile and will go with most short and long pasta shapes.

Can we prepare this in adavnce?

Yes, you can make the sundried tomato paste 2-3 days in advance and store it in the fridge until you're ready to use it.

How to reheat leftovers

Reheat leftover pasta in a pan on the stove until hot. Remember that the longer pasta is left the softer it will become so it's best eaten immediately.

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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 1 lb (450g) Mafaldine pasta ((or other pasta of choice))
• 1 cup (150g) Sun-dried tomatoes (jarred in oil)
• ½ cup (110g) stracchino cheese ((can also use cream cheese))
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cup (150g) Cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
• 2 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano (grated plus extra for serving)
• Salt
• Olive oil

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Cook the pasta until al dente.

2. Meanwhile, add 1 cup (150g) sun-dried tomatoes½ cup (110g) stracchino2 tablespoons of Parmigiano Reggiano and 1 garlic clove to a food processor or use an immersion blender and blitz to a smooth, thick paste. Set aside.

3. Add around 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large pan and gently saute 1 cup (150g) cherry tomatoes until just starting to soften (1-2 minutes). Remove the cherry tomatoes and set aside, then add the sun-dried tomato paste to the pan with ½ cup (125ml) of pasta water to emulsify it into a sauce.

4. Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the pan and toss it in the sauce. Add more pasta water if needed. Once coated in the sauce, serve it in bowls topped with the cherry tomatoes and more Parmigiano on top.

Kitchen notes

Storage and leftovers - the sundried tomato paste/sauce will keep well for 2-3 days in the fridge. Leftover pasta will keep well for 1-2 days and can be reheated on the stove.