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Penne with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Spinach

April 18, 2016 by Keri 10 Comments

An easy weeknight pasta dish that is bursting with fresh flavors! Sun-dried tomatoes add a wonderful flavor to a silky cream sauce while baby spinach adds a wonderful color and freshness to the dish.

Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and SpinachHello! I’m ashamed at how long it has been since I’ve posted ?. I had every intention of sitting down last Sunday and typing up this post for last Monday. However, the stomach bug decided to hit me like a truck and keep me down for almost a week. 

It was downright awful! I couldn’t eat or get out of bed for about 4 days. Luckily over the weekend I was able to eat actual meals and am feeling SO much better. 

The next few weeks are going to be interesting as it seems I have a million things to accomplish. Wedding = 25 days away ??. 

Enough about me – anything new with you? Have I missed anything in the blogging world? 

Penne with Sun Dried Tomato Cream SauceSince moving I’ve been all about quick and easy meals. Most of my time over the past few weeks has been spent unpacking, setting up rooms, then chaining them all around. I’m learning that it’s really hard to decide on where to put everything right off the bat. My type A personality needs order and everything has to make sense, so when it doesn’t I can’t rest! I’m getting there slowly, though. 

I also spend a lot more time cleaning than I ever did. Moving from apartment to house means a lot more to keep clean! 

Anyway back to the point I was trying to make – quick and easy meals are a must these days. This penne with sun dried tomato cream sauce and spinach totally fits the bill. It’s comforting, but not overly heavy and of course it’s full of flavor!

Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream SauceSun dried tomatoes are such a great way to add flavor to so many different dishes. If you’ve never tried them (is that even possible?!) they have a really concentrated sweet tomato flavor. You’ll commonly find them jarred with herbs and olive oil, however for this recipe you want the dried ones that are not packed in oil. You can typically find little bags of sun dried tomatoes near the jarred ones or by the other specialty Italian products in your grocery store. However, if you can’t find them, you can use the jarred variety, but be sure to drain the oil and pat them very dry. 

You’ll want to steep the sun dried tomatoes in chicken stock for a few minutes. This step not only softens the tomatoes, but it really helps infuse the flavor into the stock. Whirl it up in a blender and add it to sautéed onions and garlic, simmer for 5 minutes, and then stir in a smidgen of heavy cream. Ok, so it’s more than a smidgen, but it’s not that much. 

Stir in your pasta and cheese… because we wouldn’t have a pasta dish without cheese, right? And, don’t forget the fresh baby spinach! 

Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and SpinachBasically in the time it takes for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, you’ll have dinner on the table. The leftovers are tasty, too. ?

If you eat low carb, feel free to try this sauce with spaghetti squash, spiralized zucchini, or any other veggie noodle. I will definitely be having this with zoodles this summer!

I hope you all have a fantastic Monday!


Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Spinach
2016-04-18 08:01:12
Serves 4
An easy weeknight pasta dish that is bursting with fresh flavors! Sun-dried tomatoes add a wonderful flavor to a silky cream sauce while baby spinach adds a wonderful color and freshness to the dish.
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. 12 oz. Gluten-Free Penne Pasta*
  2. 2 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
  3. 1 Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes (not packed in oil)
  4. 1 Tablespoon Extra-Light Olive Oil
  5. 1 Small Onion, thinly sliced
  6. 2 Cloves Garlic, finely minced
  7. Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes, to taste (optional)
  8. Salt & Pepper
  9. ¾ Cup Heavy Cream
  10. 1 ½ Cups Parmesan Cheese, plus more for serving
  11. Fresh Spinach, roughly torn or chopped
Instructions
  1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the water, and then rinse the pasta with hot water*.
  2. Meanwhile, add the chicken stock to a small pot and bring to a simmer. Add in the sun-dried tomatoes, turn the heat off, and allow the tomatoes to sit for 5-8 minutes or until they are rehydrated. Pour the broth and sun-dried tomatoes into a blender and process until mostly smooth. Set aside.
  3. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat and add in the oil. Once the pan is hot, add in the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until it begins to soften. Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes (if using) and stir until fragrant. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
  4. Pour the sun-dried tomato mixture into the pan and bring to a low simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the heavy cream.
  5. With the heat on low, add in the cooked pasta, cheese, and spinach. Stir the pasta until the spinach wilts, adding a little pasta water if the sauce seems too thick. Serve topped with additional parmesan cheese.
Notes
  1. *My favorite dried gluten-free pasta is Barilla, but feel free to use your favorite. If you aren't gluten-free simply use regular wheat pasta. You can also try this with spaghetti squash or your favorite spiralized veggies!
  2. *I always rinse gluten-free pasta with hot water to get rid of the extra starch that can make the sauce gummy. If you are using regular wheat pasta, you can skip the rinse.
  3. If you can't find sun-dried tomatoes that aren't packed in oil, you can use the jarred variety. Just be sure to drain the oil off and pat them very dry.
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Penne with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce and Fresh Spinach

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Filed Under: Comfort Food, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian

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Lovely comments

  1. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says

    April 20, 2016 at 9:25 am

    Ugh stomach bugs are n o fun! So glad you’re feeling better! And easy meals are definitely needed with moving. This penne looks SO good! I’ve never made my own tomato cream sauce before, so I will have to try this out. Love the looks of it!

    Reply
    • identiconKeri says

      April 20, 2016 at 9:30 am

      Thank you Gayle! You definitely need homemade tomato cream sauce in your life – it’s one of my favorite pasta sauces!

      Reply
  2. Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says

    April 20, 2016 at 10:48 am

    Oh no! I’m sorry you were so sick and happy that you’re feeling better! I love pasta and quick and easy, so this penne and sun dried tomato sauce sounds perfect! I can’t believe your wedding is only 25 days away! So exciting!

    Reply
    • identiconKeri says

      April 22, 2016 at 9:25 am

      Thank you so much Rachelle! I can’t believe it either!

      Reply
  3. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says

    April 20, 2016 at 10:57 am

    Eeek!! Sorry you got sick, but sooo happy you are feeling better! Stomach bugs are the worst! And omg, your wedding is SO close!! Woot woot! And a million woots for this pasta! Quick and easy meals do rock and this dish looks rockin’ for sure! I love sundried tomatoes (and cream sauce and spinach for that matter), so this pasta is right up my alley! Cheers, dear! <3
    Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…One Skillet Cumin-Lime Chicken and Rice with Avocado-Pineapple Salsa {& A Giveaway}My Profile

    Reply
    • identiconKeri says

      April 22, 2016 at 9:26 am

      They really are the worst! I can’t believe how close it is – so so much to do! Thank you for the pasta love, Cheyanne! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Bonnie says

    November 10, 2018 at 6:56 pm

    Made this tonight and it was great!! Thanks so much!

    Reply
  5. Bonnie says

    January 27, 2019 at 6:16 pm

    Found this recipe on Pinterest and all I can say is thank you! This recipenis delicious and has been my saving grace many nights!

    Reply
  6. Rosemary Rive says

    June 3, 2020 at 9:52 am

    This recipe is absolutely delicious !!! I tweaked it just a tiny bit to fit in with what I have in the house . I’ve made this twice and I can’t believe how good it is. Not sure that I’ve ever left a recipe review/comment before but myself and my son have honestly raved about this so I felt that I should leave this review. I was just going through my cupboards and wondering what I could make for a change and this fit the bill. Standard, everyday ingredients and easy peasey to make but EXCEPTIONAL results. I shall be happily eating this for the rest of my life…..yum, yum yum !!!! Thank you.

    Reply
  7. Thai food says

    July 4, 2020 at 12:02 pm

    Hi Auther!
    Great suggestions!You’re totally right! Thanks for such an amazing post.
    Regards:
    Thai Food Near Me

    Reply

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I'm Keri: the passionate foodie behind the blog. I created Fashionable Foods to share fresh, homemade food with a creative twist. I live in Delaware with my husband Kyle, our son Nolan, and cat Basil. Favorite things include beach days, wine, and popcorn.
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