Why You’ll Love This Sun-Dried Tomato and Feta Pasta:
- Creamy, Flavor-Packed Sauce—The tangy flavor of sun-dried tomatoes mixes with roasted red peppers, Parmesan, and heavy cream to create a delicious homemade sauce.
- Extra Feta—After tossing penne in the sauce, salty feta cheese is folded into the pasta and sprinkled on top.
- Leftovers—This pasta reheats beautifully, making it just as delicious the next day for an easy lunch.
This sun-dried tomato and feta pasta is extra creamy, delicious, and feels a bit special—even if you’re making it for a weeknight meal. Penne pasta is tossed in a rich, tangy sauce made with sun-dried tomatoes and folded together with salty, melty feta for the perfect bite every time. While it’s delicious on its own, you can also top this pasta with grilled chicken or shrimp to make it even heartier. However you serve it, this sun-dried tomato pasta is an easy (and delicious) way to switch up your dinner routine.
Sun-Dried Tomato and Feta Pasta Ingredient Notes
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Sun-Dried Tomatoes: I use these sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil. Since sun-dried tomatoes are known for having a tougher texture, I recommend very finely dicing them before adding them to the sauce.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto: This tomato pesto adds delicious tangy flavor to the sauce without the added chewiness of regular sun-dried tomatoes—seriously, it’s so yummy!
Tomato Paste: A couple tablespoons of tomato paste creates an even richer tomato-flavored base for the sauce.
Roasted Red Peppers: I love the roasted red peppers from the Greek brands Uncle Yiannis and Sparta Groves, but they can be hard to find—here’s a more accessible option. I recommend patting the peppers dry and then dicing them into small pieces, not as small as the sun-dried tomatoes but a bit smaller than bite-sized.
Chicken Broth: I use low-sodium chicken broth in this pasta sauce. Parmesan and feta are both salty, so starting with a low-sodium broth limits the risk of the sauce becoming too salty.
Ground Red Chili Flakes: A couple pinches of ground red chili flakes adds a subtle heat to the sauce. This is optional—feel free to skip this completely if you are particularly sensitive to spice. Or, taste the sauce and add more red chili flakes if you want it to taste more like an arrabbiata sauce.
Pasta: I use penne in this recipe, but feel free to sub in your own favorite pasta variety.
Feta: I use a 7 oz block of feta cheese, crumbled. Half is folded into the pasta, and the other half is sprinkled over the top.
How To Make Sun-Dried Tomato and Feta Pasta
1. Start the creamy sun-dried tomato sauce.
In a large pot (like this chef’s oven I love), melt butter with avocado oil over low heat. Add onion, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, and oregano. Sauté for about 5 minutes to bloom the spices and soften the onion. Then, stir in the fresh garlic.
2. Build the tomato base.
Stir in the sun-dried tomato pesto and tomato paste. Then, add the finely diced sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers. Stir well and let it all cook for another 3–4 minutes.
At this point, you can also get the water going for your pasta. Salt the water well and bring it to a boil. Then, cook the penne pasta according to package instructions (about 11-13 minutes cook time for the pasta I use).
3. Add the broth and a little bit of spice.
Pour in the chicken broth (I use low-sodium) and stir well. Then, sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon sugar and a couple pinches of ground red chili flakes. Taste the sauce and add more red chili flakes if you want a spicier flavor, keeping in mind that the heavy cream and Parmesan will dilute the overall spice once added.
4. Make the sauce creamy.
Add heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, making this sauce extra creamy and delicious. Stir well and keep the heat on low so as to not scorch the cream.
5. Add the penne.
Reserve ¼–⅓ cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce and sprinkle on some extra Parmesan cheese to coat the pasta before stirring it into the sauce—while the extra sprinkle of cheese is not completely necessary, it is yummy!
6. Add the feta.
Fold half of the crumbled feta into the pasta, and sprinkle the rest on top.
7. (Optional) Add some grilled chicken.
Grilled chicken is delicious with this pasta! You can grill it while the sauce simmers. Let it rest, slice it, toss it in a little reserved sauce, and serve it over the pasta for a heartier meal.
Storage & Reheating
Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove—this pasta reheats very well! However, you might want to add a splash of milk or broth to loosen up the sauce while reheating it.
Serve This Pasta With…
- A batch of my favorite cheesy roasted garlic bread.
- A slice of this homemade no-knead bread.
- Grilled shrimp instead of grilled chicken.
Read on for the full recipe for this creamy sun-dried tomato and feta pasta!
Once you’ve given it a try, leave a rating and review down below to let me know how you liked it.
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Feta Pasta
Equipment (Shop on Amazon)
- Le Creuset Signature Cast Iron Chef's Oven, 7.5qt or other pot
Ingredients
- ½ cup small diced sweet onion
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 3 cloves fresh garlic pressed
- 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup finely diced sun-dried tomatoes
- ½ cup diced roasted red peppers
- ½ tsp white granulated sugar
- 2 pinches ground red chili flakes or to taste; optional
- 1½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 lb penne or other pasta of choice
- ¼-⅓ cup pasta water withheld when you drain the pasta
- 1 tbsp salt to salt the pasta water
- 7 oz feta crumbled
- Grilled chicken optional
Instructions
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
- In a large pot, melt the butter with avocado oil over low heat. Add onion, dried basil, dried oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Then, stir in the fresh garlic.½ cup small diced sweet onion, 2 tbsp avocado oil, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder, 3 cloves fresh garlic
- Stir in the tomato pesto and tomato paste. Cook on low for 2-3 minutes, stirring so as to not let the garlic burn.1 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto, 2 tbsp tomato paste
- Add the diced sun-dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers. Stir and cook for another 3-4 minutes.½ cup finely diced sun-dried tomatoes, ½ cup diced roasted red peppers
- Add the chicken broth, sugar, and ground red chili flakes. Stir and let simmer for another 3-4 minutes. At this point, taste the sauce and add more chili flakes if you want a spicier sauce.½ tsp white granulated sugar, 2 pinches ground red chili flakes, 1½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese until smooth and creamy.1½ cups heavy cream, ½ cup Parmesan cheese
Penne Pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.1 tbsp salt
- Cook the penne according to package instructions. Reserve ¼–⅓ cup pasta water before draining.1 lb penne
Assemble the Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato & Feta Pasta
- Add the cooked penne to the sauce and stir gently.
- Fold in half of the crumbled feta. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, add a splash or two of reserved pasta water to thin the sauce.¼-⅓ cup pasta water, 7 oz feta
- Top with the remaining feta and grilled chicken (optional).Grilled chicken
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