Make this 15-minute Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce to instantly transform your pasta, chicken, or seafood into a gourmet meal! It’s luxurious and easy to make with cream, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese.
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This Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce is going down as one of my favorite sun dried tomato recipes. It’s a hit on my Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Pasta, but it can also be served with chicken, seafood, pizza, and more!
Just like my Broccoli Pesto Pasta and Tuscan Creamy Gnocchi, this sauce makes the whole meal. It’s a luxurious cream sauce decked out with melted mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and has pops of color and flavor from sun dried tomatoes.
What’s better is that this sauce is a breeze to make in just 15 minutes! Whisk it together on the stovetop any time you’re craving a little comfort and rich Tuscan-inspired flavors with your weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- Butter
- Garlic cloves – You can substitute roasted garlic here for even more garlicky goodness.
- All-purpose flour
- White wine – Use a dry white wine in the sauce, like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Chicken broth and bone broth also work if you’d rather keep this recipe alcohol-free.
- Heavy cream – The sauce wouldn’t be rich and creamy without it! Stick with full-fat heavy cream, or replace it with whole milk for a lighter version. The texture will be slightly thinner, but the flavors will be just as satisfying.
- Sun dried tomatoes in olive oil – Store-bought jarred sun dried tomatoes add bursts of intense tomato flavor and a hint of sweetness. For extra gourmet flair, try making homemade sun dried tomatoes.
- Mozzarella and parmesan cheese
- Dried oregano – Or you can use an Italian seasoning blend.
- Red pepper flakes
- Fresh basil
- Salt and black pepper
How to make sun dried tomato cream sauce
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
Whisk the flour into the butter-garlic mixture until it’s lightly browned. Next, whisk in the white wine (or chicken broth) and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated.
Stir in the heavy cream, sun dried tomatoes, cheeses, oregano, and red pepper flakes until the cheese melts and the sauce slightly thickens.
Stir the basil into the sauce, give it a taste, and season it with salt and pepper. Serve it with your favorite pasta, or keep reading for more delicious serving ideas.
Tips and tricks
- Sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan are already salty, so remember to taste the sauce before adding extra salt.
- Is the sauce too thin? Allow it to simmer gently (uncovered) until it reduces and thickens. You can also stir in a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of cold water) to help it thicken faster.
- If you’re serving the sauce with pasta, remember to save some of the pasta cooking water. Adding a splash or two to the sauce helps it stick to every piece of pasta.
Variations
- Sun-dried tomato pesto – For an extra burst of flavor, substitute the sun dried tomatoes with a generous scoop of sun dried tomato pesto. The pesto’s rich, aromatic depth will take the sauce to the next level.
- Add veggies – Consider sautéing diced onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and spinach with the garlic for added texture and flavor.
- Gluten-free – Use your favorite gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour.
- Dairy-free – While I haven’t tested a non-dairy version of this recipe, it should still be flavorful with dairy-free butter, coconut cream instead of heavy cream, and nutritional yeast instead of cheese.
Serving suggestions
This sun dried tomato sauce is the perfect creamy sauce for pasta. Toss it with penne, spaghetti, rotini, or any other pasta noodles you like, and dress up the dish with diced chicken breasts, roasted vegetables, and extra sun dried tomatoes for a simple but flavorful dinner.
Not in the mood for pasta? No problem! Serve the sauce with any of these recipes for a creamy upgrade:
- Pizza – Use the creamy sauce as a base instead of traditional tomato sauce, then add your favorite pizza toppings. It would also be delicious on this French Bread Pizza or these Zucchini Pizza Boats.
- Chicken – Simmer the sauce in a skillet, then nestle grilled, baked, or air fried chicken in the sauce until the meat is heated through. Serve over pasta or rice.
- Seafood – Or, if you don’t want to use chicken, enjoy the sauce with shrimp, salmon, or your favorite white fish instead.
- Casseroles – Swap the creamy sauces in this Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash Casserole and this Leftover Ham Casserole for the sun dried tomato sauce.
Storing and reheating
Allow the leftover sun dried tomato alfredo sauce to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
To reheat, add the cream sauce to a pan and heat over low to medium heat until heated through. It can also be reheated in the microwave.
More creamy pasta sauce recipes
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Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup julienned sun dried tomatoes in olive oil (drained)
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
- Small handful fresh basil chopped finely
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in white wine (or chicken broth) and cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Stir in heavy cream, sun dried tomatoes, mozzarella, parmesan, oregano and red pepper flakes until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Equipment
