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This simple One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Whipped Ricotta is the perfect pasta dinner. Super quick, easy, and so delicious! Sun-dried tomatoes are cooked in oil with Spanish paprika and chili flakes then tossed together with hot penne pasta, plenty of parmesan, and fresh herbs. When the hot pasta is tossed with the creamy whipped ricotta cheese it melts into the most delicious sauce. It’s so delicious, and one of those all-in-one dinners that everyone at the table will love.
Truth is, I’ve been having a hard time with recipes the last few days. I’m so excited when I start out cooking, but by the end of the day, nothing seems to be working out just right. These days happen from time to time, so it’s totally OK, just frustrating. Fortunately, they help me appreciate the great days I have when testing new recipes.
The day I made this pasta was a great day. My first attempt the previous day needed some adjustments. But with a few tweaks, I ended up being so excited to share this recipe!
This pasta is magical. Ok, that’s slightly dramatic, but it’s one of those easy as can be dinners that’s actually so delicious and flavorful.
The details
Seeing as this is a one-pot recipe, it’s pretty straightforward. But there are a few special things I want to point out!
Start with the sun-dried tomatoes. I love using a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Not only are the tomatoes delicious, but I also like to use the oil from the jar in this dish. The oil is always seasoned, so it adds even more flavor. Just make sure it’s extra virgin olive oil.
You’ll want to drain the oil into a large pan, then finely chop the tomatoes.
To the oil, add in some shallots and garlic, then toss in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Now, this next step is key. Cook the tomatoes in the oil until they begin crisping and almost become fried. This will really help to intensify the flavors in the sauce.
After this step, the rest really is simple, simple. Pour in the water, add the pasta, and let the pasta cook. Just make sure to stir the pasta often to avoid any of it sticking to the pan.
Whip the ricotta
While the pasta cooks, I like to whip the ricotta cheese. Just add the ricotta and some lemon to a food processor or blender and puree until it’s super creamy.
Season with salt and that’s that. It’s the easiest, but it makes for the best pasta. And yes, this does technically count as one more thing to wash. But everything else can all be made fully in one pot, so, close enough, right?
Finish the pasta
When the pasta is al dente, stir in all the parmesan and a pat of butter. Stir until super creamy, then remove from the heat.
Then add in all the fresh herbs…immediately the smell of fresh herbs will fill the air.
Swirl the whipped ricotta into either a large serving bowl or individual bowls. Add the hot pasta (it has to be hot), and gently toss with the ricotta.
The heat from the pasta melts the ricotta turning it into the creamiest, most delicious sauce. It makes the pasta SO GOOD.
And all of this deliciousness will happen in under 30 minutes!
Excited to have this recipe in my deck of recipes. It’s pretty perfect any time of the year and everyone really loves it. You could even add chicken for any of your meat-eaters too!
I also like to serve this with arugula or a big green salad. Keep it light and fresh for springtime!
Looking for other one-pot recipes? Here are my favorites:
One Pot Stove-Top Mac and Cheese
French Onion Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce
Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Lastly, if you make this One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Whipped Ricotta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Whipped Ricotta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 412 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 jar (8 ounce) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 small shallots, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoon spanish or smoked paprika
- red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- 1. Drain the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar into a large pot or skillet with sides. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes.2. Set the pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic, cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, and a pinch each of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes turn deep red and are crisping, 3-5 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, add the pasta, and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, 8 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, whip the ricotta and lemon in a food processor until creamy. Season with salt. 4. To the pasta, stir in in the parmesan and butter until very creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil, parsley, and dill. 3. Swirl the ricotta into a large pasta bowl or individual bowls. Add the hot pasta and lightly toss with the ricotta. Top each bowl with additional herbs and parmesan.
Have made this 3x and it’s always a hit! One of our favorite dishes! The ricotta smeared on the plate fools everyone into thinking I’m a tremendous chef. 10/10!!!!
Hey Sara,
Perfect!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
One word WOW! This is a keeper. Did not adjust anything. Never had whipped ricotta before & will find more uses for it.
Thank you Tieghan.
Hey Pat,
Amazing!! I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT
This recipe is amazing! Made it exactly as you wrote but added your blistered tomatoes from another one of your pasta recipes which added an extra delicious flavor. Will a hundred percent make again! Thanks!
Hey Miranda,
Happy Monday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
Can you add a protein to this dish? If so which is best?
Hey Anne,
Totally, I think ground sausage or chicken would work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions:) xx
Looks amazing!! Do you know if this recipe would work well with gluten free pasta? How would you recommend changing cooking times?
Hey Tanya,
You should be just fine to use the gluten free pasta and follow the recipe as written. Please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Seriously SO good! This was my family’s favorite new recipe of the year. The whipped ricotta was next level – just absolutely delicious! I added maybe an extra 1/4 c of water and cooked slightly longer to get al dente.
Hey Kara,
Fantastic! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks for making it and sharing your review:) xx
My family loved this! The only problem I had was with the amount of water, 3 1/2 cups; no where near enough to cook the pasta. I kept adding water and eventually it was al dente, but I would guess it took another 2 cups of water.
I made one change. Heated 2 tablespoons olive oil and added 1 cup Panko and sauteed until crispy. Sprinkled over finished pasta in the bowls. Delicious!
Hi Peggy,
Happy Friday!? Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! So sorry you needed to add more water, was the heat too high by chance? It’s also important to stir the noodles frequently! xx
Whipped ricotta > everything. Love this with crumbled Italian sausage, too. *chefs kiss*
Hey Resi,
Happy New Year!🎆🎈 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Huge hit in my house! So simple but tastes like it took a long long time! I’ve made this multiple times.
Hi Bri,
Thanks so much for making this recipe so often, I love to hear that it is always enjoyed! xTieghan
I made this pretty much as written, but I had to use up some cheese ravioli. It is a delicious combination of flavors. I will make as written very soon!
Hey Patty,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so excited it was enjoyed! Hope you’re having a great weekend! xx
AMAZING!!! I have never written a review for any of the recipes I’ve found online but this needed one. I did nothing differently except skipped the dill and closed the pot while cooking the pasta to help keep the water from evaporating quickly. Extremely tasty!!
Hey Natasha,
Happy Monday!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try!🍁 xxT
This was so so good! I had to add a few more cups of water and cover the pot to get the noodles to cook through though. Not sure if it was bc of the pot I was using or what. Delicious!!
oops also wanted to comment that I used about half of the sun dried tomatoes bc I’m on a budget and live in expensive NYC – and it was still delicious!! 🙂
Thanks for sharing what worked well for you:)
Hey Lisa,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I usually don’t love one pot recipes but this looked too good not to try, and it delivered. It’s good, not just “good for a one pot recipe” but it’s good all around. I have been making this like once a week. You have to give it a try.
Hey Brooke,
Happy Wednesday!? Thanks so much for making this recipe so often, I am so glad it is always enjoyed! xxT
Another favorite recipe. I made this for company and it was fantastic. Even my picky kids raves about this dish. Thank you so much!
Hey Alison!
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner:)
So yummy! The whole family ate this ate and left one extra serving for tomorrow. ? Clearly, will need to be a repeat meal.
Hey Kate!
Fantastic! Thanks for your comment and trying the recipe:) I am so glad it was enjoyed! xxT
Hi! I’m prepping a bunch of meals to freeze for later. Could this recipe be frozen?
Hi there,
I probably wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe, I don’t think the whipped ricotta would do well:) Here are some other recipes that you can freeze that you might like:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/one-pot-30-minute-creamy-tomato-basil-pasta-bake/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/one-pan-four-cheese-sun-dried-tomato-and-spinach-drunken-pasta-bake/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/simple-roasted-red-pepper-pasta/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
The best…I have made this a couple times. The whipped ricotta is life changing ?
Hey Ellen!
Thanks for your comment and making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Hope you’re off to a great week! ? xT