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If you’re looking for a quick, brand new pasta recipe filled with flavour for busy weeknights, look no further than my Creamy Tuscan Sun-dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta – it only takes 20 minutes to make, and whilst I’ve written the recipe to serve two, it can be easily scaled up to feed a crowd.
Tuscan Chicken is an American-Italian dish of chicken cooked in a creamy sauce flavoured with sun-dried tomatoes, tomato puree and sun-dried tomatoes with a hefty amount of spinach stirred in for colour and flavour. I’d never made it before I was asked to write a meal prep-friendly version for Project Meal Plan. I fell in love with the hearty, creamy sunshine but not quite summer flavours, and when I was working on it I discovered how well it went with pasta. So obviously I wanted to write a pasta version!
Now, you’ll notice that there is no chicken here: I thought about adding chicken pieces, but to be honest the sauce is so good I want to make this a vegetarian-friendly pasta dish instead (though, you could always add them back in, or if you’re looking for something meatier with similar vibes, my Prawn and Chorizo Pasta hits so many of the same boxes this Sun-dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta does!)
Frequently Asked Questions
What sort of pasta shapes work best with this recipe?
I’m using trofie in these pictures because it is what I have in at the moment (it’s great with Pesto alla Trapanese!) which worked well, but it was what I had in stock and I actually think that pasta bows or penne would be much better choices. Stick to short shapes though as the sun-dried tomato pieces will fall to the bottom of a bowl of spaghetti, for example.
Can I make this pasta lighter by using single cream?
Yes — you’re not using much so I like the mouthfeel of double cream here, but if a pot of single cream is what you’ve got open it will still make a delicious pasta.
Can I make this Sun-dried Tomato pasta vegan?
I don’t have any specific brand recommendations but if you have brands of vegan cream and hard cheese you love I can’t see why the substitution wouldn’t work.
This 20 minute recipe for Creamy Tuscan Sun-dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta is the perfect vegetarian take on the American-Italian classic, perfect for busy weeknights!
Ingredients
Scale
200g short pasta shapes
sea salt
light oil
1 small banana shallot
2 large garlic cloves
1 tsp tomato puree
1/4 tsp sweet smoked paprika
80g sliced sun-dried tomatoes
generous glug white wine
4 tbsp double cream
2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
grated or shaved parmesan, to serve
Instructions
Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling, salted water as per the packets instructions – I usually start checking for doneness around the 12 minute mark.
In a large frying pan, heat a generous glug of oil over a medium heat, and add the shallot, finely chopped. Cook for 6-8 minutes until soft, and just starting to colour. Stir in the garlic – crushed – and cook for a minute more until aromatic.
Stir in the tomato puree until the mixture is uniform, followed by the paprika. Allow the spice to toast for a further minute.
Stir in the tomatoes, followed by a very generous glug of white wine. Once the alcohol has cooked off (you’ll know when the wine evaporating from the pan no longer smells alcoholic) stir in the cream and reduce the heat to low.
Stir in the spinach, and once it has wilted drain the cooked pasta, reserving a little cooking water and stir it into the sauce along with a generous few grinds of black pepper. Cook gently until the sauce has thickened to coat the pasta: if things get a little too thick, add some of the cooking water to loosen things up a bit.
Season to taste with more salt (to make it more savoury), pepper (for more oomph) and lemon juice (to brighten it) and serve divided between two warm bowls.
Notes
The final pasta dish won’t be as rich, but if it’s a pot of single cream open in your fridge not double use that instead rather than just opening a fresh pot!
I'm a food writer living in the English Countryside. Welcome to my online diary where I share easy, weeknight recipes, foodie travel diaries and some of the best places I've eaten out recently.
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