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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.
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!
Made this 3 times now,the family loves it!
This time around I may have added a little too much of the chilli flakes (sorry kids) but this recipe is a winner.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Chef (in my dreams) Phil.
Thank you Phil! I am glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was so delicious and super easy to put together with great pantry staples! I only had about 1/4 cup of basil, but substituted and added a handful of arugula, spinach and herbs mixture that I had at the end instead and it was fantastic. Definitely will make this again!
Thank you so much Maddie! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight. So good it was a hit with my very fussy son. Hubby also loved it too. I’ll definitely make it again. Great for Friday’s during Lent. I added a splash of white wine also.
I am so glad you both enjoyed this Rae! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Made this just now. Husband loved it! I added some kick by adding Korean chilli powder and mexican chillis chopped.
Amazing! Thank you Nanhee! xTieghan
FAST and AMAZ BALLS
Thank you so much Amy!! xTieghan
If I want to serve this as a side dish, do you have any recommendations for a protein that would go well with it? Or one that I can just add to the pasta?
HI! I would recommend an Italian Baked chicken OR Italian bake salmon. Either will be delicious. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This has become a regular go to when we need to throw something together quickly. I typically add Italian turkey or chicken sausage too it for some protein, at times we will sub truffle oil at the end and truffle burrata. YuM!
I am so glad you have been loving this recipe Evelyn! Thank you so much! I hope you continue to love my recipes! xTieghan
Could you please share a receipe of subdried tomatoes that really works . Also the tomato paste. Thanks a ton
Hi Priya! I am not sure what you are saying here.. sorry for the confusion! Do you have any questions on this recipe or need any help? Please let me know! xTieghan
Wow! This was fabulous and different from pasta dishes I usually make! The fresh herbs, especially the dill was a wonderful addition. I never would have thought of adding dill to this. We are huge fans of Burrata so I knew I had to make this meal. Loved every bite!
Thank you so much Kerianne! So glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
Good recipe, and it was tasty, but not really sure I understand the lemon zest in this dish. It’s a bit overpowering, and doesn’t really mesh with the other ingredients in a pasta dish. If I make again I will do without the lemon zest or a lot less.
I hope you love it even more the next time, Danny! Thank you for trying this out! xTieghan
Delicious and so easy, loved by the whole family!!
Thank you Deann! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
I am in the middle of a severe burrata obsession, so I made this over the weekend, and it was a hit with everyone! I added a bunch of baby spinach leaves for extra greens, and it worked wonderfully!
Thank you for this recipe!
Hi Maria-Elena! I am so glad you loved this recipe and it turned out amazing for you! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this for this week’s meal prep and it was basically perfect timing when the recipe was posted- I had all the ingredients already! It’s SO good and as the week goes on, it even packs more and more flavor. Love these pantry staple recipes!!! Thanks Tieghan 🙂
i made this last night, substituted with mozzerella and it was SO good!! Thank you!!
Thank you so much Amanda! xTieghan
Perfect pasta dish. We made fresh pasta, and used this recipe to dress it up. Hits the spot!
Thank you Olivia! xTieghan