Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
This sun dried tomato, roasted red pepper, artichoke pasta dish is loaded with flavor, hearty chicken, fresh herbs, spinach, and creamy burrata cheese, making it the ultimate easy pasta meal with elevated flavors that make it fancy enough for a dinner party.
I love this easy pasta because it is made up of common pantry ingredients like dried herbs, but offers bold flavors, and is super easy to customize. Add more zucchini, leave out the chicken, skip the burrata and add more parmesan, etc. No matter how you spin it, it is going to be delicious.
Serve with Garlic Bread Twists and Italian Garden Salad for a great meal.
What I love about this recipe is it is not fussy. You don’t have to take complicated steps, or saute anything first, etc. Just toss it all together in a large saute pan, and go! It is a few simple steps to an excellent meal.
If you want a vegetarian option, like an Eggplant Parmesan you can leave the chicken out of this one.
What You Need to Make Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
The ingredient list for this pasta is simple in nature, and a lot of it will already be found in your pantry and fridge. Here is what you need:
- Veggies: red bell, zucchini, onion, and baby spinach
- Canned or Jarred Items: sun dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers
- Pantry Staples: Tomato paste, red wine vinegar, dried basil, dried dill, chili flakes, black pepper
- Garlic
- Oil from the sun dried tomatoes or artichoke hearts jar
- Cheeses: parmesan and burrata
- Fresh herbs: basil
- Chicken thighs
- Pasta: penne rigate or other short pasta
Recommended Equipment
- Large skillet or saute pan
- Pot for cooking pasta
- Strainer/collander for straining cooked pasta
How to Make Sun Dried Tomato Burrata Pasta
Making this sun dried tomato pasta is easy. And it can be prepped a lot ahead to make it even easier. I love whipping together the majority of it during the day, so that during the chaotic dinner hour it can come together in just a few minutes, we are taking under 10 minutes.
Step One: Cook Chicken
Cook chicken thighs in your preferred way (Grilled thighs, crock pot thighs, roasted thighs, etc.) or use rotisserie chicken, and set aside. This is the first step because you want your chicken already cooked for this meal. It is also a great pasta dish to use for meatless Monday, or if you want a vegetarian meal. It is so satisfying you do not even need the chicken. But if you have leftovers, or a rotisserie chicken it makes a great addition.
Step Two: Cook Pasta
The pasta needs to be cooked before you assemble the rest of the pasta because the rest cooks fast, and you do not want to overcook everything while waiting for the pasta to cook. I tend to pre-cook my pasta, toss with the oil, and put in the fridge, so when I am ready to make dinner it is super quick.
So, cook pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the sun dried tomato or artichoke heart oil to keep it from sticking together. And set aside.
Step Three: Prep and Start Cooking the Rest
Slice red bell peppers and zucchini, very thin, and in a large skillet or saute pan, combine with onions, sun dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomato paste, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, dried basil, dried dill, chili flakes, and remaining oil from the sun dried tomatoes or artichoke hearts jar.
Note: If you want to prep ahead, you can simply combine all of these ingredients in a zip top bag, and refrigerate until ready to use. Then just dump everything into the skillet to cook together.
Step Four: Cook
Saute 3-4 minutes, until heated through, and veggies are beginning to cook through. Add cooked pasta and cooked chicken, and toss to coat everything in the sauce, cooking an additional couple minutes until everything is heated through.
Step Five: Add the Finishing Touches
Add parmesan, spinach, and fresh basil, and cook 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.
Remove from heat, and tear burrata and place in pieces across the top of the pasta. Season with fresh cracked pepper and additional fresh basil as desired. Serve immediately.
Serve With
This recipe is so perfect for XYZ and I love pairing it with:
- Garlic Bread Twists
- 7 Minute (Prep) Artisan Crock Pot Bread
- Blackberry Mint Spritzer
- Ricotta Cake, Italian Cheesecake
Tips and Tricks
Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy, but here are a few tips and tricks to make it turn out amazing every time:
- Tip One– Use the Best Possible Ingredients: This easy pasta recipe is loaded with flavors that come from things like roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, and marinated artichoke hearts. The better the ingredients you start with, the better it will taste.
- Tip Two– Mis en plus: Get everything ready ahead of time. This is a dish that comes together quickly, so you want to have everything measured out and ready to go before you start cooking, as it is only on the heat for a matter of minutes, and you do not want to burn or overcook something because you are still prepping ingredients.
- Tip Three– Cook pasta al dente: You are going to combine your pasta with the rest of the ingredients and cook the spinach down, if your pasta is already totally cooked, it will get mushy. You want it al dente so it can be perfectly cooked and have a little chew when serving.
- Tip Four-Reserve pasta water for a saucier result: This is not a super saucy pasta, although it will be creamy because of the burrata. If you want a saucier end result, reserve a little of the pasta cooking water to add to the pan just before serving. Add it a few tablespoons at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Tip Five– Serve immediately: This is one of those recipes that is best fresh off the heat. Therefore it is not one to cook ahead, although 90% of the prep can be done ahead of time to save time later. I love serving it with a crusty sourdough or french bread.
Make Ahead and Storage
How to make this recipe ahead of time:
This recipe is not meant to be fully cooked ahead, as it does not reheat well. It is not one you want to make ahead, but the good news is that 90% of the work can be done ahead to make cooking and serving it a breeze when you are ready.
Start by cooking your pasta, draining it, and tossing it with the oil. Then place in a zip top bag in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the pasta.
Cook your chicken ahead and shred, or use already cooked chicken like a rotisserie chicken.
Take remaining ingredients minus the spinach, basil, parmesan, pepper, and burrata, and combine together in a zip top bag, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Then when ready to make, simply cook according to directions.
Other Great Recipes:
- Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad
- One Pot Sausage, Chard, and Pine Nut Orecchiette Pasta
- Baked Spaghetti
- Baked Ziti
- Fettuccine Alfredo
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Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 red bell pepper sliced thin
- 1/2 zucchini sliced thin
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
- 4 ounces sun dried tomatoes sliced thin
- 8 ounces marinated artichoke hearts quartered
- 1 cup roasted red peppers sliced into strips
- 1 Tablespoon sun dried tomato paste regular tomato paste is fine if you can't find sun dried tomato paste. I like the amore brand.
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon garlic minced
- 1/2 Tablespoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
- 3 Tablespoons oil from the sun dried tomatoes or artichoke hearts jar
- 2 Tablespoons parmesan
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chiffoned
- 2 balls of burrata
- 4 chicken thighs cooked and shredded**
- 1 pound penne rigate pasta cooked al dente according to package directions
- Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook chicken thighs in your preferred way or use rotisserie chicken, and set aside.
- Cook pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the sun dried tomato or artichoke heart oil to keep it from sticking together. (Note: reserve some pasta water if a saucier pasta is desired)
- Slice red bell peppers and zucchini, very thin, and in a large sauce pan, combine with onions, sun dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomato paste, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, dried basil, dried dill, chili flakes, and remaining oil from the sun dried tomatoes or artichoke hearts jar.
- Saute 3-4 minutes, until heated through, and veggies are beginning to cook through. Add cooked pasta and cooked chicken, and toss to coat everything in the sauce, cooking an additional couple minutes until everything is heated through.
- Add parmesan, spinach, and fresh basil, and cook 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.
- Remove from heat, and tear burrata and place in pieces across the top of the pasta. (see Note for saucier result)
- Season with fresh cracked pepper and additional fresh basil as desired.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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