This sun dried tomato pasta with chickpeas, mushrooms and spinach cooks up in one pot! Give it a few stirs, and dinner is ready! Easy to assemble ahead and customize with your favorite ingredients.
One pot pasta is absolutely perfect for busy weeknights and for meal prep! These One Pot Black Bean Fajita Pasta and One Pot Healthy Cajun Chicken Orzo recipes are two of our go-to’s, and this sun dried tomato pasta is another highly requested recipe.
If you haven’t tried one pot pasta before, prepare to have your mind blown. So much flavor absorbs into the pasta as all of the ingredients cook together, and it gets so creamy even without adding cream. Simply load everything into a large pot, simmer, stir occasionally, and serve!
Reasons you’ll love this sun dried tomato pasta
- it is a delicious vegetarian recipe
- no sautéing required, everything cooks in one pot
- can be assembled uncooked ahead as a freezer –> stovetop meal OR cooked ahead of time and frozen for leftovers
Recipe video
Wondering how this sun dried tomato pasta recipe comes together? Watch this 1-minute video to see how easy it is to prep! You can find more video recipes on my YouTube channel.
Don’t forget to pin this post to save it for later!
Pasta shapes and types to use
I’ve made this recipe countless times, and have found a variety of pasta shapes to work.
Here are some pasta shapes that work:
- rotini
- penne
- shells
- bow tie
- macaroni
This list is not exhaustive, and you should be able to use any smaller pasta shapes. If using a different pasta shape, use your best judgment for cook time, and add additional water if you feel it is needed.
I do not recommend using the following:
- large pasta shapes (rigatoni, lasagna noodles)
- chickpea or lentil pasta (have not been tested and will likely have different water ratios and cook times)
- gluten-free pasta (has not been tested and may require a different water ratio and cook time)
Water ratio
For this sun dried tomato pasta, we are using 2 cups of vegetable stock (or water). It will not look like enough water, but stay with me! This liquid will absorb into the pasta as it cooks, and the starch from the pasta + cheese will work wonders to create a slightly creamy liquid sauce.
Note that it is important to stir the pasta frequently (every 2 or so minutes), placing the lid back on between stirs, to help the pasta cook evenly and absorb the liquids.
Cook ahead and enjoy later
Sun dried tomato one pot pasta works great for meal prep and can be prepped ahead in two different ways:
Freezer packs
To assemble ahead as ‘freezer packs’, simply combine all ingredients except for the pasta in a gallon sized freezer bag, reusable silicone bag, or meal prep container. Squeeze air out (if possible), and freeze for up to 3 months.
To cook- thaw completely, add pasta, and cook as directed.
Find my favorite freezer equipment here!
Cook ahead
You can also cook this recipe ahead, portion out into meal prep containers, and store in the fridge (4 days) or the freezer (3 months).
To re-heat- heat in the microwave until steaming hot. For best food safety practices, do not reheat more than once.
Find my favorite meal prep containers here!
Recipe tips
Control the spice level
As written this recipe is mildly spicy; omit the red pepper flakes for no spiciness, or increase the amount used to make even spicier
Can you make it vegan?
I have not tested this recipe without the cheese, and do worry that it would seriously lack flavor without it. Plus, the cheese really helps the sauce to thicken up just right.
But give it a try with your favorite melty vegan cheese! If you do, would you please let me know in the comments how it goes?
Veggie alternatives
Swap the sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach for your favorite veggie. Other vegetables that could work well are chopped tomatoes, onion, and maybe some sliced zucchini.
Chickpea alternatives
You could swap the chickpeas for white beans to keep this recipe vegetarian, or add in some cooked chicken or salmon to make it a meat-based meal.
Looking for More Pasta Recipes?
- Kale Chicken Pasta Salad
- Chicken Caprese Pasta Bake
- One Pot White Bean Pasta with Leeks and Asparagus
- Healthy Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
- One Pan Chicken Tuscan Pasta Bake
Sun Dried Tomato One Pot Pasta
Ingredients
- 6 oz mushrooms quartered
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (oil drained off and chopped into small pieces)
- 19 oz can of chickpeas (drained & rinsed)
- 2 cups dried pasta (see note * ; 6.5 oz)
- 2 cups vegetable stock
Just before serving
- 3 cups spinach
- 1 cup cheese (mozzarella or swiss cheese) shredded
Instructions
- In a 4 quart pot, combine the mushrooms, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, sun dried tomatoes, chickpeas, pasta and stock. Stir to combine.
- Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Make sure to place the lid back on between stirs.
- When pasta is cooked through, stir in the spinach and cheese until cheese is melted and spinach is wilted.
- Enjoy!
Freezer packs
- To assemble this recipe ahead and freeze, prepare a gallon-sized freezer bag, reusable silicone bag or large meal prep container labeled with the name of the recipe, the date, and cooking directions.
- Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, sun dried tomatoes, chickpeas and stock. Do not add the pasta!
- Squeeze air out if possible, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw completely before adding the pasta and cooking as directed above.
Notes
- this recipe has been tested with a variety of shapes including rotini, penne, shells, bow tie and macaroni.
Tara
Love this recipe! I made it with gluten-free pasta and it turned out great. Thank you!
Denise Bustard
Hi Tara! I’m so happy to hear the recipe worked for you with GF pasta. Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review!
Tammy G
I used whole wheat fusilli pasta, so it simmered a few minutes longer. I beef’less broth and also added minced garlic (from a jar), a few splashes of red wine and Italian seasonings during the simmering. Immediately after adding the spinach, I split it in half and used vegan mozz cheese in 1 portion (for me) and regular shredded mozz for my husband. We both thought it was excellent! YUM!
Denise
Hi Tammy! Thank you so much for sharing your modifications, that’s super helpful (especially because I’m never sure what to suggest when it comes to vegan cheese options). Thanks so much for your review!
Jill
This was super yummy. I did add an extra cup of water because I was cooking with rice noodles.
Denise
Hi Jill, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed! Thank you for sharing your modifications with us 🙂
Kara
Hi! Seems like too little liquid?? Is it right just 2 cups veg stock and 2 cups pasta with all the other ingredients?? I feel like I have no liquid to boil! Haha
Denise
Hi Kara! How did it turn out for you? For one pot pasta, you don’t use much liquid as you don’t want to end up with a soupy pasta in the end. Of course if there is NO liquid, you’ll want to add a bit more. 1/2 cup at a time is what I’d recommend. Hope you enjoyed!
Chris
I used 3 cups of liquid, because I had a bit more vegetables. Mind ended up being a bit more soupy, but the soupy stuff at the end was amazing … so win/win.
ash
i am allergic to mushrooms. which vegetable can i use to replace?
Denise
Hi Ash! So sorry for my late reply (holidays!). I would just leave them out. If you are not freezing, you could add some zucchini or maybe asparagus if you want extra veggies.
kaneisha hall
I made this and it was amazing! Thank you for sharing
Denise
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Kaneisha! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review 😀
Madison Martinez
I just recently started meal prepping and I was so excited when I found this recipe! It was very easy to make and tasted incredible. I will definitely be saving this to make again and again.
Denise
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, Madison!
Olivia P
I made this to eat for my lunches this week. I’m on day three and I’m still not tired of it!! So good
Denise
Yay! SO happy to hear that! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Olivia 🙂
Kat
Hi there!
I’m meal-prepping for someone else who doesn’t have um…. a kitchen haha. Do you think I could cook this ahead of time and keep in the fridge for her? How long do you think it could keep? Thanks!!
Denise
Gasp! No kitchen! LOL! This should keep in the fridge for 2-4 days I’d think.
Jared
Love this! I also doubled a lot of ingredients, and added half an onion, a little garlic, and juice/zest from half a lemon. Lots of good flavors for such a simple recipe. Oh and I used Parmesan for more of a salty “bite” to the cheese.
Denise
So happy to hear that, Jared! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a nice review, as well as your modifications <3
Chris
Perfection! I upped all of the veggies and added some zucchini I needed to use since I didn’t have any chickpeas and wanted to be sure it’d still be robust. Mission accomplished!
Denise
So happy you enjoyed it!
Olga
The sodium seems high for me ..is that because if the broth.
Denise
Hi Olga, I believe the sodium comes from the sun dried tomatoes…delicious but high in sodium.
Cassandra
This is so good! I just omitted the cheese to make it vegan.
Denise
I’m so happy you liked it, and great to know it’s good without the cheese, too 🙂
Dena Englander
Does the mushrooms get rubbery with being boiled instead of sauteed?
Denise
I don’t find them rubbery, but if you are not a fan of boiled mushrooms, you could certainly sautee them separately and add in.
Erin
Do you have a suggestion for substituting the mushrooms?
Denise
You can use another veggie…what about zucchini or bell peppers?
Cathy
This was awesome! And forgiving. I doubled the mushrooms, tomatoes, and chickpeas and added a chopped zucchini. Used just one cup of pasta and lowered broth to 1 cup too. Threw in a little paprika and basil. I’ll be making this again and again!
Denise
Awesome! So glad to know you were able to make it work with all those substitutions. Thanks for sharing, Cathy 🙂
Kinga
Hello, cN i use canned spinach instead?
Denise
I’ve never used canned spinach before so I can’t say for sure…if you try it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Karl @ Healthy Kreation
This dishy looks so hearty and so delicious. I have a hard getting chickpeas where i am for some reason but i’m sure that wont last forever so I’ll try this soon enough. Thanks for sharing this.
Denise
Hi Karl! If you can’t find chickpeas, you could sub with other cooked beans…maybe black beans or white kidney beans would be tasty? I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Sera
This looks so good! I’ve never thought to combine sun dried tomatoes and chickpeas with pasta. I love a one-pot meal! Thanks!
Dionne Hindell
Is this ok to freeze?
Denise
Hi Dionne, I’m testing whether the ingredients can be assembled ahead and frozen. I’m not sure about the mushrooms, as I’ve heard that raw mushrooms turn black after freezing.
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
YES to meal prep recipes that are super hearty and healthy like these! Pinning 🙂
Denise
Thanks, Medha!