Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Pasta Sauce

Chopped sun-dried tomatoes give this cream sauce its concentrated tomato flavor and small chewy pieces. Onion and garlic cook first, followed by the tomatoes and vegetable stock. Double cream and Parmesan go in at the end.

Ingredients

• 150g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 200ml double cream
• 100ml vegetable stock
• 50g Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh basil (optional)
• Sea salt & black pepper

Use the oil-packed tomatoes specified

Drain the sun-dried tomatoes before weighing out the 150g and chopping them. The recipe calls for tomatoes packed in oil, not dry-packed tomatoes added straight from a bag. The 2 tbsp olive oil listed separately is used to cook the onion.

How to make the sauce

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until soft.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
3. Stir in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 2–3 minutes.
4. Pour in the vegetable stock and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the double cream and Parmesan. Stir over gentle heat until the cheese is incorporated and the sauce is creamy.
6. Taste before seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir in fresh basil at the end if using.

Chunky or partly blended?

Leave the chopped tomatoes in the sauce for texture. For the original smoother variation, blend half the sauce and stir it back into the remaining half. Follow your blender's instructions for hot liquids.

Allow for the full cooking sequence

The onion, garlic, tomatoes and stock have separate cooking stages. Their stated times add up to 13–14 minutes before finishing with cream and cheese; chopping and bringing the pan to temperature take additional time.

Reheating and preparing ahead

Transfer leftovers to clean, shallow containers and refrigerate promptly. For freezing, use freezer-safe containers or trays and label the portions. Transfer frozen tray portions to a freezer bag or container once solid.

Thaw in the fridge, then reheat gently in a pan, stirring until hot throughout. Add a splash of pasta water if the sauce needs loosening. Cream sauces can change texture after freezing, so a freshly made and thawed batch may not look identical.

Serving ideas

Toss with pasta, roasted vegetables and chickpeas, spoon over cooked chicken or fish, or stir into risotto. Portion according to the meal rather than assuming this batch makes a fixed number of dinners.

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