Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Name: Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: European, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 400g pasta; 2 garlic cloves, finely diced; 12 cherry tomatoes; large handful of spinach (about 60g); about 75g pine nuts; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; splash of olive oil; 170g sun-dried (or sun-blushed) tomatoes in oil, plus 3 tbsp of the oil from the jar; juice of 1/2 lemon; 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

5 steps

Prep:10minCook:15min

This is a go-to in our house; it really does take just 10 minutes and the only fresh ingredients you need are tomatoes, garlic and lemon. You can double up on the sauce too and keep the other half in the fridge for later in the week - it's delicious stirred through sautéed pasta. If you'd like to add more veg to this recipe, simply stir some spinach or a handful of sliced mushrooms into the pan of blistering cherry tomatoes.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 13:59:23 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories643.3 kcal (32%)

Total Fat23.9 g (34%)

Carbs92.8 g (36%)

Sugars4.8 g (5%)

Protein18.5 g (37%)

Sodium148.4 mg (7%)

Fiber8.7 g (31%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

4 servings

400gpasta

2garlic cloves

finely diced

12cherry tomatoes

60gspinach

For the sauce

75gpine nuts

2garlic cloves

crushed

olive oil

170gsun-dried tomatoes in oil

or sun-blushed, plus 3 tbsp of the oil from the jar

0.5juice of lemon

1 Tbspbalsamic vinegar

Instructions

Step 1

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.

Step 2

While the pasta cooks, make the sauce. Place all the pine nuts in a large frying pan (you'll use the same one later to cook the tomatoes) over a medium heat and toast them for 2-3 minutes. Once golden, remove from the pan and place to one side. Place the pan back on the heat.

Step 3

Add the crushed garlic to the pan and sauté it with a drizzle of olive oil for 2 minutes or so. Place the sun-dried tomatoes and the oil from the jar in a blender, along with the warmed garlic, lemon juice, two thirds of the toasted pine nuts, balsamic, 8-10 tablespoons of water, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Pulse until it comes together to form a sauce - it should be a little chunky, but you can add a splash more water if you like it a little smoother.

Step 4

Place the chopped garlic in a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and cook for a minute while you slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Add them to the pan and let them blister on a high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir through the drained pasta with the sun-dried tomato sauce and spinach and cook for a final few minutes until the spinach wilts.

Step 5

Serve with lots of pepper and the extra toasted pine nuts on top.