'Soupy' Sundried Tomato Pasta
There is so much to love about this delicious, comforting pasta not least that you will be slurping and scraping the tasty, velvety sauce from the bottom of your bowl!♡
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Hello lovely people,
Our fridge is always at least 50% filled with jars and bottles; condiments, sauces, pickles, jams, mustards and dressings. Can you relate? Lurking at the back there is often a jar of sundried tomatoes packed in oil. I will have bought them for some recipe but, to be honest, they are not my favourite - yes, they have a useful, intense flavour but they can be chewy and don’t even look pretty. Historically they might have remained, opened, at the back of the fridge until, in a clearout, I sent them off to the place for unwanted jarred things in the sky. That is, until I started making this ‘Soupy’ Sundried Tomato Pasta, which has rapidly become an absolute favourite around here. Now I view this jar of red, wrinkly, oily things with renewed respect and I might even position it towards the front of the fridge shelf …
This dish started life as a soup recipe which I stumbled across on the IG account, justine snacks. I was feeling ‘pasta’ more than ‘soup’ so I did some tweaking to match my mood. This is the original recipe.
I’m a fan of a pasta dish with a looser sauce; somehow it feels more elegant and the overall effect is far removed from anything heavy or claggy. At its core, this dish is rich and comforting, with a gentle kick of spiciness. The sundried tomatoes contribute a huge depth of flavour AND you use enough of them to definitely feel justified in buying the whole jar! The sauce is flavoured with some simple spices, but much of the flavour comes from the tomatoes. And as the pasta cooks into the sauce, it thickens slightly resulting in the most delicious velvety consistency that you will be slurping and scraping from the bottom of your bowl. Of this, I’m certain.
Onion - this is peeled and finely chopped. I used a small onion (or half a large one).
Sundried tomatoes packed in oil - I buy them in a jar from the supermarket. It’s easier to cut them finely with a pair of kitchen scissors and do try to remove the hard part (where the tomato was attached to the plant). We will also be using some of the oil from the jar.
Spices - dried oregano, fennel seeds, dried thyme and chilli flakes.
Garlic - either 2 small cloves or 1 large. I like to use a Microplane to deal with it and that way, I can grate it straight into the pan
Salt and pepper
Stock (vegetable or chicken) - the stock is the main ingredient for the sauce. I mostly use chicken stock, because I always seem to have a mountain of it in the freezer but you could also use vegetable stock if you’d like the dish to be vegetarian. A good quality powdered stock would also be fine.
Pasta - you can use whichever shape you fancy here. I was drawn to this lovely Trofie shape from Waitrose, which reminds me of tiny baguettes! It’s a little more expensive than regular pasta but has a great texture and is really delicious. I think it works less well with a drier sauce, so perhaps save it for this recipe.
Kale - remove the tough stems and roughly shred the leaves. I pack it tightly into a cup measure once I’ve prepared it to get the right quantity.
Crème fraîche - I love the addition of a little crème fraîche once the cooking is complete. It adds some creaminess which balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
A squeeze of lemon juice
A generous grating of fresh Parmesan
It tastes delicious – this pasta dish is definitely my new favourite thing! ♡
It comes together quickly and easily – There is a bit of chopping and a little sautéing and after that, the pasta just cooks quietly and with no drama in the flavoured stock.
It’s perfect for preparing in advance – you can prepare it ahead of time to the end of stage 4 in the recipe and then pick it up again when you’re ready (store it in the fridge once it’s cold, if you are going to be a while). Maybe have the kale prepared as well so that there is minimum effort required when you are finishing up.
Adding the kale means you are achieving greatly on the vegetable front - I sometimes also serve it with some green beans and/or broccolini but only if you choose. Be sure to add the kale just before serving so that it retains its beautiful colour.
It’s a nice-looking dish and feels special enough for an occasion - it’s ideal for date night and simple enough that you could encourage your other half to make it, no matter what their culinary skill level!
The leftovers are wonderful for lunch the next day.
This ‘Soupy’ Sundried Tomato Pasta is super delicious and may well be just what you fancy. It’s also a fun way to try out a new pasta shape and to have it be the main character. Objectively, the shape should be fairly insignificant but it really does seem to impact how the pasta behaves during eating and within the sauce. Happy dining! ♡
‘Soupy’ Sundried Tomato Pasta
Serves 2-3
Preparation - 20 mins
Cook - 25 mins
Ingredients
1 small onion (or half a large onion), finely chopped
50g (2oz) sundried tomatoes, packed in oil
3 tbsp of oil from the jar of sundried tomatoes
½ tsp each of dried oregano, fennel seeds, dried thyme
¼ tsp chilli flakes
2 small (or 1 large) garlic clove(s), grated with a Microplane
1 litre (4 cups) stock, vegetable or chicken - fresh or made up from powdered stock
150g (5oz) dried pasta - I used this one from Waitrose
30g (1 tightly packed cup) kale, roughly chopped with tough stalks removed
2 tbsps crème fraîche
a squeeze of lemon juice
a good grating of fresh Parmesan
salt and pepper
Method
Prepare the sundried tomatoes - weigh them onto a plate and then use kitchen scissors to cut them into small pieces – it’s much easier than with a knife. There are sometimes hard bits (where the tomato was attached to the plant) and they are quite chewy, so try to cut these out.
Sauté the onions - add the 3 tbsp oil from the sundried tomatoes to a high-sided sauté pan (NOT the tomatoes themselves just yet). Heat over medium heat and add the onions. Cook stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes until they are softened.
Add the herbs, spices, garlic and sundried tomatoes - add the dried oregano, fennel seeds, dried thyme, chilli flakes, garlic and the prepared sundried tomatoes to the pan and stir to mix. Cook over medium heat for a further 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly and turning down the heat if things start to stick.
Add some of the stock to the pan - add about two-thirds (650ml) of the stock to the pan, reserving the remainder in case you want to add it later. The amount you need will depend on the pasta that you use and how much sauce you like. (NOTE - you can prepare ahead of time up to this stage.)
Cook the pasta - bring the stock to a gentle simmer and then add the pasta. Continue to simmer until the pasta is a little al dente (mine took around 14 minutes), adding more stock at this stage if needed. Add the kale to the pan for the last minute of cooking.
Finish the dish - stir in 2 tbsps of crème fraîche for creaminess and check for seasoning. Serve immediately topped with a squeeze of lemon and a generous grating of fresh Parmesan.
I really hope that you enjoy this delicious, comforting dish. Do let me know when you make it; you can join the conversation by commenting below or you can get straight into my inbox by emailing me at rachelpage@substack.com ♡
Sending you all the love,
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