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Quick Pantry Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Burrata ….for those nights when you’re craving a fresh pasta dish, but don’t feel like heading to the store. I went to my go-to pantry staple, sun-dried tomatoes, to create this quick and easy 30 minute pasta dish. I used a little garlic, chili peppers, tomato paste, and basil, to flavor the dish. Then I used the reserved pasta cooking water to create a luscious sauce. Finally, I finished each bowl of pasta off with fresh burrata cheese and a light drizzle of olive oil. Perfection.
A really good pantry pasta is truly one of my favorite dinners.
What’s a pantry pasta? Well, that’s a great question! To me, a pantry pasta is a very simple pasta dish made up of mostly pantry staple ingredients. That could be dry pasta, jarred peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, garlic, maybe a basil pesto, and so much more. With a little help from the pantry you can create a mouth-watering dinner in minutes.
It’s true. I know, because I am kind of a pro at it…
I mean, kind of, I just love throwing ingredients I have on hand together to create something awesome and easy. Today’s pasta is just that. It’s a mix of my all-time favorite pantry and fridge staple ingredients. OK, and then some burrata cheese, because if you know me even a little, you know that burrata is a staple in my fridge at all times.
Also? Let’s talk about fridge staples for a minute. Just like the pantry, you should keep your fridge stocked with certain items too. Ingredients like lemons, hard cheeses, yogurts, and root vegetables keep for weeks. So be sure to have the items you use most often on hand. Just a little Wednesday tip for ya.
Moving along…
So, as I’ve not mentioned, this pasta is quick and easy. To start, boil the pasta! I used rigatoni, but to be honest, any cut of pasta works here. I do think I prefer a short cut, but I’m sure spaghetti or bucatini would work as well. Use what you love.
While the pasta is boiling, get started on the sauce. The sun-dried tomatoes are the star ingredient, as they add the bulk of the flavor. I like to use both the tomatoes AND the oil the tomatoes are packed in to create an extra flavorful sauce. Sun-dried tomatoes are a pricy ingredient, so why not use up every last bit of that jar, you know?
To that, add in some garlic, dried oregano, and chili flakes for a nice kick.
Now, this step is important, reserve some of the pasta cooking water. The water is KEY to creating the sauce for this pasta dish, so do not skip this step. Once you’ve reserved the pasta water, drain the pasta.
Add a little bit of the reserved water to the skillet, then add the hot pasta, a little parmesan, and fresh basil (you can also use dried basil if you don’t have fresh on hand). At this point, the pasta is done and ready to be devoured.
Spoon the pasta into bowls, add burrata, and finish each bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil. Then add a sprinkle of sea salt and crushed black pepper…maybe some more basil too.
DONE.
And now you see, right? The quickest, easiest, pantry pasta that’s anything but boring.
And yes, I did use fresh basil and parsley, which are not pantry staples. BUT I do usually have both in my fridge at all times. That said, if you don’t have fresh herbs, you can also use dried, which are pantry staples!
While I can’t say I make this exact pasta weekly, I do make a version of it pretty dang often. I say version only because I never usually make the same recipe twice. Unless I’m testing it for the blog, in which case I remake it many times until it is just right. Sun-dried tomatoes are one of my most loved pantry staples. I think they add so much to a dish, so I always, always have them on hand…along with pasta and burrata cheese, because with these 3 ingredients you can do wonderful things, any night of the week.
And with that, do you have pasta? Do you have sun-dried tomatoes? Do you have burrata?
You do, right…
Great! Dinner tonight is solved. Enjoy!
If you make this quick pantry pasta, 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 also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Quick Pantry Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Burrata.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 501 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- Kosher salt
- 1 jar (8 ounce) oil pack sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped, oil reserved
- 4-6 garlic cloves, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 8 ounces burrata cheese cheese, torn
- fresh dill, roughly chopped, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain.2. Meanwhile, drain the sun-dried tomato oil out into a large skillet. Reserve the tomatoes. 3. Set the skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, 1/4 cup basil, and lemon zest. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the tomato paste, cook another minute. Stir in 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and pasta, tossing to coat. Stir in the parmesan and a pinch of pepper. Cook until warmed through, 1-2 minutes. Add the parsley and remaining 1/4 cup basil, toss until the herbs are wilted and the sauce coats the pasta, about 2-3 minutes, adding in more pasta water if needed to thin the sauce. Remove from the heat. 4. Transfer the pasta to serving bowls and top each with burrata. Drizzle with olive oil, dill, and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
I now have a new go-to pasta recipe. DO NOT skip any step or ingredient as the flavors meld so perfectly (Dill in a red pasta dish? Who knew!). Using quality sun dried tomatoes matters. I use the California Sun Dry brand. A company-worthy dish!
Hey Cheryl,
Happy Sunday!!☃️ Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
The lemon zest gives this dish a delicate lemony flavour that makes it so unique! Very good quick lunch/week night and flavourful dish! Thanks!
Hey there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! ? xTieghan
This pasta dish was fabulous! Dinner guest worthy for sure! We added a spicy crumbled sausage to the pasta. I loved the sauce I have never made it with just tomato paste & now this will be my go to! Outstanding flavors! This is our 2nd recipe we have made from your website & we agree another 5 star recipe! Can’t wait to make the sheet pan hawaiian pineapple shrimp tacos with creamy jalapeño special sauce.
Excited!
Hey Joy,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Friday? xTieghan
I love how simple and tasty your recipes are! This didn’t disappoint either. I didn’t have burrata, so skipped that part – but had everything else and it came together so quickly. I did add spinach to make it healthier – hehe. This will definitely be added in my weekly meal rotation this week onwards!
Hey there,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xTieghan
Using the sun dried tomatoes AND the oil is genius, so much flavor! I’ve already bought my 2nd jar of sun dried tomatoes because I’ve been craving this dish!
Hey there,
I am so glad you have enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious!! Even my non-sauce eating husband loved it! Easy and quick, a must try!
Hey Allison,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. That is so great the recipe was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Made it for the first time last night and everyone, including 2 picky eaters, had seconds. It’s a great recipe and has gone into our rotation. Just a short note- I didn’t have any short-cut pasta so made it with linguine. I think something like rigatoni would be better but the linguine was very good also.
I did make a few changes. First, I added a couple of tablespoons of white wine to the sauce (I had doubled the recipe) and think it gave it added depth. I also added my go-to Italian blend seasoning instead of oregano, as I love the effect it has on my dishes. Second, I just felt that the balance of flavors was perfect so didn’t add either the lemon zest or dill. It seemed like the flavors would be competing against each other instead of working together. For me, the results confirmed this, since, as I mentioned before, it was an extremely tasty pasta dish where the creamy burrata perfectly complemented the spicy sun-dried tomatoes sauce. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Barry,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This recipe is amazing! Thank you so much. Found it from Buzzfeed, and now can’t wait to make your other recipes! Had this one twice, and the use of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes is so clever. The burrata is absolutely delicious in this. Excellent balance of flavors and heat 🙂
Thank you so much!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Delicieux!!!
Thank you! xTieghan
I love this recipe!!!! I ate pasta for dinner for the first time????thank you a lot for these wonderful creations❤️❤️❤️ I tried to do this recipe ?kisses
Aw I am so glad you tried this one and loved it, Ambra! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Made this tonight! Didn’t have any cheese or fresh herbs and it still turned out phenomenal. Definitely going to be a staple !
Love to hear that! Thank you so much Jordan! xTieghan