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This simple One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Whipped Ricotta is the perfect pasta dinner. Super quick, easy, and so delicious! Sun-dried tomatoes are cooked in oil with Spanish paprika and chili flakes then tossed together with hot penne pasta, plenty of parmesan, and fresh herbs. When the hot pasta is tossed with the creamy whipped ricotta cheese it melts into the most delicious sauce. It’s so delicious, and one of those all-in-one dinners that everyone at the table will love.
Truth is, I’ve been having a hard time with recipes the last few days. I’m so excited when I start out cooking, but by the end of the day, nothing seems to be working out just right. These days happen from time to time, so it’s totally OK, just frustrating. Fortunately, they help me appreciate the great days I have when testing new recipes.
The day I made this pasta was a great day. My first attempt the previous day needed some adjustments. But with a few tweaks, I ended up being so excited to share this recipe!
This pasta is magical. Ok, that’s slightly dramatic, but it’s one of those easy as can be dinners that’s actually so delicious and flavorful.
The details
Seeing as this is a one-pot recipe, it’s pretty straightforward. But there are a few special things I want to point out!
Start with the sun-dried tomatoes. I love using a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Not only are the tomatoes delicious, but I also like to use the oil from the jar in this dish. The oil is always seasoned, so it adds even more flavor. Just make sure it’s extra virgin olive oil.
You’ll want to drain the oil into a large pan, then finely chop the tomatoes.
To the oil, add in some shallots and garlic, then toss in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Now, this next step is key. Cook the tomatoes in the oil until they begin crisping and almost become fried. This will really help to intensify the flavors in the sauce.
After this step, the rest really is simple, simple. Pour in the water, add the pasta, and let the pasta cook. Just make sure to stir the pasta often to avoid any of it sticking to the pan.
Whip the ricotta
While the pasta cooks, I like to whip the ricotta cheese. Just add the ricotta and some lemon to a food processor or blender and puree until it’s super creamy.
Season with salt and that’s that. It’s the easiest, but it makes for the best pasta. And yes, this does technically count as one more thing to wash. But everything else can all be made fully in one pot, so, close enough, right?
Finish the pasta
When the pasta is al dente, stir in all the parmesan and a pat of butter. Stir until super creamy, then remove from the heat.
Then add in all the fresh herbs…immediately the smell of fresh herbs will fill the air.
Swirl the whipped ricotta into either a large serving bowl or individual bowls. Add the hot pasta (it has to be hot), and gently toss with the ricotta.
The heat from the pasta melts the ricotta turning it into the creamiest, most delicious sauce. It makes the pasta SO GOOD.
And all of this deliciousness will happen in under 30 minutes!
Excited to have this recipe in my deck of recipes. It’s pretty perfect any time of the year and everyone really loves it. You could even add chicken for any of your meat-eaters too!
I also like to serve this with arugula or a big green salad. Keep it light and fresh for springtime!
Looking for other one-pot recipes? Here are my favorites:
One Pot Stove-Top Mac and Cheese
French Onion Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce
Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Lastly, if you make this One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Whipped Ricotta, 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 tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Whipped Ricotta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 412 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 jar (8 ounce) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 small shallots, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoon spanish or smoked paprika
- red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- 1. Drain the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar into a large pot or skillet with sides. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes.2. Set the pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic, cook until fragrant, 2 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, and a pinch each of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes turn deep red and are crisping, 3-5 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, add the pasta, and cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, 8 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, whip the ricotta and lemon in a food processor until creamy. Season with salt. 4. To the pasta, stir in in the parmesan and butter until very creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil, parsley, and dill. 3. Swirl the ricotta into a large pasta bowl or individual bowls. Add the hot pasta and lightly toss with the ricotta. Top each bowl with additional herbs and parmesan.
This post was originally published on March 14, 2022
Loved this!!! I ended up using cottage cheese instead because I didn’t have ricotta cheese. But ?? ?!
Hey Tamera,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go!! ☘️Tieghan
I don’t have a food processor, could I use an immersion blender instead?
Hi Emily,
I would not use an immersion blender, you could use a regular blender though. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope it turns out amazing for you!! xTieghan
What a knock out recipe!! That whipped ricotta really made it luxurious and unique. Simple, easy and extremely tasty recipe.
Thank you!
Hey Rhianon,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go!! ☘️Tieghan
Easy recipe and love the one dish meal for clean up! I’m thinking it might have been the brand of sun dried tomatoes I bought but it didn’t have as much flavor as I was thinking it would even with the seasonings. I did have to add at least 1-1 1/2 additional cups of water to the pasta for it to cook.
Hey Gina,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback!! xTieghan
Oh WoW… This was soooo delicious.. It was so easy to cook..
Hi Melanie,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Not my favorite of your recipes. Usually they knock out of the park! But this one lacked flavour and the ricotta does overpower it
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed!! xTieghan
Can’t wait to make this for my husband! Thank you.
I hope you both love the recipe Jan!!
This was so good! And simple enough to be my happy place after a long day at work! Thanks for sharing!
Hey Kate,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Insanely good. Like absurdly good. The pasta boiled in the sun dried tomato oil…. Genius!! The flavor is unique and so so delicious. All of your recipes are winners, but felt like I needed to comment on this one!!
Hi Abby,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
It’s OK, but I found too much cheese in the sauce. The ricotta takes over and mutes the flavor of the tomatoes. Maybe just a couple TBS of ricotta is enough.
Hi Jim,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. xx
Another completely delicious meal! Truly comfort food for me on this chilly March evening in Minnesota. I added a chicken breast for my protein. The whole combo of flavors is delish! Thank you again! Oh, and I made your Nutella Mousse. Sprinkled some sea salt flakes on top and ate A LOT of it! Such a simple and elegant dessert.
Hey Michele,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
My family really enjoyed this. My pasta took longer to cook and required that I add almost 2 more cups of water. Fortunately I have a boiling water tap at my kitchen sink. I used a thick short pasta that said 10 minutes for al dente on the box. Took more like 15 minutes. Added some arugula with the herbs too. No sure I would do that again as it got really stringy as it wilted. Served with broiled asparagus. Definitely would make again. Makes a good presentation.
Hey Laurie,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear that the pasta took longer to cook. Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Made this tonight – it was super tasty! I found I had to keep adding more water to my pasta while it was cooking as it would evaporate before the pasta was cooked enough. But the end result was delicious! Another winner from you x
Hi Meredith,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I want to confirm that the water is not drained from the pasta before the Parmesan and butter are added…
Does most of the water evaporate while the pasta is boiling?
I am wondering the same!
Hi Jennifer,
Most of the water should be gone once the pasta cooks:)
This turned out ok! Yes all the water evaporates and the parm and butter creates a creamy texture – adding the hot pasta to the ricotta made it thicker than I would have liked – might try thinning it with a titch or two of water or stock or try it with less ricotta
Hi Tracy,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. xTieghan
Hi Maureen,
Yes, that is correct. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I really enjoyed this dish, agree with other comments, takes quite a bit longer to cook pasta (almost double the amount of time) so I had added about an extra cup of water. I also kept added more salt to make it more flavourful but in the end, it was tasty. And I added kalamata olives towards the end of cooking as a favourite of mine is sun dried tomatoes and olives!
Hey Margaret,
Happy Wednesday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go!! Sorry to hear the pasta took longer than expected. ☘️Tieghan
Curious to know why you chose short-cut pasta for this recipe. My spouse is always after me to make more dishes with angel hair, etc. (or other noodles that might be more substantial). But I wonder how that would work out in this case.
I have some cavatelli on hand and might go with that!
Hey John,
For a recipe like this, I really just prefer a short cut pasta. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx