Is this a vegan sun dried tomato pasta recipe?

This sun dried tomato recipe is completely vegan! It only uses various forms of tomatoes, some spices, herbs, and pasta.

What are the substitutes for sun dried tomatoes in this recipe?

If you don’t like sun dried tomatoes, or you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute it with some extra tomato paste or some olives. Both these ingredients have intense flavors very similar to that of sun dried tomatoes. Use about 1 tablespoon added tomato paste, and about ¼-1/3 cup chopped olives.

Can I make the sauce ahead of time?

This sauce is extremely easy to make ahead of time. Simply make the sauce, allow it to cool completely at room temperature, and place it in an airtight container inside the refrigerator. There it will keep for roughly 5-7 days, even if you have already mixed it with pasta. Alternatively, you can freeze the sauce by itself for several months. Don’t freeze the pasta as it tends to disintegrate and change the consistency of the dish and sauce itself.

Can I use pesto instead of fresh basil?

You can use a basil pesto instead of fresh leaves, however only use a bit. Pesto has a very intense flavor that might overwhelm that of the tomato sauce.

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Recipe

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

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Pasta with sun-dried tomatoe sauce.

Author: Zerrin & Yusuf
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Lunch
Method: Cooking
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

Pasta:

250g (9 ounces) pasta (such as penne or fusilli)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Sauce:

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cloves garlic(small), mashed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
A pinch of cumin
A pinch of oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Yogurt for serving

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Instructions

Cook pasta according to package instructions.
Save 1 cup of the boiling pasta water and drain the rest of it.
Heat olive oil in a pan. Add in tomato paste, mashed garlic and spices. Cook these for a minute.
Pour half of the pasta water in it and bring it to a boil.
Add in chopped sun-dried tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add in the cooked pasta, toss to coat and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining pasta water if needed.
Remove from the heat. Add in chopped fresh mint and basil and give it a good stir.
Serve it with yogurt. You can even top it with sun-dried tomato sauce spread if you have some on hand.

Notes

If the sun-dried tomatoes are stored in oil, you can substitute that oil for olive oil in the recipe.
If the sun-dried tomatoes you are using are not in olive oil and if they are not soft enough, soak them in warm water for about 10 minutes and then chop them.
Sun-dried tomatoes are mostly salty, so no need to add extra salt in this sauce. However, you can add a little salt if you think the sauce needs it. So just taste and adjust it.
Fresh mint is optional in this recipe. We love its flavor in sauces like this, but if you want the flavor of basil only, leave fresh mint out.
You can make additions to this sauce. Heavy cream, coconut cream, spinach, chicken are some examples.

Nutrition

Serving Size:
Calories: 343
Sugar: 7.8 g
Sodium: 315.5 mg
Fat: 8.6 g
Carbohydrates: 57.5 g
Protein: 10.8 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Find it online: https://www.giverecipe.com/pasta-with-sun-dried-tomatoes/