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    Linguine with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

    Published: Feb 16, 2019 / 184 Comments

    540.3K shares
    • Facebook2.5K
    Recipe Print

    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.

    linguine with spinach and sun-dried tomato cream sauce on a plate

    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 spinach and sun-dried tomato cream sauce in a skillet

    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.

    linguine with spinach and sun-dried tomato cream sauce on a plate

    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.

    linguine with spinach and sun-dried tomato cream sauce on a plate

    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.

    cooking garlic and sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil in a skillet

    2) Add 1 cup of half-and-half, paprika, and ¼ teaspoon of salt.  Bring to boil and reduce to simmer.

    adding half-and-half to sun-dried tomatoes and garlic and olive oil in a skillet

    3) Add shredded Parmesan cheese.  Stir for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts.

    adding shredded Parmesan cheese to the sun-dried tomato sauce in a skillet

    4) Add spinach.

    adding spinach to the sun-dried tomato sauce in the skillet

    5) Keep stirring on medium heat until the spinach wilts, about 1 minute.

    wilted spinach in sun-dried tomato sauce in a skillet

    6) Add cooked and drained linguine to the sauce.   Stir well. Taste the linguine, and season with more salt, if needed.

    adding linguine to the skillet with sun-dried tomato sauce and spinach

    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
    4.89 from 280 votes

    Linguine with spinach and sun-dried tomato cream sauce

    Linguine with spinach and sun-dried tomato cream sauce takes only 30 minutes to make! This simple Italian pasta requires only ingredients!  This creamy linguine is a perfect weeknight dinner!  Serve it as-is or with grilled chicken or seafood.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4 people
    Calories per serving 424 kcal
    Author: Julia

    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

    What is half-and-half? To substitute for 1 cup of half-and-half, do this: combine ½ cup of whole milk with ½ cup of heavy cream.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    Linguine with spinach and sun-dried tomato cream sauce
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    424
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    14
    g
    22
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    8
    g
    50
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    39
    mg
    13
    %
    Sodium
     
    630
    mg
    27
    %
    Potassium
     
    788
    mg
    23
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    53
    g
    18
    %
    Fiber
     
    3
    g
    13
    %
    Sugar
     
    5
    g
    6
    %
    Protein
     
    20
    g
    40
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    4565
    IU
    91
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    16.8
    mg
    20
    %
    Calcium
     
    428
    mg
    43
    %
    Iron
     
    2.9
    mg
    16
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    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.

    Keyword linguine, linguine sauce
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Wendy

      June 21, 2021 at 11:07 am

      Just about every recipe that calls for sun dried tomatoes never specifies if it uses sun dried tomatoes packed in a jar in olive oil or the sun dried tomatoes that are packaged dry. Which do you use for this recipe?

      Thank you

      Reply
      • Ruby

        June 22, 2021 at 3:36 pm

        I use the ones in a jar with olive oil and always comes out delicious!

        Reply
        • Julia

          July 13, 2021 at 6:17 pm

          I also used the sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil sold in a glass jar.

          Reply
      • Tracy

        June 24, 2021 at 5:08 pm

        I use sundried tomatoes in a jar with olive oil. They're more flavorful and softer. I also use the olive oil in the jar to cook with.

        Reply
    2. Andrea

      June 18, 2021 at 11:59 am

      Can the sauce minus the pasta be refrigerated. If so how long will it keep?

      Reply
    3. Elsie Lucas

      June 13, 2021 at 12:48 am

      I made this dish tonight for dinner, it was a delicious and flavorful hit! My family loved every fork full! It is a keeper! I made a few changes as we are vegan! I used gluten free pasta, full fat coconut milk and dairy free parmesan cheese.
      Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Julia

        July 13, 2021 at 6:48 pm

        Elsie, you are very welcome - so glad you enjoyed this recipe!

        Reply
    4. HausDoctor

      May 14, 2021 at 11:21 am

      Fabulous recipe!

      Reply
    5. Leah

      May 08, 2021 at 8:43 pm

      Can you make the sauce ahead of time or will it loose something?

      Reply
    6. Crystal

      April 25, 2021 at 5:52 pm

      What is a good non-dairy substitute for half and half? Coconut milk maybe?

      Reply
    7. Angela

      April 25, 2021 at 8:33 am

      I made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious! Very tasty. If I’d been served this in an Italian restaurant I’d have been very happy

      Reply
    8. Jordan

      April 20, 2021 at 7:52 pm

      even after adding extra paprika, the sauce was not like the picture at all in terms of color. the sauce also came out liquidy and somewhat lumpy because of the cheese i guess. it’s upsetting that i spent so much money on this recipe and it came out gross.

      Reply
      • Joy

        April 26, 2021 at 4:32 pm

        I must say this recipe looks delicious too!
        After reading the recipe, one change I would/will make right off the bat, is to change the half and half to heavy cream!
        I make creamy pasta dishes all the time, and this is a must!
        This will make it more smooth and luxurious.

        Make sure you cook the cream till it thickens to a nice consistency. The recipe also said to add the Parmesan cheese to the sauce before the noodles, but I prefer to stir the noodles in the sauce first, THEN add the cheese afterwards.
        (just my personal preference) I think it always turns out better;)
        Hope that helps!

        Reply
    9. Khistina

      April 11, 2021 at 11:51 am

      Can someone please tell me what half and half is. Thank you

      Reply
      • Taylor

        April 22, 2021 at 1:18 pm

        Half and half can be found in the grocery store near the heavy whipping cream usually. But you can substitute it.

        Recipe Notes
        What is half-and-half? To substitute for 1 cup of half-and-half, do this: combine 1/2 cup of whole milk with 1/2 cup of heavy cream.

        Reply
    10. Helen Kennedy

      March 26, 2021 at 6:56 am

      Delicious, a quick recipe that is so luxurious. I made it for the second time last night and it was even better second time around. I used smoked paprika, as I found the jar of that first and thought "what if..." The first time I used a supermarket salad mix of spinach, kale and shredded beetroot (beets) which gave it a pretty pink colour.

      Reply
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    Hi, I'm Julia! Welcome to my recipe blog where I share easy-to-make weeknight dinners and other recipes using simple ingredients!

    I have made and tested all of the recipes presented on this site personally.

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