Ingredients 1x2x3x
- 8 ounces penne pasta or short pasta of your choice
- 3 to 4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, I used our all-natural sun-dried tomatoes which are bold and flavorful
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 small shallots, chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ to ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, more or less to your liking (or a vegetarian Parmesan option)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or Aleppo-style pepper, less spicy
Cook the pasta.
Make the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add 2 small chopped shallots and 4 large minced garlic cloves. Season with a good pinch of kosher salt and toss regularly for about a minute. Add 3 to 4 ounces chopped sundried tomatoes and cook for another minute. This gives the sun-dried tomatoes a chance to soften slightly.
Add ½ cup whole milk and a little bit of the pasta cooking water (about ¼ cup) and cook until warmed through (two minutes or so). Stir in 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Remove the large pan from the heat and add the cooked and drained pasta and ½ to ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese. Mix to coat the pasta in the sauce. You can add a little more pasta cooking water if necessary.
Finish and serve. Sprinkle some fresh torn basil leaves over the top and serve immediately!
Other variations
- Add spinach or other leafy greens, or vegetables – Stir in some fresh baby spinach (or baby kale) for added nutrition. Baby greens take no time to warm up, so you can just do this as you fold the pasta into the sauce. And if you want some “meatiness” while still having a meatless dinner, you can add some mushrooms! Slice and saute some mushrooms in the skillet along with the sun-dried tomatoes at the beginning so they cook down and release their juices.
- Use mozzarella cheese – For a more decadent sundried tomato pasta, use shredded mozzarella cheese instead of Parmesan. Add it to the skillet with the whole milk to give it a chance to melt and form a creamy sauce.
- Add protein – for the meat-lovers, check out our Sun Dried Tomato Chicken.