Creamy Broccolini Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes (Ready in 20 Minutes)

This Creamy Broccolini Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes is a deliciously quick dinner that is ready in just 20 minutes. Tender broccolini, garlic, creamy ricotta, parmesan, and savory sun-dried tomatoes come together to craft a silky sauce that's the perfect antidote to busy weeknights.

It's an easy, pantry-friendly pasta dish that work with nearly any dried pasta shape you have on hand.

Recipe at a Glance

Why You'll Love This Recipe

I love a good weeknight dinner idea that can be ready in under 30 minutes and is one that lets us lean into creative cooking using the pantry staples we have on hand. You'll appreciate that this recipe is:

• Ready in 20 minutes
• Uses mostly pantry staples like jarred sun-dried tomatoes
• A great way to use seasonal broccolini
• Creamy without needing to use lots of heavy cream
• Easy to customize with added chicken, sausage, or creamy white beans
• Perfect for meal prepping leftovers for lunches

What You'll Need to Make This Easy Pasta Dish

Pasta is go-to in our house. I love it for its versatility and ease in finding a good mix of ingredients. For this pasta dish, we'll use:

• Broccolini: It's in season at our local farmer's market and I've been buying this up as a break from our usual broccoli. They're tender to the bite and really delicious! I love that it's milder in flavor that traditional broccoli and yields a more tender, sweeter flavor. It cooks quickly and there is little prep needed. Just chop and cook!
• Sun Dried Tomatoes: A staple ingredient in our pantry, this adds some umami flavor that works well with the broccolini. It's concentrated savory and sweet tomato flavor makes this a must have pantry staple! If you purchase the sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, use the oil too as it has even more flavor.
• Pasta: This goes without saying but you can definitely swap out for any pasta shape you like. This would work with penne, orecchiette, shells, or even rigatoni. The broken lasagna noodles I'm using here are really just out of necessity given that's what I had on hand.
• Stock of Choice: We're using homemade chicken stock here but you can swap for vegetable stock or even some reserved pasta water. This will help us build our sauce while using a bit less cheese and cream.
• Ricotta, cream and tomato paste: Whipping the ricotta with cream and tomato paste gives us a good base to build on this dish and makes a speedy sauce. It's helping craft the creaminess in this dish without the use of heavy cream.

Swaps and Substitutions for the Creamy Broccolini Pasta

You will always have my encouragement, with recipes like this, to customize and swap as needed. Recipes like this truly are a frame in seasonal cooking. We can adapt and adjust to our taste and preference. Below are suggested swaps and substitutions to help you cook this recipe:

Easy Pasta Dishes Using What We Have

The key to easy pasta dishes like this one starts with using what we have on hand. For this pasta dish, I wanted to use up the broccolini I brought home from the farmer's market and add sun dried tomatoes for a punch of added flavor. I knew I was running low on pasta but still had these lasagna noodles on hand. Breaking the noodles up was both cathartic and a great way to use up what we had on hand.

I wanted something comforting without making another tomato sauce. So, I whisked together some ricotta with tomato paste. After mixing in some cheeses and cooking up the pasta, the rest came together in just 20 minutes time and made such good use of the veggies. It's a recipe I keep in my back pocket for those nights where I'm stumped on what to make but want to use what's in season.

A few years ago I read Tamar Adler's An Everlasting Meal and I was struck with Adler's approach to cooking nourishing meals from an economical approach. From effective techniques to boiling water to using leftovers and scraps creatively, I learned the importance of being more mindful in the kitchen. It's a lesson that continues to reinforce what I've always believed: cooking shouldn't be complicated; but it does need to be delicious.

FAQ

If you make this pasta dish, I'd love to hear how you adapted it. Try adding grilled chicken, creamy Royal Corona White Beans, or sauteed mushrooms. Maybe you'll choose to swap broccolini for spinach depending on what's in season.

Recipes like this are exactly why I love cooking with the season's best ingredients found at the farmers market or in our CSA box. It's the simplicity found in using seasonal ingredients to craft something comforting with little effort. In the meantime, cheers to the next nourishing meal. ❤️

Looking for more easy pasta dishes? Check out a few of my favorites below:

• Easy Lasagna Soup
• A Simple Summer Pasta
• Pasta with Caramelized Zucchini

Easy Pasta with Broccoli and Sundried Tomatoes

Frances Kellar

A speedy pasta dish that's ready in 20 minutes and is full of flavor. It's winter weeknight comfort food at its best.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

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• ¾ cup whole milk ricotta
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped broccolini
• 2 tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes in oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• ½ cup chicken stock or pasta water
• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella or Toma
• ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
• Chopped fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl, whisk together the ricotta, tomato paste, dried Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper. Set to the side until ready to use.
• Roughly chop the broccolini into ½ inch pieces. Mince the garlic, shallots, and roughly chop the sun dried tomatoes.
• Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente.
• In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium low heat. Add broccolini and sauté until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add shallots and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and sun dried tomatoes and give the mix a quick stir. Add in chicken stock and bring to a quick simmer. Pour in the ricotta mixture and stir everything together. Add in pasta and stir to coat noodles in sauce.
• Sprinkle in cheese and stir until melted. Serve in large pasta bowls and garnish with fresh basil.

Keyword meatless monday, easy weeknights, easy pasta recipes, vegetarian pastas, vegetarian recipes

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