Sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil and pasta tossed in a velvety, dairy-free sauce — a quick, flavorful pasta recipe that comes together in under 30 minutes. This Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Pasta is simple to prepare, budget-friendly, and loaded with bright Mediterranean flavors that make it a great weeknight main course or a tasty side dish for family dinners.
Light on ingredients but big on taste, this recipe is perfect when you need a satisfying meal without a lot of fuss. It uses pantry staples like jarred sun-dried tomatoes and vegetable broth, plus dairy-free sour cream and nutritional yeast to create richness without dairy. Fresh basil adds a bright finish that complements the tangy tomatoes.
How to make creamy sun-dried tomato and basil pasta
Start by gently sautéing the sun-dried tomatoes in a heavy saucepan to draw out their oils and deepen their flavor. Add minced garlic and cook briefly until fragrant. Pour in most of the vegetable broth and stir in the dairy-free sour cream to build a smooth, creamy base. Reserve ½ cup of the broth to use as a slurry for thickening later.
Season the sauce with nutritional yeast for a savory, slightly cheesy note along with garlic powder, onion powder, cracked red pepper and salt. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes so the flavors meld and the sour cream integrates fully into the broth.
To thicken the sauce, whisk the reserved ½ cup of vegetable broth together with the flour until smooth and lump-free. Pour this slurry into the pan and stir as the mixture heats — the sauce will begin to thicken and coat the back of a spoon. Add the cooked pasta and fold in the chopped fresh basil, allowing the pasta to absorb the sauce and warm through.
Stir everything together gently until well combined and heated through. Serve the pasta hot, finishing with extra cracked red pepper and a few torn basil leaves for color and aroma.
How to serve
- Serve as the main entree with a crisp, green salad for a light, complete meal.
- Use it as a flavorful side dish alongside grilled or roasted proteins such as steak, chicken, or shrimp.
- Leftovers reheat well — store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and warm gently in the microwave or on the stovetop in a non-stick pan.
More easy pasta dishes
- Greek Orzo Salad
- Southwest Pasta Salad
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz. pasta, cooked
- 1 (7 oz.) jar sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 cups vegetable broth or stock (reserve ½ cup for slurry)
- ½ cup dairy-free sour cream
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cracked red pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped (about 20 leaves)
- 2 tablespoons flour
Instructions
- In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, sauté the sun-dried tomatoes for about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add 2½ cups of vegetable broth and the dairy-free sour cream to the pan. Stir over medium heat until well blended. Add the garlic powder, nutritional yeast, onion powder, cracked red pepper and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Combine the reserved ½ cup of vegetable stock with the flour in a small bowl and whisk until smooth with no lumps. Pour the slurry into the pan and stir until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Add the cooked pasta and chopped basil. Stir to combine and continue cooking until everything is heated through. Serve warm, garnished with extra basil or cracked red pepper if desired.
Video
Video demonstration available for this recipe (refer to the original recipe source for the full video).
Notes
- Make it gluten-free: Substitute gluten-free pasta and use cornstarch instead of flour to thicken the sauce.
- To store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
- To reheat: Warm leftovers in the microwave or reheat gently on the stovetop in a non-stick pan. Add a splash of broth if the sauce has thickened too much.
This recipe was originally published in July 2015 and updated in June 2018.