Home » Course » Main Course

Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

This Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Pasta recipe features farfalle pasta tossed in a cheesy cream-based sauce infused with garlic and butter, mixed with sun-dried tomatoes and baked chicken with Italian herbs.

It is divine. Packed full of flavor, sounds a tad bit fancy, but guess what? Super EASY to make.

A large bowl full of sundried tomato pasta

Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Pasta is perfect for a busy weeknight or lazy weekend dinner, or it can be turned into a nice dinner at home for the weekend.

Serve it with white wine, salad, and bruschetta, and you got yourself a nice, fancy Italian meal! *Chef kiss*

Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

Confessions of a food-blogger: White sauce on pasta has always been a hit or miss for me. Every now and then, I do find an amazing white sauce pasta dish. However, most of the time, it just doesn’t do it for me.

Sometimes it is too heavy or greasy, or lacks flavor. At other times, it tastes good, but only for a couple of of mouthfuls. I could do tapas-style, eat off my husband’s plate, but it rarely leaves me wanting to finish off the whole thing.

But this Sun-dried tomato pasta drenched in a creamy (creamy enough but not too overly creamy, you know what I mean…), flavor-bursting white sauce with made with real cheese is a whole different story.

Here’s the thing. For our creamy sun-dried tomato pasta, I created a white sauce that I am absolutely in love with.

I taste-tested all day while developing the recipe, ate the entire bowl for dinner, had it again for lunch the next day, and cannot wait to make it again. That, my friends, is what I call love.

Dear Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken, you have restored my hope in white sauces.

White sauce lovers and non-white sauce lovers alike: you guys are in for a treat with this one!

A bowl of  farfalle pasta in creamy sundried tomato sauce. Parmesan in the background

Ingredience

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this

  • chicken – use boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs
  • seasonings – this is the seasoning for the chicken. I am using basil, oregano and garlic powder, you can also use Italian seasoning and/or parsley instead of basil and oregano.
  • pasta – I like to use farfalle pasta for this – any short pasta works great in this recipe.
  • butter – use unsalted butter in order to control the amount of the salt in your sun-dried tomato pasta
  • all purpose flour
  • garlic – this is used for the creamy sauce – use fresh garlic for best flavor
  • salt
  • 2% milk – for a thicker sauce, use whole milk or half and half.
  • sun-dried tomatoes – these typically comes in a bottle soaked in olive oil
  • mozzarella – shredded and used in the sauce

How to make it

This creamy sun-dried tomato pasta recipe is created for all the busy people out there who wants to make real, yummy food from scratch, but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen.

Bake the Chicken

Pat dry a piece of chicken breast, then drench it with olive oil and lots of spices such as basil, oregano, garlic powder and salt.

Bake it in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 375℉.

Boil Pasta

After sending the chicken into the oven, you can work on the pasta and the sun-dried tomato cream sauce while the chicken cooks, without worrying about burning the chicken or having to flip it constantly.

When cooking pasta, add some olive oil and salt into the boiling water.

Cook it al-dante and drain.

 farfalle pasta in collander

Add some olive oil to the pasta and toss it (this will prevent the pasta from sticking together) and set aside.

Pretty Farfalle. It’s my favorite pasta shape. 🙂

Make Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Sauce

And now to the sauce! You can also make this concurrently while waiting for pasta to boil.

Set a large skillet on stove under medium heat, add butter, flour, garlic and salt, and sauté it for about a minute. Then slowly add in 2% milk. Continue stirring and remove the lumps in sauce.

Let it come to a boil and continue cooking (and stirring) for another 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese.

If you would like the sauce creamier, you can add an additional 1/4-1/2 cup of mozzarella. However, do keep in mind that after the sauce sits for a few minutes, it will thicken slightly.

Combine everything!

At this time, your chicken in the oven should be done, or almost done. Slice chicken into strips and add to the sauce. Also add sun-dried tomatoes (drain the olive oil) and cooked pasta to the sauce.

A large non stick skillet loaded with pasta, chicken and sundried tomatoes

Heat skillet under medium heat for another 1-2 minutes. Stir and combine. Everything has already been cooked or can be safely consumed at this point. We are simply mixing the ingredients together, and warming it up.

The product is this tasty, satisfying, one-bowl meal staring right at you.

Stirring creamy pasta with wooden spoon

Garnish with grated parmesan cheese. The parmesan does make it more cheesy and bring lots of amazing parmesan-y flavor to the dish. Which I can’t pass up – because I love me some freshly grated parmesan cheese on any of my pasta.

I absolutely love how the sun-dried tomatoes introduces a slight acidity and sweetness to the luscious cream sauce. There is just enough sauce to lightly coat the pasta, and it doesn’t drown it or over-power it.

White sauce. You have won me over.

Next step: bring food to mouth, savor, devour, repeat.

A bowl of creamy sundried tomato pasta with chicken topped with parmesan

Tips and Tricks

Here are some tips and tricks to your sun-dried tomato pasta to the next level:

  • Choose High-Quality Ingredients: Start with the best-quality sun-dried tomatoes, pasta, parmesan cheese and other ingredients. Fresh and high-quality pasta will also enhance the overall taste of your dish. Use fresh parmesan cheese (refrigerated). If possible, use parmigiano reggiano for best taste.
  • Do not drain pasta with water: When pasta is done cooking, do not rinse it in cold water. This will wash away the starch on the pasta and makes it harder for the sauce to coat each pasta.
  • Do not overcook chicken: this will prevent chicken from drying out.

Storage and Reheating

Store any leftover sun-dried tomato pasta and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of water or broth to revive the sauce’s consistency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use any type of pasta for this recipe?

Yes! However, I find that shorter pasta such as Fusilli, penne, or farfalle works best for this thick creamy sun-dried tomato sauce.

Do I need to use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil?

Using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil adds extra flavor. However, if you have the dry variety, you can rehydrate them in warm water or broth before using.

Can I freeze sun-dried tomato pasta?

It’s best to enjoy this dish fresh, as freezing may alter the texture. If you have leftovers, refrigerate them and consume within 4 days for best taste and texture.

DID YOU ENJOY THIS RECIPE? Please comment below and give us a 5-star rating! This will help others find this recipe on Google and Pinterest. We very much appreciate your help! 🤍

More Pasta Recipes!

farfalle pasta in creamy sauce combined with sun dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese on top

Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

Farfalle pasta tossed in a cheesy cream-based sauce infused with garlic and butter, mixed with sun-dried tomatoes and baked chicken with Italian herbs.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 722kcal
Author: MinShien

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 1 boneless skinless chicken breast 1/2 – 3/4 pounds
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Pasta

  • 8 oz farfalle pasta
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt

White Sauce

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 5-6 cloves fresh garlic
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups 2% milk
  • 4-5 oz sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
  • 1/2-1 cup mozzarella shredded

Garnish

  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

Chicken

  • Preheat oven to 375℉. Rub 1/2 tbsp olive oil, oregano, basil, garlic powder and 1/2 tsp salt onto both sides of defrosted chicken breast. 
  • Bake chicken for 25-30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165℉. Once chicken is cooked, slice chicken into strips.

Pasta

  • While waiting for chicken to bake in the oven, boil 3 qt of water using a saucepan and once the water boils, add in pasta. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tbsp of olive oil into boiling water. 
  • After 9-10 minutes, or a minute less than what the package direction calls for, remove pot from heat and drain pasta. Add another 1/2 tbsp olive oil to the pasta and toss to prevent pasta from sticking together. Set aside.

White sauce

  • Minced 4-5 cloves of garlic. Warm a large skillet on medium heat, then melt butter on skillet. Once butter is melted, add flour, salt and minced garlic. Stir for 30-60 seconds. Avoid burning garlic.
  • Add milk onto skillet. Keep stirring to remove clumps. When it boils, continue stirring for another minute. Liquid should thicken slightly. Then remove from heat.
  • Add 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella onto skillet, then stir to combine. Sauce should thicken further. Add additional mozzarella if desired, however note that sauce will continue to thicken as it sits. 

Combine!

  • Drain olive oil from bottled sun-dried tomatoes. Add baked chicken strips, cooked pasta and drained sun-dried tomatoes to sauce. Heat saucepan under medium heat, combine and stir for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh basil (optional). Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Tip: Baking the chicken, boiling the pasta and making the sauce can happen concurrently. Doing so will save lots of time!

Nutrition

Calories: 722kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 1698mg | Potassium: 1192mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1095IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 445mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you make this recipe?Take a pic and tag me at @joyous.apron, or hashtag #joyousapron on Instagram!

This post was originally published on January 11, 2018 and the photographs and texts were updated on November 9, 2018.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




4 Comments

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Thank you! 🙂

  1. 5 stars
    We just finished eating this, our first time and we both loved it. I actually put in over 12 oz of pasta, not 8, and as usual with your recipes, the amount of sauce was generous and enough to cover. I love that about your recipes, the sauce to goodies ratio is always more than enough. The flavor combos were delicious: sun dried tomatoes with the white sauce, garlic and parmesan cheese… so good. This one is a keeper for sure. Three thumbs up!

    1. Joyous Apron says:

      Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I do love my sauces, so I tend to be a little generous with it…haha! So happy you tried it and really appreciate you letting me know how it went!! 🙂 Thank you so much!