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    Home » Recipes » Pasta and Noodles

    Published: Sep 24, 2022 by Willow Moon · This post may contain affiliate links. · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

    Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

    Jump to Recipe Pin Video

    Made in 15 minutes, this Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta is an easy weeknight meal. It's good served hot or cold. 

    Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta in a bowl.

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    This Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta is perfect for those weeknights when you want a quick and easy meal. Made with mostly pantry staples, you can have this dish on the table in no time.

    It's made in 15 minutes and can be eaten hot or cold. Take it to work as your brown bag lunch.

    Serve it with Avocado Pesto Grilled Cheese or a Vegan Pizza Grilled Cheese.

    Some other sun-dried tomato recipes are my Sun-Dried Tomato Focaccia with Black Olives, Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Hummus, and my 5 Ingredient Sun-Dried Tomato Soup.

    A tomato recipe is my Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup with Balsamic Vinegar.

    Jump to:
    • ❤️ Why You'll Love It
    • What Is Pesto Made Of?
    • 🧾 Ingredients
    • 📖 Variations / Additions
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs
    • 🍝 Other Pasta Recipes
    • 🎥  Video
    • 📋 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ❤️ Why You'll Love It

    • Made in 15 minutes, it is a quick and easy meal.
    • It's made with mostly pantry staples.
    • It can be eaten hot or cold, so it's perfect to bring to work or a potluck.

    What Is Pesto Made Of?

    Classic pesto is made with fresh basil, parmesan cheese or pecorino (or both), pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and salt.

    This Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta has sun-dried tomatoes in addition to the classic ingredients, and nutritional yeast in place of cheese.

    🧾 Ingredients

    Sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, salt, nutritional yeast, olive oil, pine nuts, penne pasta, and basil with labels.
    • Sun-dried tomatoes in oil: Adds a sweet tart flavor. I used sun-dried tomatoes in oil, but you could use the dry ones as well. Just make sure to soak them in warm water first.
    • Fresh basil: Pesto just isn't pesto without basil! Adds a sweet and savory flavor with hints of anise.
    • Garlic: Adds a pungent flavor.
    • Nutritional yeast: Adds a cheesy flavor. You could also use store-bought vegan parmesan or homemade.
    • Pine nuts: Adds a nutty flavor. Pine nuts are another classic pesto ingredient. You could swap them out for other nuts.
    • Extra virgin olive oil: A classic pesto ingredient. You could also use more of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes.
    • Salt: Make sure to add to taste! The sun-dried tomatoes are salty on their own, so watch how much salt you add.
    • Penne pasta: I used chickpea penne pasta because it holds the pesto sauce and I like the added protein. You could use your favorite.

    To see the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    📖 Variations / Additions

    • Walnuts, almonds, or other nuts
    • Spinach or kale
    • Store-bought or homemade vegan parmesan
    • Red pepper flakes

    5 Secrets to Vegan Cooking

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    🔪 Instructions

    Ingredients for pesto in a food processor before and after mixing.

    Step 1: Add sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, minced garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, and salt to a food processor. Sun-dried tomatoes are salty on their own, so taste to see how much salt you want.

    Step 2: Mix until combined.

    Pasta being boiled, pesto added to pasta in a bowl, and after mixing.

    Step 3: Pour water into a pot. Bring water to a boil. Add penne pasta. Turn down the heat to medium and cook pasta for 7-9 minutes (or according to the package directions).

    Drain water. Reserve some of the liquid to moisten the sauce.

    Step 4: Add pesto sauce to the pasta. Add some of the pasta water to moisten it.

    Step 5: Stir to combine.

    Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta in a bowl close up.

    👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

    What Flavors Go Well With Sun-Dried Tomatoes?

    Basil
    Pine nuts
    Spinach
    Roasted red pepper
    Olives
    Artichokes

    What Else Can I Use Sun-Dried Tomatoes For?

    Sun-dried tomatoes taste great with chickpeas in a Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Chickpea Salad Sandwich or Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Hummus. They also work well in a Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Vegan Cheese Ball and 5 Ingredient Sun-dried Tomato Soup.

    🍝 Other Pasta Recipes

    • Tofu Mac and Cheese in a bowl.
      Super Creamy Tofu Mac and Cheese
    • Vegan Pasta Salad
      Vegan Gluten Free Pasta Salad
    • Red Lentil Pasta Salad with Chickpeas in a wood bowl.
      Red Lentil Pasta Salad with Chickpeas
    • Vegan Taco Pasta in a bowl.
      Vegan Taco Pasta

    🎥  Video

    If you tried this Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and let me know how you like it in the 💬 comments below. I love hearing from you!

    I originally posted this recipe on April 19, 2016. I added new photos, text, and a video when I republished it. 

    📋 Recipe

    Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta
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    5 from 2 votes

    Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

    Made in 15 minutes, this Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta is an easy weeknight meal. It's good served hot or cold.
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian inspired
    Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time 15 minutes minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 319kcal
    Author Willow Moon
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • food processor

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
    • ½ cup packed fresh basil
    • 1 clove garlic minced
    • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
    • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 8 oz. gluten free penne pasta - I used chickpea pasta
    • Salt
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Mix pesto ingredients together in a food processor. Transfer to a large bowl.
    • Cook pasta according to directions in salted water. Add the pasta to the pesto, tossing to coat. Add a splash of the pasta water to moisten, adding more splashes of the pasta water to thin, if desired.

    Notes

    This recipe will last about 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

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    Nutrition

    Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 36mg | Potassium: 320mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Vitamin C: 14.5mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 2.7mg
    SIGN UP for my newsletter, get a FREE 30 Minute Vegan Dinners 7-Day Meal Plan as a welcome gift! 💌

    *Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Cait Weingartner (@prettyandfun) says

      April 20, 2016 at 9:14 pm

      YUM! This looks so good.

      Reply
    2. Les @ The Balanced Berry says

      April 20, 2016 at 8:59 pm

      YUM - Willow this recipe sounds fantastic! I agree, sun dried tomatoes and caramelized onions make just about everything taste amazing.

      Reply
      • Willow Moon says

        April 22, 2016 at 5:32 pm

        Thanks Les!

        Reply
    3. Leah says

      April 20, 2016 at 6:27 pm

      What a great flavor combo, and so healthy! Yum!

      Reply
      • Willow Moon says

        April 20, 2016 at 8:10 pm

        Thanks Leah!

        Reply
    4. Aarika says

      April 20, 2016 at 4:50 pm

      I love pesto! How great that you use nutritional yeast! Nutritional yeast is a must in my pesto. I can't wait to try this recipe. Yum!

      Reply
      • Willow Moon says

        April 20, 2016 at 6:08 pm

        Thanks Aarika! I love nutritional yeast and I eat it with so many things!

        Reply
    5. sophistifunkblog says

      April 20, 2016 at 3:41 pm

      This sounds so delicious! I love anything pesto, so I can't wait to try this!

      xo Brie

      Reply
      • Willow Moon says

        April 20, 2016 at 6:07 pm

        Thanks Brie!

        Reply
    6. Klauss says

      April 20, 2016 at 12:37 pm

      Pasta with dried tomatoes, one of my favorites. But I do not understand why the yeast in pesto?

      Reply
      • Willow Moon says

        April 20, 2016 at 6:05 pm

        I used it as a parmesan sustitute, so that it adds a cheesy flavor while staying vegan.

        Reply
    7. Kamara H says

      April 20, 2016 at 9:27 am

      Ooh I love sundried tomato based sauces, especially pesto! This looks like something I would definitely make (not too complicated or long-winded :D), so thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Willow Moon says

        April 20, 2016 at 6:04 pm

        No, nothing too complicated here! I love easy to throw together meals too!

        Reply

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    Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

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