Healthy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta From Tenerife

A healthy sun-dried tomato pasta should not taste like a punishment for liking pasta. At home in Tenerife, Anastasia makes this one when we want deep, salty-sweet tomato flavour and plenty of vegetables.

The sauce clings to the pasta instead of sitting as an oily puddle underneath it.

She is a professional healthy chef and the founder of Greeny App. This is still a real Tuesday-night recipe: one wide pan, a sensible amount of oil and starchy pasta water.

Local detail: this is a Mediterranean-inspired home recipe from our Tenerife kitchen. It is not presented as one official regional pasta dish.

For more recipes from this part of the site, browse our Spanish & Mediterranean Food hub.

Short answer: cook half the sun-dried tomatoes gently with garlic and the other half at the end. Finish slightly undercooked pasta in the pan with reserved pasta water, olive oil and finely grated cheese. That is the glossy sauce; cream is optional, not the trick.

The Healthy Part Is the Balance, Not a Claim

The word healthy can become meaningless very quickly.

Here it means recognisable ingredients: tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, herbs and vegetables. It also means a portion that leaves room on the plate for something fresh.

Local verdict: pasta, oil and Parmesan do not need to disappear. Balance the bowl instead.

Sun-dried tomatoes are intense, so a small amount goes a long way. We use a little of their oil for flavour.

Then we stretch the sauce with pasta water and vegetables instead of a large pour of cream. Add chicken, beans, fish or tofu only if it suits your dinner.

Anastasia’s kitchen verdict: a good sun-dried tomato pasta should taste bright, tomatoey and garlicky. It should not taste like a jar of oil trying to pass as dinner.

Ingredients for Four Generous Bowls

Choose a short, ridged shape such as rigatoni, fusilli or penne. The ridges catch the tomato pieces and sauce.

Spaghetti is lovely too. It simply needs a little more tossing and attention.

Ingredient	Amount	Why it is here
Dried pasta	320 g / 11 oz	Rigatoni, fusilli or penne hold the sauce well.
Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes	80 g / about ½ cup, drained	Use half early and half late for depth and texture.
Sun-dried tomato oil plus extra-virgin olive oil	1 tbsp each	Enough to carry the garlic without making a heavy sauce.
Garlic and chilli flakes	3 cloves and ¼ tsp	Warm, not burnt; adjust the chilli to your table.
Courgette or spinach	1 small courgette or 100 g spinach	A straightforward vegetable addition, not a disguise.
Finely grated Parmesan or pecorino	40 g / about ½ cup	Salty finish and gentle body for the emulsion.
Lemon, basil or parsley	1 lemon and a small handful	Use at the end to wake up the concentrated tomato flavour.
Reserved pasta water	1½ cups, as needed	The starch is what makes the sauce cling.

Plan like this: measure the pasta water, cheese and tomatoes before the pasta goes in. Once the pan is hot, the finish moves quickly.

Jarred, dry-packed or home-dried tomatoes?

For the fastest pasta, choose tomatoes packed in oil. They are tender enough to slice.

The clean-smelling jar oil is useful in the pan. Dry-packed tomatoes work too: cover them with just-boiled water for about 10 minutes, drain very well and then slice.

Home-dried tomatoes are beautiful here when they are properly dried and stored.

If you want the oven, dehydrator and storage method, use our separate guide to making sun-dried tomatoes from a Tenerife kitchen. It is a different job, and it deserves its own instructions.

Common mistake: treating dry-packed tomatoes and oil-packed tomatoes as identical. The dry ones need softening first. The jarred ones can go straight into the pan.

How to Make Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Put a large pot of well-salted water on to boil first. The sauce moves quickly once the garlic hits the pan.

Safety rule: keep the pan at medium-low when garlic and tomato oil meet. Burnt garlic will spoil the whole sun-dried tomato pasta.

1. Prep the tomatoes. Slice the sun-dried tomatoes. Keep half aside for the final toss; finely chop the rest so it melts into the sauce more easily.
2. Build the flavour gently. Warm the tomato oil and olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic, chilli flakes and the chopped half of the tomatoes. Stir for 60–90 seconds, just until fragrant. Garlic that turns dark brown will make the whole pan bitter.
3. Cook the vegetables. Add diced courgette with a pinch of salt and cook until just tender, about 4–5 minutes. If using spinach, wait and add it near the end so it only wilts.
4. Undercook the pasta slightly. Boil it 2 minutes shy of the packet time. Before draining, scoop out 1½ cups of pasta water. Do not rinse the pasta; you need its surface starch.
5. Emulsify in the pan. Add the pasta to the skillet with ¾ cup pasta water. Toss over medium heat for 1–2 minutes. The water, tomato oil and starch should turn shiny and coat the pasta; add more water a splash at a time if the pan looks dry.
6. Finish off the heat. Take the pan off the heat. Add the reserved tomato slices, spinach if using, Parmesan, lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon and herbs. Toss hard. Taste before salting because tomatoes and cheese can already be quite salty.

The one technique worth remembering: cook the pasta in the sauce for the last minute. That is when the starch, oil and water become a sauce.

The timing answer: add the chopped tomatoes at the beginning so they perfume the oil, then fold in the sliced ones after the heat is off. That gives you both a rounded sauce and little sweet-chewy tomato moments.

Make the Sauce Creamy Without Heavy Cream

Creaminess is mostly an emulsion problem. A wide pan, pasta water and vigorous tossing let starch bind the oil and grated cheese into a light sauce.

Add the cheese off the heat. Hard cheese can turn grainy and oily when it is boiled.

For a deliberately creamier version, blend 2 tablespoons of cannellini beans with ½ cup pasta water and a few cooked tomatoes. Add it to the pan before the pasta.

It makes a soft, savoury sauce without pretending to be a health cure. Ricotta also works if dairy is welcome at your table.

If the sauce is…	Do this	Avoid
Dry or sticky	Add hot pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time and toss.	Adding cold water or a big pour all at once.
Oily	Keep tossing with a splash of pasta water.	Adding more cheese before the emulsion settles.
Too sharp or salty	Finish with plain pasta water, vegetables or more pasta.	Adding lemon or capers before tasting.
Grainy	Take the pan off heat and loosen with warm water.	Boiling Parmesan in the sauce.

Local verdict: if the sauce looks oily, do not panic and do not add a mountain of cheese. Add warm pasta water, toss, and give the emulsion a moment.

Vegetable, Protein and Dietary Variations

This pasta can change with the vegetable drawer. Keep the tomato, garlic and pasta-water method intact.

Make one or two changes around it. More than that, and the flavours start competing.

• For more vegetables: use roasted aubergine, peas, asparagus tips or spinach. Cook watery vegetables separately enough to evaporate excess moisture before they meet the pasta.
• For more protein: fold in a drained tin of cannellini beans, cooked chicken, flaked fish or crisp tofu after the sauce has formed. Prawns need only a quick cook in the tomato oil before you take them out and return them at the end.
• For vegan sun-dried tomato pasta: use olive oil, a vegan hard-cheese alternative or nutritional yeast, and finish with lemon and herbs. Taste for salt carefully; tomatoes do a lot of the work.
• For gluten-free pasta: reserve its cooking water, but expect it to be less reliably starchy. Toss longer and add the water in smaller amounts; a spoon of blended beans can help the sauce hold together.
• For whole-wheat pasta: choose a shape you genuinely enjoy and keep it al dente. It gives the dish a nuttier flavour, not a moral upgrade.

Local detail: a seafood version belongs here too. If you want a full rice-and-seafood method instead, see our healthy seafood paella from Tenerife.

Choose one direction: vegetables for freshness, beans or chicken for a fuller bowl, or prawns for a quick seafood finish. The tomato sauce does not need all three.

Anastasia’s Five-Minute Yum Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

If the pasta leaves you with a jar of tomatoes open, make this small dressing next. It is bright, loud and Mediterranean.

Spoon it over baked vegetables, grilled fish or meat, a grain salad, or simply tomatoes and beans. It is not a reason to turn every meal into the same red sauce.

Makes about 180 ml / ¾ cup	Amount
Oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves	8 halves / about 45 g
Extra-virgin olive oil	4 tbsp
Red-wine vinegar or lemon juice	1 tbsp
Warm water	2–4 tbsp, added gradually
Garlic, parsley or basil, black pepper	1 small clove, a small handful, to taste

1. Blend the tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar or lemon and garlic until mostly smooth.
2. Add warm water a spoon at a time until it pours like a thick dressing.
3. Fold in the herbs, taste, then add pepper before deciding it needs more salt. Capers are optional if you want a sharper, salty edge.
4. Spoon it over warm vegetables, fish, meat, beans or a salad. Keep it chilled and use it within two days, especially when it contains fresh garlic or herbs.

Kitchen verdict: the Yum dressing should taste bright first, tomatoey second and aggressively garlicky never. Let it settle for one minute before adding more of anything.

Serving, Storing and Reheating

Serve the pasta straight from the pan with extra herbs, black pepper and lemon at the table.

A crunchy salad, roasted courgettes or grilled fish makes a balanced meal. One bowl does not need to do every job.

For leftovers, save a little pasta water or plain water. Reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of water and a few drops of olive oil.

The sauce will loosen again. A microwave works too. Cover it and stir halfway.

Planning tip: if this dinner follows a Teide day, keep the route decisions in the Discover Teide Volcano Magic guide. Cooking and climbing are separate jobs.

Food Safety in a Warm Kitchen

Follow the storage instruction on your tomato jar after opening. Do not use oil that smells stale or a jar with visible mould.

Homemade tomatoes in oil are a refrigerated, short-life food. They are not a pantry-preserving project. Our separate drying guide explains that distinction in detail.

Cool cooked pasta in shallow containers. Refrigerate it within two hours of cooking, or within one hour in very hot conditions.

Use leftovers within four days. Reheat them thoroughly to 74°C / 165°F.

Safety rule: when in doubt about a leftover, make another dinner. Pasta is cheap. A bad evening is not.

FAQ

These are the small questions that decide whether the pasta becomes glossy and useful or merely red and a bit dry.

What kind of sun-dried tomatoes are best for pasta?

Oil-packed tomatoes are best for a quick pasta because they are tender and their fresh-smelling oil can flavour the pan. Dry-packed tomatoes work after a short soak in hot water and thorough draining. Use home-dried tomatoes only when they have been dried and stored properly.

When should I add sun-dried tomatoes to pasta?

Add chopped tomatoes with the garlic early to flavour the oil, then add sliced tomatoes after the pasta has emulsified. The first portion gives the sauce depth; the second keeps its chewy, sweet-tangy character.

Can I make creamy sun-dried tomato pasta without cream?

Yes. Finish the slightly undercooked pasta in a wide pan with reserved pasta water, olive oil and finely grated cheese off heat. Tossing creates a glossy sauce; blended cannellini beans are an optional softer, dairy-free way to add body.

Can I make this pasta vegan or gluten-free?

For a vegan version, use olive oil and vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast. For gluten-free pasta, reserve the cooking water but add it slowly because different brands release different amounts of starch; blended beans can help the sauce cling.

How long does sun-dried tomato pasta keep?

Refrigerate it promptly in a shallow container and use it within four days. For the best texture, reheat in a skillet with a splash of water rather than baking it until dry.