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Linguine with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce takes just 30 minutes to make! This simple Italian pasta is a great choice for a weeknight dinner! Linguine is generously coated in a comforting creamy sauce made with garlic and Parmesan cheese.
This delicious linguine has been inspired by the sun-dried tomato pasta I made a while back. This recipe features the best homemade pasta sauce you'll ever try! It's full of flavor and color! The creamy linguine Alfredo sauce is made with garlic, paprika, cream, and shredded Parmesan cheese.
This linguine recipe makes a great meatless dinner. If you crave some protein, you can easily add grilled chicken or cooked shrimp to the dish. Just like in this simple chicken pasta or this shrimp pasta.
Linguine with creamy alfredo sauce
- Creamy comfort food. In this recipe, linguine is smothered in a simple homemade alfredo sauce made with cream, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. The silky sauce coats the linguine to produce one of the most comforting and decadent pasta dishes you'll ever try! Sun-dried tomatoes and spinach add so much flavor to the creamy deliciousness!
- 30-minute recipe. This beautiful pasta dish takes only 30 minutes to make.
- Only 9 ingredients. Simple recipes are the best! This recipe uses basic ingredients that you can easily buy in any grocery store.
- Beautiful presentation. This easy pasta makes a beautiful and colorful presentation. Creamy alfredo sauce has a light pink color thanks to sun-dried tomatoes and paprika. Spinach also adds vibrancy to the linguine!
What is linguine?
- Linguine is a long, thin, ribbon-style pasta of Italian origin. It's similar to fettuccine and spaghetti. Linguine is like flattened spaghetti and not as wide as fettuccine.
- Linguine originated in Genoa of Liguria region, Italy.
- Linguine is usually served with seafood or with pesto sauce. Other common dishes made with linguine include puttanesca sauce, linguine carbonara, and linguine with clams.
- Linguine is made with durum wheat semolina.
Fun fact: Did you know that "linguine" in Italian means "little tongues"? "Linguina" means "little tongue" in Italian, and "linguine" is plural of "linguina". The root of the word is "lingua" (Latin) which means tongue.
Substitutions
This pasta dish is very flexible, and you can use all kinds of different ingredients:
- Don't have linguine? Use spaghetti or fettuccine pasta.
- What can you use to replace Parmesan? Use Mozzarella cheese, Pecorino Romano, or Asiago cheese.
- Don't have spinach? Use Swiss chard, arugula, or kale.
Linguine vs. fettuccine
- Both linguine and fettuccine are ribbon style, long strand pasta. Fettuccine is a flat thick pasta. Fettuccine is noticeably wider than linguine. Linguine is more like flattened spaghetti.
- The most common dish made with fettuccine is fettuccine alfredo. Linguine is usually served with seafood, pesto, carbonara sauce, or with clams.
Linguine vs. spaghetti
- Both linguine and spaghetti are ribbon-style long-strand pasta. They are very similar in shape. Linguine is like a flatter version of spaghetti.
- Spaghetti is usually served with tomato sauce or meat. Linguine is traditionally served with seafood or pesto.
Sauces that go well with linguine
- White cream pasta sauce. Linguine tastes amazing when coated in the white cheese Italian pasta sauce. Make simple white cream pasta sauce for linguine or any other pasta!
- Sun-dried tomato cream sauce. Sun-dried tomatoes and basil in a homemade creamy Mozzarella sauce will make a perfect sauce for linguine. This sun-dried tomato pasta recipe shows you how to make it.
- Alfredo sauce. Make linguine alfredo by following this recipe for chicken broccoli alfredo. You can even add chicken and broccoli, or keep them out of the recipe and just follow the steps for the alfredo sauce.
Gluten-free friendly recipe
- You can easily make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free linguine.
What to serve with linguine
- Bread. Serve Baguette or Italian garlic bread.
- Fresh salad. Make this tomato cucumber avocado salad or tomato mozzarella salad.
- Spinach salad. Because this linguine has spinach, it would be a great combination to serve it with a basic spinach salad. Just toss together some spinach leaves with shredded Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Or, if you want something more sophisticated, try this spinach salad with prosciutto and pears. Or, make a spinach salad with beets.
How to cook linguine al dente
- To cook pasta al dente, cook linguine in salted boiling water about 2 minutes less than indicated on the package instructions. I cooked linguine for about 9 minutes in boiling water.
Cooking Tips
- Reserve some pasta water. Use it to thin out the cream sauce if it gets too thick.
- Make sure to season the creamy linguine sauce with just the right amount of salt. That means you might have to add more salt than indicated in the recipe. Salt really helps to bring out all the flavors!
How to prepare the sauce for linguine - step-by-step
1) Cook chopped sun-dried tomatoes and minced garlic with olive oil on medium heat, for about 30 seconds.
2) Add 1 cup of half-and-half, paprika, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer.
3) Add shredded Parmesan cheese. Stir for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts.
4) Add spinach.
5) Keep stirring on medium heat until the spinach wilts, about 1 minute.
6) Add cooked and drained linguine to the sauce. Stir well. Taste the linguine, and season with more salt, if needed.
Other pasta recipes
Below are other meatless pasta sauce recipes that will go great with linguine. What's beautiful about these recipes is that you can easily add protein. Add grilled chicken, pan-seared scallops or seared shrimp.
- Creamy Spinach Mushroom Pasta with Caramelized Onions
- Sun-Dried Tomato Mushroom Pasta
- Four Cheese Garlic White Cream Pasta Sauce
Linguine with spinach and sun-dried tomato cream sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz linguine
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese , shredded
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 oz spinach
- 5 basil leaves fresh, finely chopped
Instructions
- Cook linguine according to package instructions. Drain.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat.
- Add chopped sun-dried tomatoes and minced garlic. Cook on medium heat for about 30 seconds, constantly stirring.
- Add 1 cup of half-and-half, paprika, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer.
- Add ½ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese (half of what the recipe calls for). Stir for about 30 seconds or longer until the cheese melts. If the sauce is too thin, gradually add more cheese. Keep stirring around all of the skillet for a couple of minutes.
- Note: if the sauce gets too thick, add more half-and-half.
- Add spinach. Keep stirring on medium heat until the spinach wilts, about 1 minute.
- Add cooked and drained linguine to the sauce. Stir well.
- Taste the linguine and add more salt, if needed. Top with finely chopped fresh basil leaves.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I had every ingredient on hand. This was so easy to make and it was a fabulous pasta dish that I could easily cook up for guests. Thank you!
Mari, I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for stopping by and sharing your wonderful comment! 🙂
Lovely and so easy and quick to make
Glad you liked the recipe! Thanks for the comment and the 5-star rating! 🙂
i know fresh parmesan would be best, but am i able to use the kraft grated cheese that comes in a shaker? it’s all i have but i really want to make this.
I've never tried it with the grated cheese that comes in a shaker but I am thinking that it might not work as well to turn into a creamy sauce.
Thank you really nice &easy
Glad you liked it and thanks for the 5-star review! 🙂
I want to try this, but don't know if I should use dry sun-dried tomatoes, or the ones that come packed in olive oil. Please let me know. Thanks so much
Use the ones NOT packed in oil.
You can use either kind. If using the sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil - drain the oil really well and use that oil for cooking.
This is a go to when we feel like having a good pasta meal. My husband and I love it!!!
Sharie, your comment made my day! 🙂
Easy and delicious. I love garlic so I added more to my dish. Will definitely be making it again!
You can't go wrong with basil, garlic & sundried tomato! If you enjoy this trifecta of flavors, you'll love this recipe. If you tried it & don't like it...its on you cause this was a great blend of flavors. Honestly. I had leftover salmon from dinner the night before & added it just cause I had it. Will make again. Thx!!
Lisa, Thank you for such a detailed and insightful comment! I really appreciate it! 🙂
Ashley, so glad you enjoyed this dish! Thank you for taking the time to write such a positive comment!
Lovely! And there are so many ways it can be “tweaked” to suit individual tastes/occasions. I’m thinking... seafood! Shrimp, specifically. Every year, we take a condo on the Texas Gulf Coast for 2 or 3 weeks; we get fresh shrimp off the SS Pollyanna and now I have a new recipe to add to my repertoire - super-easy and so delish with a fresh salad and a crusty baguette to sop up this wonderful sauce!
Liza, I am so flattered by your comment! 🙂 I couldn't agree more - this will be delicious with seafood, especially shrimp. Thank you for stopping by and sharing such a positive and uplifting comment - comments like that make my day and make me want to do more recipes! 🙂
This has been my favorite pasta recipe for years-- my kids love it, they ask for it specifically, and any time I bring it to a potluck it's a big hit
Sarah, I am so flattered to hear this is one of your favorite recipes - it really makes my day! And I am glad you stopped by and left this wonderful and positive comment!
What is half and half!
Half-and-half is half milk + half cream. For example, if you don't have 1 cup of half-and-half, you can use 1/2 cup of regular milk + 1/2 cup of heavy cream (heavy cream usually has about 36%-40% fat content) instead.
This is easy but is so delish...give it a try I feel you will be happy you did. Making it tonight.
Cheryl, thank you for your kind words. 🙂 Glad you enjoy this recipe!
I used dairy free “half and half” and dairy free Parmesan and this recipe still turned out well, my husband and I both loved it!
Melina, I am so happy to hear that this recipe worked with dairy-free options. Thanks for sharing such helpful feedback!
Hey can I make this sauce ahead of time and save it
I do not recommend making a cream-based sauce like this ahead of time as it can be difficult to reheat (it will lose its texture).
This recipe was just delicious and so unbelievably easy to make and very company worthy as a main dish as well. Just add a beautiful fresh salad and some fresh bread. So beyond incredible made and served with Shrimp but just as worthy made with chicken. Try and enjoy. You won't regret it!
Wow! Your comment made my day! Diane, thank you so much for the 5-star review and such an enthusiastic and uplifting comment - I really appreciate it! 🙂
This was delicious, it filled four people. I made my breaded chicken breasts and sliced them into the centre of the linguine on each plate. I added 4 (16 in total) cherry tomatoes cut in half around the edges of each plate and finished them off with fresh basil leaves. The dish looked restaurant quality, stunning and delicious. Will definitely make this again.
Deanne, I just love love your presentation of this dish - I can picture it clearly in my head! Thank you for taking the time to share such a thoughtful and detailed comment and the 5-star review - I really appreciate it!!
Hubby said it was even better the next day.
Glad the recipe was enjoyed and that it tastes good the next day! 🙂
So good. Added roasted eggplant and tomatoes. Will make this again..
Bobbie, thank you for such a positive comment! 🙂 Love your additions of roasted eggplant and tomatoes - deliciousness!
Little to no flavor. I don't plan on making this again.
Added more tomatoes. Really nice flavor. Loved the garlic!
Karen, I am glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Delicious! One of my new favourite meals! Thank you!
We used whipping cream and evaporated milk.
Love this recipe!
Steph, I am so glad you liked this recipe! Thank you for the feedback about the whipping cream and the evaporated milk.
Followed directions as written but the cheese and half and half didn’t get smooth at all was chunky sauce 🙁
I made this dish and it was phenomenal! Absolutely loved and it was easy to reheat and good the nwxt day! Highly recommend!
Heather, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for such a positive review - I appreciate it!
Trish, I am so sorry to hear that! Did you use a block of Parmesan cheese that has never been frozen and grated it yourself? Sometimes, I find that freezing the cheese changes its texture.
After you put the 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese in when does the remaining half go in?
Hi Teresa, in the same step where I say to add 1/2 cup of cheese, it says to add the remaining cheese later if the sauce is too thin. So, it might be enough to just add 1/2 cup of cheese, but do add more cheese if the sauce is too thin to thicken it.
Hi there! I haven’t made this yet, but was wondering if the Sun dried tomatoes were just kind that come in a pack ? Instead of the jar kind in oil.
Thanks!
I used the sun-dried tomatoes that came in a glass jar with olive oil. I drained them as well as I could. But you can use the ones that come in a pack, too, since you will be cooking them in olive oil according to the recipe instructions anyway.