Some recipes you make once and forget. Others become part of your rotation. And then there’s this one, which has somehow worked its way into my kitchen 47 times over the past three years.
I started tracking it after my wife pointed out we were eating it almost weekly. She wasn’t complaining. The sauce comes together in the time it takes to boil pasta, uses ingredients I almost always have on hand, and tastes like something from a restaurant that charges too much for bread.
If you’ve been looking for a go-to pasta that actually delivers, this is it.
Why this recipe works
Sun-dried tomatoes do most of the heavy lifting here.
They bring concentrated sweetness, a hint of tang, and that deep umami punch that makes you want another bite before you’ve finished the first. Blending them into the sauce means the flavor gets into every strand of pasta, not just the bites where you happen to spear one.
The cream cheese creates richness without needing heavy cream. It melts smoothly, clings to the pasta, and gives the sauce body that doesn’t feel heavy. Add some garlic, a splash of pasta water, and fresh basil, and you’ve got something that tastes like it took way more effort than it did.
Ingredients
- 350g pasta (penne, rigatoni, or fusilli work best)
- 200g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained (reserve 2 tablespoons of the oil)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 150g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 200ml vegetable stock
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
- 50g parmesan, grated (or vegetarian hard cheese)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in well-salted water according to package directions. Before draining, save about 150ml of the pasta water.
- While the pasta cooks, add the sun-dried tomatoes and vegetable stock to a blender. Blend until mostly smooth with some texture remaining.
- Heat the reserved sun-dried tomato oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the blended tomato mixture and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
- Drop the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese until completely melted and smooth.
- Add the drained pasta to the pan along with half the reserved pasta water. Toss everything together, adding more pasta water if the sauce needs loosening.
- Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with torn basil and grated parmesan.
Tips and variations
The pasta water matters more than you think. That starchy liquid helps the sauce cling to every piece instead of pooling at the bottom of your bowl. Don’t skip it.
If you want to bulk this up, spinach wilts beautifully into the sauce. Just throw a few handfuls in right before adding the pasta. White beans work too if you’re after more protein.
I’ve mentioned this before, but letting cream cheese come to room temperature makes a real difference. Cold cream cheese can leave you with lumps, and nobody wants that.
For a vegan version, swap the cream cheese for cashew cream and use nutritional yeast instead of parmesan. The flavor profile shifts slightly, but it’s still excellent.
The bottom line
This pasta has earned its spot in my regular rotation for good reason. It’s fast, it’s forgiving, and it tastes better than it has any right to given how simple it is. The 47 times I’ve made it weren’t planned.
It just kept being the answer when I wanted something satisfying without much fuss. Give it a shot and see if it doesn’t start showing up in your kitchen just as often.
