Y’all know I love one pot pasta meals, and I know a lot of you do too. They’re quick, easy, and pack a lot of flavor into only one little dish that needs to be cleaned at the end. Creamy one pot pastas, in particular, have become my go-to comfort food. This time I paired the tangy flavor of sun dried tomatoes with garlic and Parmesan for a simple but indulgent One Pot Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta.
Changes to the Original Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Recipe:
Many readers were having trouble with the original recipe, so I reformulated it a bit based on my experience creating one pot pastas since this recipe was originally posted (it’s now based on my One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta). In particular, many people were having trouble with their milk curdling or the sauce not coming out smooth. Here is what I changed to create better and more consistent results:
- The milk is now added after the pasta simmers so the high heat and acidity from the tomatoes will not cause curdling.
- A small amount of cream cheese is added to the sauce to help stabilize and emulsify the Parmesan into the sauce.
- I also added a healthy dose of dried basil for a little more flavor!
Can I Substitute the Cream Cheese?
Cream cheese is great and keeping milk based sauces smooth and to help cheese melt smoothly without clumpig. If you just can’t stand cream cheese, you can replace half of the milk with heavy cream. This reduces the water content in the sauce, which will help the Parmesan emulsify properly.
Can I Add Meat?
Yes, this recipe is extremely flexible and can be made with or without meat. If you’d like to add chicken, you can dice up the chicken and sauté it in the skillet with the garlic in the beginning, or simply add sliced grilled chicken to the finished pasta. Italian sausage might also be great with this sun dried tomato pasta. Simply brown it in the skillet in the beginning with the garlic. Bacon would also be quite tasty. Brown the bacon in the skillet before the garlic, and drain off the excess fat before continuing with the recipe.
Tips for Cooking One Pot Pastas:
Getting one pot pastas just right can take some practice, so if you find you’re having trouble, here are a few tips:
- Stir every few minutes to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot, or to itself.
- After the pot has been brought to a boil, turn the heat down to low, or just above low, so the liquid is still simmering. If the liquid is not simmering, the pasta will not cook. The temperature setting can vary depending on your stove top and cookware.
- Use heavy cookware. Skillets and pots that are thin on the bottom don’t heat evenly and do not yield good results with the one pot cooking method because some areas of the pot will be simmering, while other areas are not.
- Keep the lid in place at all times when not stirring. This holds in the steam and helps the pasta cook more evenly.
- Watch the pasta. One pot pastas are a little like riding a bike. You have to observe and adjust as you go. If the liquid is almost all absorbed before the pasta is tender, add a little more water. If the pasta is almost tender, but there is still a lot of liquid, allow it to simmer without a lid for the last couple of minutes.
One Pot Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
Servings 4Ingredients
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes ($1.66)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.26)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 8 oz. fettuccine ($0.67)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.05)
- 2 cups chicken broth* ($0.26)
- 2 oz. cream cheese ($0.30)
- 1 cups whole milk ($0.37)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.44)
Instructions
- Chop the sun dried tomatoes into small bite-sized pieces.
- Add the butter and garlic to a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Sauté the garlic over medium heat for about one minute, or until it is very fragrant.
- Add the fettuccine, sun dried tomatoes, dried basil, some freshly cracked pepper, and the chicken broth to the skillet. If needed, break the fettuccine in half to make sure it lays flat in the skillet and is submerged in broth.
- Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to high, and bring the broth to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, give the pasta a good stir, replace the lid, and turn the heat down to low or the lowest setting that maintains a simmer.
- Let the pasta simmer in the broth for 7-10 minutes, or until most of the broth is absorbed and the pasta is tender, stirring every couple of minutes and always replacing the lid.
- Keeping the heat on low, cut the cream cheese into chunks and stir it into the pasta. Once the cream cheese has melted, add the milk and stir until a smooth sauce forms. Finally, add the grated Parmesan over top and stir until it has melted into the sauce. Serve with extra freshly cracked pepper, if desired.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
Scroll down for the step by step Photos!
Try These Other Creamy One Pot Pasta Recipes:
- One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
- One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
- One Pot Bacon Broccoli Mac and Cheese
- One Pot Veggie Pasta
- One Pot Creamy Mushroom Pasta
How to Make Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Chop about ½ cup sun dried tomatoes into small bite-sized pieces. You want a little bit in every bite, instead of a few larger pieces throughout. I used dried, non-oil packed sun dried tomatoes for this recipe because I find them easier to work with and the leftovers easier to store (no refrigeration needed).
Add 2 Tbsp butter and two minced cloves of garlic to a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Sauté the garlic over medium heat for about 1 minute, or just until the garlic is a little softened and becomes really fragrant.
Add the chopped sun dried tomatoes, ½ tsp dried basil, some freshly cracked pepper, 8oz. fettuccine, and 2 cups chicken broth to the skillet. If your skillet or Dutch oven is not wide enough for the pasta to lay flat and submerged in the broth, you’ll want to break the pasta in half so it fits (I ended up breaking mine in half just after this photo).
Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to high, and bring the broth up to a boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, give the pasta a good stir, replace the lid, and turn the heat down to low, or the lowest temperature that maintains a simmer. Continue to simmer the pasta for 7-10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes (always replacing the lid), or until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. If the pasta dries out while it cooks, add a little more water. There should be a little bit of thick saucy liquid left in the skillet once the pasta is cooked.
Cut 2 oz. cream cheese into chunks, then stir it into the pasta until it has melted (still over low heat). Adding the cream cheese before the milk helps stabilize the sauce and prevent curdling.
Once the cream cheese has melted into the pasta, add 1 cup milk and stir to combine.
Finally, sprinkle ¼ cup grated Parmesan over the pasta, and stir until it has melted into the sauce (the pasta is still over low heat).
And now you have a deliciously creamy and slightly tangy sun dried tomato pasta in cream sauce!
Season the pasta with more freshly cracked pepper, if desired, and serve!
Great recipe! I often like to make fresh pasta or buy fresh pasta from the store, would I just add that in basically at the very end as to not overcook it? Thanks so much in advance for the advice!
I think you’ll probably want to cook it separately, since it cooks so quickly. But then if cooking separately you won’t need the broth, but if you eliminate the broth you’ll also be getting rid of some of the flavor. So while I think it’s possible to do with fresh pasta, I’d need to do some testing to find out the best cooking method and any other changes that would need to be made to retain the full flavor.
Do you think I could try this with vegetable broth to make it vegetarian?
Yes, just be aware that vegetable broth often has a darker color and a more pronounced flavor, so it will change the appearance and flavor of the dish slightly. :)
I used veg broth tonight, excellent!
I also use chorizo when I want a meat element
This is delicious and it was so simple to make! I added fresh basil at the end. I love how creamy it is! I’m definitely making this again for date night.
Delicious and easy. Thanks for this great weeknight recipe!
This was amazing. I used chickpea pasta, unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk, and a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese instead of the cream cheese since those were the things I had on hand. It came out so creamy that I’m already planning on making it again.
This looks delicious! I was wondering if this would work with almond or coconut milk to make it dairy-free. If anyone has experience/suggestions, I would appreciate it. Thank you!
I haven’t tried that, but you’d also need to find subs for the cream cheese and Parmesan, both of which help thicken the sauce and make it creamy. So making this one dairy free might be a challenge!
I’m not sure if you are looking for simple alternatives or something a bit complex, but here are some possible options:
You could do almond or soy and flour to make a roux and then add your favorite dairy-free cheese substitute,
You could try to use silken tofu and your preferred milk – blend it and add some flavorings or nutritional yeast to make a sort of substitute for heavy cream, and then add dairy-free cheeses, or
Find some dairy-free/vegan cream cheese, milk, and parmesan if it’s easier to do that (this would be my preferred option because I’m lazy lol).
Hope this helps!
Absolutely heavenly dish. Done in couple of minutes and hands down one of the best pasta meals I have ever cooked.
I made this tonight and thought it was delicious. Thank you for sharing this simple and easy-to-make recipe :)
I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now and it never gets old. I now make it almost weekly for me and my housemates. The one thing I did change is I really love to use some kind of smaller pasta with more grooves for sauce like penne or rotini.
Thanks so much for sharing this great recipe!
I made this with unsweetened almond milk and the sauce still thickened perfectly. I also added bacon. 🤤
This has become a staple at my house. Great for end of the week/before next shopping trip fridge clean out. I’ve added chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, and zucchini. The only changes I make are adding red pepper flakes and fresh basil for serving.
This is delicious! I’ve made it twice (adding chicken) and my family loved it.
Made this recipe tonight and it was a hit! I mixed in about 2 cups chopped cooked chicken to make it a bit heartier. Will definitely make again!
This was my first time making a one pot pasta. The recipe was easy to follow and it turned out great!
This is a great recipe!! So delicious. It’s become one of my go to recipes when I need something quick and tasty. I’ve tried it as written, and also added mushrooms and artichokes another time. Tonight I’m trying it with macaroni instead of fettuccine.
This has become a staple at my house. Great for end of the week/before next shopping trip fridge clean out. I’ve added chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, and zucchini. The only changes I make are adding red pepper flakes and fresh basil for serving.