This is a slightly different take on creamy sundried tomato pasta. I've wanted to mess around with "carbonara" style foods, mainly the egg and cheese mixture. I recently saw a video of a red sauce carbonara and I could not find it anywhere. So, I decided to experiment on my own and went with a sundried tomato pasta and added a carbonara-style finish to it, to make it silky-smooth and creamy.
The pictures don't do it justice because this was so amazingly creamy and delicious. The sundried tomatoes and pancetta added a salty combination of savoriness. I served it with a little extra parmesan and black pepper on top and it was so tasty.
Maybe people don't use cheese and egg yolk mix often for a reason. Italians love to "keep tradition" but I really don't. I like to try new things. This isn't a typical flavor combo. It's not "authentic" Italian. It is authentic me, though. Chef Vinny. Eat your heart out. Here's what you need.
What you'll need for creamy sundried tomato pasta
- ½ pound spaghetti
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
- ¼ lb pancetta, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ¾ cup parmesan
- ½ tsp salt
I specifically choose parmesan for this recipe instead of pecorino because it is slightly milder and has an even nutty flavor. Pecorino is salty and sharp and the sundried tomatoes are already sharp.
Cooking this recipe!
Overall, creamy sundried tomato pasta is so quick to make. Feel free to substitute rigatoni or penne for the spaghetti. Any pasta will work as long as you save some of the pasta water.
Fry the pancetta first
The first thing you should do is get your pasta boiling. Everything cooks so fast that once you finish frying everything that pasta will be ready.
In a large saucepan, fry the pancetta over medium heat for about 8 minutes. The fat in the pancetta should render off and the rest of the meat develop a golden brown crust. The fat from the pancetta will melt enough so that you can saute the garlic without having to add oil.
Adding any extra oil to this recipe will take away from the creaminess in the finish. Add garlic to the pan and let it saute in the pancetta for 1 minute before adding the rest of the ingredients. At the same time in the corner of the pan somewhere, add the tomato paste and allow it to sit all by its lonesome self
Add sundried tomatoes and tomato paste
Stir in the sundried tomatoes. The tomato paste will begin to caramelize after about 2-3 minutes. Be patient. Add ¼ cup of pasta water and stir really well until the oil and pasta water are no longer separate.
Strain the pasta and stir it into the sauce until it is completely coated. Remove from the heat and add ¼ cup pasta water and the parmesan and egg mixture. Wait about 1-2 minutes to add the parmesan and egg mixture, until the pan is no longer steaming.
Silky smooth finish
Stir in the egg and cheese mixture with the pasta water and stir until the pasta develops a creamy reddish sauce. Then serve the pasta with extra parmesan cheese,
This pasta should be served immediately. In the ingredients, I only used ½ a pound because the recipe does not heat up well. I made this recipe around 5 in the morning, and it tasted amazing. Then I reheated it for dinner, tried one serving in the microwave and the other on a pan, and I just couldn't get that creamy texture upon reheating.
My advice would be to only make this to eat immediately. It was really tasty and I wish I had more of an appetite for a creamy sundried tomato pasta at 5 AM but I thought it would be best to save. Should have just indulged.
If you tried this recipe or it looks good to you, leave us a review and let us know what you think! You may also want to try some of our other pasta recipes!
Spaghetti Carbonara Do’s and Don’ts
Lemon Pesto Spaghetti with Scallops
Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Linguine
Simple Pasta with Eggplant and Tomatoes
📖 Recipe
Creamy Sundried Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ pound spaghetti
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
- ¼ lb pancetta, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- ¾ cup parmesan
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Boil spaghetti until al dente. Bring a large pan to medium heat. Add pancetta to the pan and fry until the fat is translucent and the pancetta develops a crust. Add in garlic, and tomato paste. Using a wooden spoon, move around the garlic to saute while leaving the tomato paste off to the side. After about 2 minutes add in the sundried tomatoes and mix it all together until well combined. Then add a ¼ cup of pasta water and stir until the oil and water no longer separate.
- In a bowl, stir together eggs and cheese. When the pasta is strained save ½ cup of pasta water. Add the pasta to the pan and turn the heat off. Stir until well combined and the pot is no longer steaming. Add the egg mixture to the pasta and stir well. Slowly add in a ¼ cup of pasta water until the sauce develops into a silky and creamy texture.
- Season with salt and serve with extra parmesan.
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