Tuscan-style Linguine with Spinach & Sun-dried Tomatoes
A quick and delicious vegetarian pasta dinner! This Tuscan-style Linguine with Spinach & Sun-dried Tomatoes is sure to be a repeat option in your meal planning. The best part about this dish is that it makes use of simple ingredients and forms a heavenly meal. It’s creamy and addictive with just the right amount of kick.
My Top Tips:
If you want the best outcome for this Tuscan-style Linguine with Spinach & Sun-dried Tomatoes, make sure to follow my suggestions below:
- Always use fresh spinach. It can be tempting to use frozen spinach, especially as it is cheaper to come by. However, the flavor is always enhanced when you use fresh ingredients.
- Don’t use pre-shredded/grated parmesan. Those prepped cheese tubs might be convenient but it’s always better to grate the parmesan yourself.
- Turn the rest of the fresh basil into pesto and store for later use. This recipe calls for a fresh basil garnish. You will probably only use a small portion for the garnish which means that the rest of the bunch is up for use.
I usually use half-and-half instead of heavy cream. It tastes just as good although you may have to cook the sauce for longer to help it reduce. I recommend using pasta water as the starch helps thicken the sauce. However, if you would prefer, go ahead and opt for heavy cream.
Tuscan-style Linguine with Spinach & Sun-dried Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 4-5 Garlic cloves *finely minced
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 cup Sun-dried tomatoes *drained of excess oil
- 2 cups Fresh spinach *washed
- 1-2 tsp Chili flakes
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 2 servings Linguine pasta
- 2 cups Half & Half *or heavy cream
- pinch salt *to taste
- pinch black pepper *to taste
- ½ cup Parmesan *grated
- 1 tbsp Fresh basil *to garnish
Instructions
- Fill a deep saucepan with water until 3/4 of its volume and bring to a boil on high heat. Salt the water generously.
- Meanwhile, mince the garlic cloves, finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes, and julienne the basil leaves.
- Set aside the spinach and ensure that the leaves are clean.
- Once the water is boiling, add in the linguine and cook according to the instructions on the package.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat up another shallow pan on medium heat.
- Add in the olive oil and the chopped garlic once the oil is warm but not smoking. This will prevent the garlic from burning.
- Stir the garlic and add in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Sauté for about 1 minute on medium heat.
- Next, add in the spinach and stir until it wilts. This should take a few seconds.
- Pour in the half & half (or cream) and reduce on medium/high heat for 3-4 minutes. Stir it to make sure it doesn't split.
- Set aside some pasta water and drain the linguine once it is cooked. Set aside.
- Season the cream mixture with salt, pepper, oregano, and chili flakes.
- Add in the pasta water to add some starch to the cream.
- Grate in some parmesan cheese and stir in to help it melt.
- Toss in the linguine and stir with tongs.
- Plate your portions and grate over some extra parmesan. Garnish with the fresh basil and enjoy!
Click to view other vegetarian recipes.