Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Spaghetti with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Spinach
A tangle of spaghetti dotted with sun-dried tomatoes is a good invitation to dinner. The tomatoes bring a concentrated tang against the spinach and Parmesan, and pine nuts add crunch on top. Fresh basil makes the whole bowl especially appealing as you lean in for a forkful.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Original yield
- Serves 6
- Ingredients
- 9 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Cuisine
- Mediterranean
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
- Dish type
- Pasta
A few quick notes
1. Save that pasta water
Before you drain the spaghetti, scoop out the reserved pasta water. A splash helps the tomato oil and parmesan loosen up and cling to the noodles instead of turning dry in the pot.
2. Start the sauce midway through
Heat the tomato oil once the spaghetti is about halfway cooked. That timing keeps the garlic, spinach, and tomatoes ready right when the pasta is drained.
3. Go gently with the spinach
The spinach only needs to wilt. Once it collapses into the tomatoes, move on to tossing in the spaghetti so it stays fresh-tasting and doesn't cook down too far.
Get to know the ingredients
Sun dried tomatoes in oil
Use the tomatoes and the oil from the jar. The recipe relies on that reserved oil for the quick sauce, and if the jar doesn't give you enough, a little olive oil can make up the difference.
Baby spinach
Roughly chopping the spinach helps it fold through the spaghetti more easily. Add it with the sun dried tomatoes and cook just until it wilts.
Parmesan
Finely shredded parmesan is tossed in at the end, then more goes over each serving. Keeping it for the finish helps it melt into the hot pasta without getting cooked onto the bottom of the pot.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 6. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 5 steps completeMake room for Spaghetti with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Spinach
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
The last little job
Toss in the basil and parmesan after the pasta has been seasoned and loosened with pasta water. Serve it warm, then finish each bowl with pine nuts and a little more parmesan.
A little more help as you go
About the tomato cut
Either whole or julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes work here.
Season after tossing
Wait until the spaghetti, spinach, tomatoes, and a little pasta water are together before adding salt and pepper. The jarred tomatoes and parmesan bring flavor too, so tasting at that point makes sense.
A few questions you might have
Do I drain the sun dried tomatoes completely?
Drain them, but keep the oil. The oil from the jar is heated in the pot and becomes the base for the garlic, spinach, and tomatoes.
What if there isn't enough oil in the jar?
Use what you have from the jar, then add some olive oil if needed to reach the amount called for in the cooking step.
Should the spaghetti be rinsed after draining?
No. Drain it and keep the reserved pasta water. The hot spaghetti goes straight into the pot with the spinach, tomatoes, seasoning, and enough pasta water to loosen everything.
When do the pine nuts go in?
They go on each serving at the end, along with extra parmesan. Don't toss them into the pot with the basil and cheese.
Can I use whole sun dried tomatoes?
Yes. Whole sun dried tomatoes work here, as do julienne-cut ones. Chop them before cooking so they distribute through the pasta.
Any more cooking tips?
Julienne cut or whole sun dried tomatoes work great here.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: cookingclassy.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
