Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

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Hey Internet, I love a good vegan pasta dish. In fact, pasta is my go-to meal for almost every occasion. I’m thrilled to share today’s recipe for vegan sun-dried tomato pasta with you because it’s great for an easy weeknight meal, a feels-indulgent meal for a weekend, or it even feels fancy enough to serve to friends and guests, yet it makes things easy for the cook.

I’m a big fan of easy yet flavorful pasta meals, including vegan carbonara, vegan aglio e olio, vegan pumpkin mac and cheese, vegan cacio e pepe, vegan garlic scape pasta, vegan sausage pasta, and more.

This dish is also a one-pot pasta, meaning there’s only one pot to wash and manage while things cook, which makes cooking much less stressful in my opinion. I have a bunch of other one-pot pastas including one-pot mushroom pasta, chickpea florentine pasta, vegan cajun pasta, vegan rasta pasta, vegan hamburger helper, American-style vegan goulash, vegan pasta puttanesca, and probably a few others I’m forgetting at the moment.

But anyway, back to today’s recipe. This vegan sun-dried tomato pasta is amazing, and makes use of ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, plus a few extras.

The great thing about this pasta (besides everything, lol) is that it’s highly customizable. Add in any veggies you have, fresh herbs, even frozen veggies (ooh, add in a batch of my air fryer brussels sprouts) can be added. You can add some crispy tofu or panko tofu, chickpeas, or your favorite protein to bulk the meal out more if you desire. Or serve it with a side salad like my vegan Italian salad featuring creamy vegan Italian dressing. Or vegan garlic bread.

Though honestly, this sun-dried tomato pasta is also good as-is. And I think you’ll certainly want to add it into your meal rotation.

Why This Recipe Works

I mean, a one-pot pasta is amazing. In this recipe, we’ll make our pasta in a large, nonstick pot and drain it in a colander, then while the pasta is draining we’ll quickly whip up the sauce in the same pot.

Pro-tip: Put a glass measuring cup (or a bowl) under that colander in the sink and save a bit of that starchy pasta water (alternatively, CAREFULLY grab a cup of it before straining the pasta if your colander stands on its own). The addition of starchy pasta water helps the “sauce” come together, but no worries if you forgot it. Your dish will still be great with unsweetened non-dairy milk or regular water.

In that pot, we’ll add a little oil (another tip: use the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes, if yours came in a jar. This oil is more flavorful than regular olive oil), sun dried tomatoes, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, vegan cream cheese, and some of that reserved pasta water. This sauce will come together quickly!

Then we’ll add in some baby spinach (optional), grated vegan parmesan cheese (optional, our favorite brand is Violife parmesan block (link), but you can also use a bit of my homemade vegan parmesan topping or nutritional yeast) the cooked pasta, and a little salt and pepper if needed. And that’s it! I like to add a little bonus: a squeeze of a small lemon for a little brightness and acid, but it’s completely optional.

To make this dish oil-free, see my section of modifications below the Ingredients list (scroll down a little).

Ingredients and Substitutions

• 8 ounces pasta of choice: I used Fusilli Col Buco but you can use whatever you like, short or long. Use gluten-free pasta if needed, or use a bean-based pasta for more protein.
• 1 cup reserved pasta water: Save a bit of the pasta water, either by carefully filling a cup before straining or placing a cup or bowl below the colander while straining the pasta. If you forget, use unsweetened non-dairy milk or water.
• ⅔ cup of sun-dried tomatoes plus 1-2 tablespoons of oil from the jar: I prefer sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil for this particular recipe, but you can still make this recipe if you use the kind in a little plastic package. Rehydrate the tomatoes in hot water and drain the liquid, then continue with the recipe. In that case, use 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to saute the garlic and tomatoes, or if you’re oil-free see the section just below this one for other modifications.
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced or grated: I love a lot of garlic in this recipe because it just really goes with the other ingredients. Feel free to use less if you prefer.
• ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning, optional
• 4 ounces vegan cream cheese: Use any you like. We used Tofutti. Alternatives include my homemade sunflower seed cream or cashew cream, vegan ricotta, or tofu cream cheese (these won’t melt the same but you can add the starchy reserved pasta water and it will create a sauce). You may need to season your vegan sun-dried tomato pasta a bit more heavily if you do not use vegan cream cheese.
• ½ cup grated vegan parmesan cheese: We like to use Violife Vegan Parmesan Block (link) for this but you can substitute ⅓ to ½ cup of my homemade vegan parmesan topping, nutritional yeast, or just leave it out if you prefer.
• 2 cups baby spinach: I like to add this for texture and nutritional value, but feel free to leave it out if you prefer.
• Salt and pepper if needed (I didn’t need salt because of the vegan cheese, but I did add some fresh cracked black pepper.

Make This Dish Oil-Free

If you want to make this vegan sun-dried tomato pasta oil-free, there’s a couple things to do. 

First, buy sun-dried tomatoes that are packed in a little plastic bag, not a jar of oil. Rehydrate these tomatoes in a bowl of hot water until soft, then drain most of the liquid.

After you’ve rehydrated the tomatoes, saute them and the garlic in water or broth. Continue with the recipe.

Skip the vegan parmesan cheese and either use my easy vegan parmesan topping or a little nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor.

Finally, instead of vegan cream cheese (which contains oil), use a batch of my sunflower seed cream for a creamy and delicious pasta (you’ll still want to season this, perhaps a bit more heavily). Alternatively try my tofu cream cheese or vegan ricotta.

How to Make Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

1. Bring a large pot (preferably a nonstick pot) of water to a boil. When the water has come to a boil, cook your pasta according to package directions.
2. While the pasta cooks I highly recommend preparing all of the other ingredients so you’re ready to go.
3. Don’t forget to reserve a cup of that pasta water! Put a glass measuring cup (or a bowl) under that colander in the sink and save a bit of that starchy pasta water (alternatively, CAREFULLY grab a cup of it before straining the pasta if your colander stands on its own). The addition of starchy pasta water helps the “sauce” come together, but no worries if you forgot it. Your dish will still be great with unsweetened non-dairy milk or regular water.
4. After the pasta is cooked, drain the water (reserving a cup or so), and leave it in the colander for a few minutes (if you’re worried about it sticking, have someone toss it every so often, or you can add just a little oil to keep it from sticking, but I didn’t and it was fine).
5. Return the pot to the stove and turn the heat to medium. Add the oil to the pot (or skip it if you’re oil-free) and heat for one minute, then add the sun-dried tomatoes and minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently so nothing sticks.
6. Add the Italian seasoning, vegan cream cheese, and ¾ cup of that reserved pasta water (or unsweetened non-dairy milk or water if you forgot). You may choose to add the remaining quarter cup of water if it’s too thick. Stir until cream cheese melts. This could vary depending on the brand, but took about 1-2 minutes of frequent stirring for me.
7. Add the grated vegan parmesan cheese if using and stir until mostly melted (about 30 seconds, or a little more if it’s the kind that comes pre-shredded).
8. Add the spinach and stir for 20-30 seconds, then add back the pasta and toss/stir everything to combine.
9. Taste and season your vegan sun-dried tomato pasta with salt and pepper if needed (mine was salty enough so I just used fresh cracked pepper). If you’re looking for a little more brightness, add the juice of a half a medium or a whole small lemon and toss to combine.
10. Serve immediately and enjoy.
11. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 or 5 days, but like most pasta dishes I think this vegan sun-dried tomato pasta is best the first night.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pro Tips for Success

• Never reserved pasta water before? It’s a cinch and comes in handy for most sauces. Put a glass measuring cup (or a bowl) under that colander in the sink and save a bit of that starchy pasta water (alternatively, CAREFULLY grab a cup of it before straining the pasta if your colander stands on its own). The addition of starchy pasta water helps the “sauce” come together, but no worries if you forgot it. Your dish will still be great with unsweetened non-dairy milk or regular water.
• Use the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes to saute them and the garlic, if yours came in a jar. This oil is more flavorful than regular olive oil.
• I recommend chopping up the sun dried tomatoes (I julienned mine) in some way, that way you get more in each bite.
• Don’t skip the vegan cream cheese or parmesan unless you can’t find them. They add a lot of good flavor for very little effort.
• Want to add in more veggies? I recommend cooking them separately and adding them in at the end. If you want to add more than 2 cups of veggies, I would double the sauce recipe. Alternatively, serve your veggies on the side.

More Recipes Like This

• Vegan Cacio e Pepe
• Vegan Carbonara
• Pasta + Vegan Vodka Sauce
• Vegan Aglio e Olio
• Vegan Pasta Primavera
• One-Pot Vegan Mushroom Pasta
• Vegan Baked Ziti
• Vegan Manicotti
• Baked Vegan Brie Pasta
• Vegan Baked Feta Pasta
• Vegan Ricotta Pasta
• Pasta with Vegan Meat Sauce
• Vegan Ragu

<3 Liz

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