Spinach Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
Easy creamy spinach sun-dried tomato pasta with corn. A comforting vegetarian dinner made without heavy cream.
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 25 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- For Spinach Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
- 400 g penne pasta
- Salt, for boiling pasta
- For the Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 inch ginger, grated
- 7 to 8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
- 7 to 8 frozen spinach cubes or blanched or thawed spinach
- 1/2 cup frozen corn or boiled corn
- 3/4 cup strained yogurt, Greek-style yogurt, or quark
- 1 to 1.5 teaspoons onion powder
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Pasta cooking water, reserved (about 2 cups)
- Salt, to taste
- Chili oil, to taste
- Serving
- Gouda or any cheese of choice, for topping
- Garlic bread or any bread of your choice
- NOTE: Some ingredients can be replaced with their vegan counterparts.
Instructions
- 1
1. Add boiling water to a large pot or bring water to a rolling boil. Add salt generously and stir well.
- 2
2. Then add penne pasta and cook until al dente or according to package instructions.
- 3
3. To check doneness, slice a piece of pasta with a knife. If it is tender but still firm to the bite, with no hard center it means it is perfectly cooked.
- 4
4. Reserve about 2 cups of pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- 5
5. While the pasta cooks, prepare the ingredients. Slice the red chili, grate the ginger, peel and finely chop the garlic, and chop the sun-dried tomatoes.
- 6
6. Heat a wide pan over medium heat. Add olive oil.
- 7
7. Add the sliced red chili and sauté for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the grated ginger and chopped garlic. Sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- 8
8. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and cook until they soften and release their oil.
- 9
9. Add the spinach and corn. You may use frozen, blanched, or thawed spinach, and frozen or boiled corn.
- 10
10. Cook until the vegetables are fully cooked and well combined.
- 11
11. Add the lemon zest and mix well.
- 12
12. Then add dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and onion powder, and mix well to combine. Pour in about 1.5 cups of the reserved pasta water.
- 13
13. Mix well and let the sauce simmer for a few minutes.
- 14
14. Lower the heat and add the strained yogurt or quark.
- 15
15. Stir continuously and cook until the raw dairy smell disappears and the sauce becomes creamy.
- 16
16. Add this sauce to the pot with the cooked pasta, along with lemon juice, and mix until evenly coated.
- 17
16. Add salt and black pepper to taste, and drizzle in chili oil. Cook for 1 minute.
- 18
17. Your Creamy Spinach Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Corn is ready.
- 19
18. Transfer to a serving dish. Top with Gouda or any cheese of choice and drizzle with more chili oil before serving. Enjoy!
- 20
NOTE: Watch the recipe video to learn how to perform these cooking steps.
- 21
ENJOY THIS RECIPE.