Easy wins again! I’m on day 6 of an 8 day work week, so that means two things: I’m tired and I’m hungry. Quick skillet pasta dishes like this Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta are perfect for such an occasion. They require only a few ingredients, cook up super fast, and leave me feeling full and happy! :)
Anyway, tomorrow is Monday (again) and the week will be long, so I hope this recipe helps make dinner time a little faster, easier, and more enjoyable for you this week! Enjoy!
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What to Serve with Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta
This Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta recipe is kind of a meal on its own, but you may want to add a side dish, like crusty Garlic Bread, No Knead Focaccia Rolls, or a light Simple Side Salad. You can also beef up the recipe by adding some Garlic Herb Baked Chicken Breasts, or browning some Italian sausage in the skillet in the beginning, before the onion and garlic.
Can I Substitute the Cream Cheese?
This version of Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta uses just a touch of cream cheese and Parmesan to make a regular tomato sauce ultra-rich and creamy. If you’re not into cream cheese, you could also add a splash (1/4 cup or so) of half and half or heavy cream to achieve a similar effect.
Can I Use a Different Pasta?
I used regular pasta, but whole wheat would actually be pretty good in this and would add some extra fiber and nutrients to make it a more well rounded meal. You can also switch out the shape for another short pasta, like bowtie pasta or rotini.
Can I Use Frozen Spinach?
I was lucky enough to get spinach on sale for $0.99 per bag (score!), but if fresh spinach is just out of your price range, you can add about 8oz. frozen spinach that has been thawed and squeezed of its excess moisture. This would also be really good with sliced mushrooms. Just cook the mushrooms along with the onions and garlic in the beginning. Or, hey, you could always do a plain creamy tomato sauce. Nothin’ wrong with that!
Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. penne pasta ($0.75)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.28)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.59)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper (optional) ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste ($0.03)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.08)
- 2 oz. cream cheese ($0.20)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.31)
- 4 oz. fresh spinach ($0.65)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and continue to boil until tender (7-10 minutes). Drain the pasta in a colander.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the creamy tomato sauce. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to a large skillet and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (3-5 minutes).
- Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), oregano, basil, crushed red pepper, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to the skillet. Stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and a 1/2 cup of water to the skillet and stir until the tomato paste has mixed into the sauce.
- Turn the heat down to low. Cut the cream cheese into a few pieces and then add them to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Use a whisk to stir the sauce until the cream cheese has fully melted and the sauce is creamy. Add the Parmesan to the skillet and stir until it is melted into the sauce.
- Add the fresh spinach to the skillet and gently stir it into the sauce until it has wilted (2-3 minutes). Add the pasta and stir until it is well coated in the creamy tomato sauce. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.
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Nutrition
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Love this dish? Try our Spinach Tortellini Skillet!
How to Make Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add 8oz. penne pasta. Boil the pasta until tender, then drain in a colander. You’ll prepare the creamy tomato sauce while the pasta is cooking.
Dice one onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Add them to a large skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent.
Add ½ tsp dried basil, ½ tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, a pinch of crushed red pepper, some freshly cracked pepper, and one 15oz. can diced tomatoes (with juices) to the skillet and stir to combine.
Also, add 2 Tbsp tomato paste and ½ cup water to the skillet. This will help make the sauce thicker and with a more tomatoey punch. Continue to stir and cook over medium heat until the tomato paste has been mixed into the sauce.
Turn the heat down to low. Cut 2 oz. cream cheese into chunks and add it to the skillet. Stir or whisk the sauce until the cream cheese has melted into the sauce. It will look a little clumpy at first, but the cream cheese will eventually melt and the sauce will smooth out.
Once the cream cheese has melted in, add ¼ cup grated Parmesan. Stir until the Parmesan has melted into the sauce.
Add 4 oz. fresh spinach to the skillet. Stir the skillet until the heat from the sauce wilts the spinach (1-2 minutes).
Finally, add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet and stir to combine.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Shown garnished with another pinch of Parmesan and freshly cracked pepper.
Hi, I just wanted to say this recipe is very special to me because I first made it about 8 years ago and have been adding to it and customizing it ever since, and now it’s one of my FAVORITE meals that I cook. Thank you!!!
I have made this a couple of times
My husband and son love it !
Made it again and added prawns
Absolutely delicious
It will always be part of our dinners now
Easy and delicious the prawns added another dimension!
Will add chicken next time
We love it just as it is as well
Awesome recipe!
This looks so freaking good. Your partner must love this!
This recipe was delicious and super easy to make. Did not change anything and will definitely make it again. My 90 year old father enjoyed it!
Wow, this pasta recipe is incredible! The flavors are perfectly balanced, and it’s so easy to make. Definitely adding this to my weekly rotation!
Fation from http://www.pastadaily.com
I made this tonight on a whim because I had some baby spinach to use up. It is incredibly delicious! I made it as written except added in some diced cooked chicken breast at the end with a splash of heavy cream (in addition to the cream cheese). I used angel hair pasta because it’s what I had on hand. My whole family loved it and my husband asked me to make it again. Thank you for a great recipe.
Not sure where your pricing comes from but this meal is way more expensive than it says here. This is far from a budget meal! I just bought the main ingredients and it came to $30 in Sacramento, CA. Just forewarning folks.
Add chicken and about half a jar of semidried tomatoes.
Just trust me and do it. Thank me later.
Very happy with how this recipe turned out it was super easy to make and very delicious. I used a sweet onion instead of yellow, which I think help cut some of that acidity, sugar another review suggested- I like that it’s on the lighter side, doesn’t feel too heavy or too creamy. paired wonderfully with the suggested baked herb chicken.
If I could give this recipe 10 stars I would. I did add one extra clove a garlic, nothing else. This recipe is out standing.
I made this tonight for myself and look forward to eating the rest tomorrow. I added a tiny bit of sugar to cut the acid of the tomatoes. I will definitely cook again! Thank you!
Really good! Surprising for how easy it was
I don’t like spinach, but this dish made it tolerable. The sauce is really good. Too much spinach, like waaaay too much. Maybe 3oz is better.
Not letting my feelings of spinach change the review, FYI.
Delicious! My husband and I loved it. So easy to make and the flavour was great. I had googled pasta recipes with spinach and your’s appealed to me with the ingredients I had on hand and it just sounded delicious. Thank you!!
I made this tonight with our garden fresh tomatoes. Delish!
My kids (teens) love this and I make it frequently. It can be a challenge to fill up teen boys on a tight grocery budget and this is one that checks all the boxes! I serve with a side salad. I usually use frozen spinach in this sauce, which works well too!
It was very good, I love seasonings so I added probably a lot more than called for, Im one of those that just adds seasoning til it looks good. And I used rotini pasta which was great. I used extra tomato paste for a more bountiful flavor. Basically I intensified all the flavor. And It was good 😌👌🏻
Personally I had to toss the whole dish. Really was not a fan.
Everybody loved the recipe! Apparently you did something wrong!!
Did you follow the instructions? There’s a few places mistakes could be made. I’d try it again.
Easy fast and tastes very nice 👌
Very good and easy recipe Beth!
I didn’t have any cream cheese, so I used the half and half as you suggested to another reviewer. I also had a parm rind and fresh basil, so I added that, as well as mushrooms. I used chicken pea pasta!
We each had seconds and there were no leftovers! Thank you!
My ex was a picky eater who would literally only eat pasta and insisted that this was the best one in the world. I dropped him bc he sucks but I still make this from time to time… it’s a great and easy crowd-pleasing staple recipe. I don’t think anyone could dislike this recipe if they tried, to be honest.
Just finished eating this and we loved it. I hadn’t read to blurb, just went straight to recipe. I had cooked some chicken breast earlier in air fryer so just threw them in sliced up. Yummo
I wish the prices on some of these old recipes would be updated.
Great recipe a little misleading on the price.
It needs more flavor to me. Perhaps some kind of stock? Like chicken or vegetable. It was good, don’t get me wrong. But it just needs something a little extra.
Considering this is a recipe that you could almost make at any given time with pantry staples, I was IMPRESSED. I doubled the pasta, sauce, spinach to eliminate leftover anything and added some sweet Italian sausage for my husband the carnivore. The spinach is just there, it isn’t one of those where you feel like it interferes with the taste or overall enjoyment. You could also easily make the sauce and run through a food processor to hide the extra veggies and give it a better texture. Will make again.
If you’re family likes the sauce, and not just pasta definitely make more sauce triple it. I made it per instructions and it’s very dry. We like sauce with our pasta. The recipe is delicious, just make more sauce.
Great recipe fast easy and cheap. What else can you ask for.
Could you swap out cream cheese with sour cream?
Hmmmm. I’d more so recommend swapping for 1/4 cup or so of half and half or heavy cream. We haven’t tried sour cream and I feel like it would be a little too tangy of a flavor for this. You could try it though! I think the consistency would be fine, I just worry about the taste.
Can I add chicken strips? Will it ruin the taste? I don’t cook and I’m not sure
You could! It definitely won’t ruin the taste, but since you’re adding more to the pasta you may want to increase some of the sauce ingredients as well so it’s saucy enough!
Great recipe! How much is a serving? 1 cup?
If there’s a certain serving size to note, it will be located next to the serving amount in the recipe card. For this recipe, it’s just 4 equal servings, there’s no measurement amount provided. :)
I used Banza chickpea pasta spirals for this recipe and it is delicious and diabetes friendly. Though don’t take my health advice! I used 1 tsp Italian seasoning and rosemary olive oil.
Did this exact same thing for more protein and it was amazing! This recipe is such a keeper
It’s a great base. We added more seasoning. We garden – so in the summer we will slow roast tomatoes, onion, basil, rosemary and garlic. We then freeze in ice cube trays, break out, vacuum seal the cubes; then add to any savoury dish those flavours would work in. Also added more cream cheese to make it creamier. Salt and pepper too.
I would make this again. Thanks!
I’m not a fan of onions, so I didnt use it. But man, this is DELICIOUS. So much so that I invited a friend over just so I could make this for her. Thanks, Beth! One thing I might suggest.. I’m a new mom and new to the working of cooking homemade meals as my parents rarely did: can you add if you can make your recipes ahead of time, or more importantly how long your meals can last in the fridge as leftovers? Thanks again, Beth!
We try to add that info when available, but a lot of times it’s hard to predict without testing and it can depend a lot on several factors, including personal preference, so there isn’t always a definitive answer.
For dairy free, could I use a half can (or so ) of full fat coconut milk?
We haven’t tried it but I think that should be just fine! I usually hear good things about the Country Crock Plant Cream in creamy sauces as well.
This is such a good, quick weeknight meal, and I especially love it because I usually have most of these ingredients on hand. In case else anyone is wondering if you can “one pot” it, I tried it out this week and it came out great!
This is what I did:
-skipped step 1 of boiling the pasta and went right to sauteing the onions and garlic.
-added all of the ingredients from step 3 (tomatoes, spices, etc) – stirred to combine
-added about a cup and a half (I just used the can the diced tomatoes came in, to be honest) of chicken broth – I use better than boullion – plus the uncooked pasta
-followed the usual BudgetBytes guidelines for cooking one-pot pasta (brought to a boil, lowered to a simmer, covered and cooked until the pasta was al-dente and sauce had thickened slightly
-added the cream cheese, parmesan and spinach as described in the recipe
Quick and very tasty. The whole meal can be done in 25 minutes, my family loved it. Best with a pasta with grooves on it.
Delicious! This was my first time making this recipe, but it’s so easy that I’m adding it to my veggie week rotation menu. Thanks for sharing!
This recipe has been a favorite in our meal rotation for months! Reliable, pretty quick, and easy to modify to your liking (I use double the amount of cream cheese and about a cup of shredded parmesan).
I also have started making a variation with quinoa instead of noodles and chopped zucchini to make a delicious and satisfying meal prep lunch for the week!
So tasty! Only change I’ll make is that my garlic didn’t have as strong of a flavor as I like, so I’ll add more next time. I love how quick and easy this recipe is. Definitely adding this one to my recipe box.
I’ve made this dish many times and each time it’s a hit. This one of my husband’s favorites!
I’ve made this many times. It’s one of my go to recipes. Today I substituted spaghetti squash for the pasta. Really good!
Very good recipe, and easy to tweak! I used a 28oz can of whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes (they make the best sauce in my book!) and eliminated the diced tomatoes and paste. Also, simmered fresh basil from the garden until wilted, then discarded. Used about a cup of water to rinse the can of tomatoes into the sauce, and reserved about a cup of pasta water to thin it out and add some body towards the end. Wife loved it, I loved it, it’s a winner! Thanks!
I followed recipe perfectly. It did not have much flavor. Very bland. Will not make again. I wouldn’t recommend, it’s not a memorable dish.
I got it down to 1 pot by making in the pressure cooker, for those interested. Saute onion and garlic with the saute setting, add pasta (I doubled everything, so 1 lb pasta), add tomatoes and seasonings. Add 3.5 cups of water, top with spinach. Note- don’t stir. Pressure cook for 6 minutes. Then add cream cheese, tomato paste, and parm. Thanks for the easy, cheap, and family pleasing dinner!
This cooked up quickly, but was lacking in flavor. I think 4 servings is a stretch, maybe 3 at the most for a main dish. Next time I will save some pasta water to help add body to the sauce.
Simple, tasty recipe! This is a genius way to use up leftover cream cheese (which I often have in my fridge, and it often goes bad). I also tossed in some mushrooms and zucchini. This is going to become a regular in our dinner rotation!
Hi! Could I use another short cut pasta like paccheri instead of penne?
Yep! That should work fine.
Looks delicious.
Cream cheese where I live is soft so uncuttable. How many tsp should I use?
Can I use frozen spinach? 🫠
Good recipe but too light for me, I would add 1/2 pound of ground beef to make it more filling, and maybe some peppers to make it less bland. I substituted Oregano with Ground Cumin and used 8 oz drained canned spinach instead of 4 oz fresh.
I substituted cream cheese with marscapone, a splash of heavy cream. Aleppo red pepper. Cherry tomatoes and basil from my garden. We loved it!
This recipe was okay. I made it exactly as written. It’s not a recipe I will make a 2nd time.
Really enjoyed this pasta and I’ll be making it again, but for me it was missing something. The flavour was a bit bland, it needed a kick of some sort but I can’t think what. (Also, the calories for me came out at 400 instead of 300, but I’m in the UK so that could just be down to ingredients being a little different.)
Made this last night. Added pan fried sweet italian sausage and pureed the diced tomatoes (kids!). Everything else to recipe.
No complaints and no leftovers.
Thats as high a compliment as you can get.
I found this recipe when it was first posted in 2013; soooo I guess I have been making it for 10 years now lol.
My wife is lactose intolerant, so I use lactose-free (full fat) cream instead of the cream cheese. It still gives the same effect I find, making it rich and creamy and delicious! I still use the shredded parmesan, because she is able to handle that, but definitely if you have loved ones you are cooking for who are especially sensitive to dairy products, adjust the dairy levels to fit your family’s needs!
Has anyone tried making this and then freezing it? I will be making this for about 17 people and was wondering how it is, if I make it before hand and freeze it
I have a family member who despises tomatoes. Can I leave them out and just add the juice from the diced tomatoes?
Yes, though the viscosity of the sauce will be affected. xoxo
Thank you. Any suggestions on a substitute so that doesn’t happen?
You could try using roasted red peppers instead?
Thank you Melissa. I did make it without tomatoes and it was still amazingly good.
I’m dairy free. Do you think I should try vegan cream cheese or maybe hummus instead of regular cream cheese?
I would say vegan or dairy-free cream cheese will most likely be the best substitute. However, you can also try using some full-fat coconut milk/cream or pureed silken tofu. For the Parmesan, you could swap it for a pinch of Nutritional Yeast (but use a little less, because a little goes a long way!) ~ Marion :)
Easy and delicious!! Loved it! Made it exactly as written.
I made it exactly as instructed. Very easy to make and testy. Thank you!
Hi! So I made this recipe last night for my husband and 10 month old. Everyone loved it and in fact hubby said he couldn’t believe I made it!!
I did change a couple of things.
First I used 1/4 teaspoon of onion and garlic powder instead of the actual (didn’t have any).
Second, I didn’t use chili flakes. Instead I used diced tomatoes with green chiles. Sooooo good!!!
Third, I followed someone else’s comment here to add the pasta right into the pot dry and cook it right in the sauce. So I upped the water from 1/2 cup- 2.5 ish cups, I kept adding more as needed to keep the noodles covered. Yay for less dishes lol
Lastly I used raos rigatoni. Also didn’t add all that Parm it called for, I just added a little on mine right before serving.
And extra spinach.
Amazing amazing amazing!!! Highly recommend you try this!
Loved this dish! Added frozen vegetarian crumbles for added protein (warmed up alongside onion/garlic while they were being sauteed). So yummy and great meal prep option!
My onion to tomato ratio was way off. Unfortunately, it ended up as more of an onion pasta. It still tasted ok but I would cut back next time. I would venture to say only half an onion is needed.
I had the same experience. SO much onion! Needs a 1/2 or 1/4 of a whole onion. :)
Outstanding!
Easy, quick and delicious meal. Came out perfect. Everyone in the family loved it.
no option to convert measurements, pretty ignorant considering very few countries use the system listed.
You are more than welcome to covert the rates as we do to the metric system. Sometimes you have to take your own initiative rather than complain.
I’ve been making this recipe for a couple of years for my picky toddler, and I recently discovered a shortcut to this recipe. The shortcut yields the pasta sauce to be creamier, and it adheres better to the pasta noodles itself. Instead of cooking the pasta separately, place the dry noodles in with the canned tomatoes, and ADD an additional 1.5 cups of water. There is already 1/2 cup of water in the recipe listed, so bump it up to two cups of water total. Don’t change anything else. Then go about finishing up the recipe. The texture is even more perfect, along with perfectly-cooked noodles.
Thanks for this tip! Made it tonight using the 1-pot method and it worked great.
GREAT! Cheap, super easy, I recommend!
This is SO darn good!!! I followed this recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing.
Delicious and simple!
I love this creamy pasta. I tried this and it was awesome 🙂
So easy and so good! I added sundried tomatoes at the end. Awesome weeknight meal. Will definitely be making again.
I made this for dinner tonight and added leftover shredded chicken to it. It was sooooooo good and the instructions were easy to follow!
What is the serving size?
One serving is 1 cup of cooked pasta, about 1 1/3 cups, with all of the veggies. XOXO -Monti
Can mascapone be used instead of cream cheese or heavy cream
Absolutely. Love mascarpone! XOXO -Monti
I used ricotta and pecorino Romano. The spinach was more forward than I expected. It was excellent and easy.
Very yummy sauce! I could have just eaten by itself with a spoon!
Can you substitute diced tomatoes with crushed tomatoes?
It will change the texture of the sauce just a bit, but not the flavor. I say go for it! XOXO -Monti
Loved this. I doubled the recipe and used Italian seasoning mix, but otherwise followed exactly. I will definitely make this one again, so easy and delicious.
So happy I found this recipe. It was delicious. I used cherry tomatoes instead and it was still great!! Thank you!!
This is an excellent pasta dish! I made the following modifications: I used fire roasted tomatoes and doubled the amount. Added sliced Hungarian sausage for some protein and added some sliced bocconcini to the top. I let the bocconcini get all melty before serving. Shredded the Parmesan onto the individual servings.
Easy and lovely recipe! Just a little over 30 minutes and dinner was ready. I was so relieved since it had been a long day at work and I didn’t want to make anything complicated. This has great flavor, quite creamy.
Can you substitute the canned tomatoes with fresh tomatoes? If yes, would you still add the tomato paste ?
Yes, you can sub with fresh, and yes, still use the paste. XOXO -Monti
I subbed the canned tomatoes for a pint of fresh grape tomatoes and added about a cup of the pasta water and it was great;).
I have the world’s pickiest 3-year-old, and this is one of only two pasta dishes she’ll eat without a problem (the other one is the sundried tomato one on your site). Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Win!! XOXO -Monti
This Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta seems delicious and unique. My kids love pasta , will definitely gonna try this one.
I currently have all of these ingredients and that is what I’m looking for. Thanks and I look forward to trying your recipe.
Made this sauce tonight and put on some spinach and ricotta ravioli from Sam’s club. Threw in some leftover meatballs from the freezer. It was amazing. Also, I used some fresh tomatoes I had from my farm box instead of the canned.
I loved how quick and easy this recipe was but I did think it lacked a bit of flavour. next time I would double spices. Still a great weekday recipe though.
I added some chicken to this recipe and it was so delicious! Definitely keeping this one as a regular for us! My husband and I thought it tasted like a fancy pasta you would get at a nice restaurant.
Made this to satisfy a craving for Fresh Corn Grill’s sun-dried tomato pasta. It turned out even better thanexpected! I used whipped cream cheese and added about 3/4 cup of frozen roasted corn towards the end.
Loved this. Used red lentil pasta for some added protein. It was even better the second day after the flavors mixed a bit more.
This was incredible! We loved it! The sauce was flavorful and rich and made the kitchen smell like an Italian restaurant. This is a dish I will certainly make again.
Can I use frozen spinach?
You can, but the texture won’t be nearly as nice as fresh spinach for this recipe. :)
I make this at least once a month. I always add portobello mushrooms and extra spinach. Occasionally I’ll use goat cheese in place of the cream cheese because that’s what I have. Its always such a hit. I think it would be wonderful w/ blackened shrimp.
Delicious! This was a great recipe, Thank you for sharing a great recipe.
Love this Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta, seems super delicious and super excited to this delicious recipe. My kids gonna love this one.
This was a great recipe to use up some pantry staples and fridge odds and ends. My sauce turned out a bit thin when using macaroni noodles, but I suspect it is because I did not train them well enough. Still, we really enjoyed this. Thanks for another great recipe!
Adding a very belated rating to this go-to recipe. My husband and I have made this recipe every few menu cycles since we got married 9 years ago. We love it. We’ve made it with whatever greens we have on hand, different pastas; it’s all good.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was awesome! My food-picky hubby went back for seconds, saying how good it was, and he also commented how beautiful it was on the plate. I used thawed frozen spinach, but otherwise followed directions. Served with Pepperidge Farms Garlic Texas Toast. It was simple and delicious–thanks!
Just made this for dinner and absolutely loved it! I added shrimp to it and it’s even better.
Delicious! I used Neufchâtel cheese instead to reduce the fat content a bit, and cooked some shrimp with the garlic and onions for a protein source! Definitely would make again!
Something about a beautiful bowl of pasta makes it that much more exciting to eat. Love how simple this is yet it looks so delicious and like you had to spend a lot of time to make it. Score!
So good!!! Definitely try this and was super easy to make! We added extra cream cheese!
Made this the other night – was delicious! I am a vegetarian, so I cooked up some yummy Field Roast Veggie Italian sausages first with the onions and garlic (and a little red wine) – Definitely a keeper! Important (as another reviewer noted) to use good quality canned tomatoes.
Hi. Do I need to do anything special if I want to double this recipe? Thank you!
Nope, just make sure you have a skillet big enough! :)
Thank you SO much!
Beth! I love you, and I love this recipe!
I recently found out I am gluten-sensitive, and have been lactose intolerant all my life. So this weekend I got some vegan parm and cream cheese just for this recipe. Pricey, but oh so worth it!
I ended up using sliced mushrooms, frozen spinach, crushed + diced tomatoes with herbs, and this awesome yellow pea macaroni we got to try different (read: better) gluten free pasta options.
I have been missing bread SO MUCH since trying to limit my gluten intake, and let me just say….. Dairy and Gluten Free….. this tastes like PIZZA! The garlic, creaminess, mushrooms, starch… and with this fancy pasta I made it vegan with over 15g of protein! I am in LOVE!
That’s fantastic! Thank you for sharing how you made it because I’m sure that will be helpful to someone else. :)
This was amazing! My Fiance’s now favorite meal. The second time I made it I added 3 oz of the cream cheese and 1/2 freshly grated parm and it was to die for. I am a Dietitian and I am trying to portion this out for my clients with diabetes. What serving size are you basing your nutrition on, One cup? less? Thank you again!
The nutrition data is calculated based on ¼ of the finished pasta. I don’t have the exact volume of the serving because that can vary so much based on how you measure something that’s kind of bulky and awkwardly shaped like this pasta.
I originally made this using the diced tomatoes on sale (kroger organic) and it did not taste good, way too acidic and just not good. I tried it again with the some crushed tomatoes that were more expensive (Polpa Di Pomodoro) and the flavor was night and day. Tastes delicious. I also swapped regular penne for banza (the garbanzo bean pasta) because it has more protein per serving. I am trying to lose weight, while also staying vegetarian and increasing protein like this helps a lot- I don’t get hungry immediately. It comes to 342 cal per serving and 17.1 grams of protein.
Great recipe! Very easy to make with products that I tend to have in my pantry. I did this dish with the homemade garlic bread and the meal was fantastic! Everyone went back for seconds. I’ll definitely do it again.
Even though I used a jar of pasta sauce to speed things up, this recipe came out great. Super easy and delicious with with lots of red chili flakes that gave it a punch. Even my picky 13 year old asked for seconds! Thank you!
A whole house hit, great taste and super simple to make. Even my mother in law who isn’t a fan of chunky tomato said she would just eat around them, it was that good!
I have made this for years now. I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. I add thyme, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, a pinch of sugar. I add chicken, meatballs, shrimp, anything. Sometimes I use fresh tomatoes, sometimes canned. It’s so versatile & you really can’t mess it up. All of my guests give rave reviews time after time. One night I even made it spicy and went into labor. So thank you, with all my heart.
This is my favorite pasta dish! I spice it up even more with a little chili powder& extra chili flakes! Sometimes I add an additional can of Rotel tomatoes.
This is my family’s favorite pasta dish! I make it very often. Delicious! I omit the frozen spinach and use the drained pasta water instead of plain water. I also use different types of pasta, like Radiatore or Rotini.
Thank you for this great recipe!
I love Paste !!! will be my next breakfast recipe , thanks for sharing
So tasty!!
Made this dish with my roommates and it was a fan favorite. :) Followed the recipe to a T. Well done!
Made a double batch of this, with mushrooms and some chopped rotisserie chicken added. That made it a great one dish meal for my family, and with enough left over to make a couple of work lunches for me during the week. Great and simple recipe.
Why use 6 units of measurement instead of just saying grams everywhere so its clear?
Because in the US we don’t use grams as a unit of measure. It would make more sense to you but if this recipe was in grams i would be totally lost haha
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I used linguine and added some chicken sausage.
Can I sub the cream cheese with whipped cream?
You could do heavy cream, but you probably won’t want to do a sweetened whipped cream that is normally used for dessert. Even with heavy cream it will change the flavor slightly (less tangy) and the sauce won’t be as thick.
Hey, I want to make this but with fresh tomatoes to utilise our produce. How should I go about doing that? Should I blanch and dice the tomatoes and then add them or I could put them in the oven and they’d become a sauce that way so I could add that? Also if I add fresh tomatoes would I still need to add tomato paste?
Unfortunately, that’s quite a big change to the recipe so I’d need to test a few methods to see how they turn out before offering advice.
Did you try it with fresh tomatoes? I have some grape tomatoes I wanna use for this too! 😁
I’m not sure if you found your answer, but this is what I plan to do tomorrow..
I’m going to make a recipe for “diced tomatoes” in the afternoon, so I will have the “can of diced tomatoes” for dinner. The diced tomato recipe seems really simple, just a bit of extra work 😉
I will then just make the recipe as normal.
Easy and tasty
Trust me when I tell you to add shittaki mushrooms to the garlic and onions omg, also roasted pine nuts as a garnish on top when plated. This dish is sold at a high end Italian restaurant in town which is why I was looking for a recipe to match it for cheap and this taste exactly like it I’ll be making this once a week for the rest of my life haha
Sooooo good! I blended the diced tomatoes and used heavy cream instead of cream cheese. Came out amaaazing 🤤🤤
First time making this, and it wont be the last. The entire family loved it.
This has been one of my favorite recipes for what feels like years now. Just wanted to share that! So so good!
This was delicious . Everyone liked it. I had all the ingredients already and it was quick and easy. It tasted like I put in a lot more effort than I actually did 😉
I’ve made this 4 times. 2 times exactly as the recipe is written. Delicious! Once I added mushrooms and zucchini. Delicious! Once I replaced the cream cheese with goat’s cheese. Delicious! Thanks for this recipe.
Can I use frozen spinach ?
You can, but the texture will probably be a bit more stringy. You’ll want to fully thaw the spinach and squeeze out the excess moisture before adding to the pasta.
This is the best pasta I’ve ever made. I was astounded at how good it turned out. The sauce is absolutely mouthwatering. It would be great with some chicken too. I will definitely keep this recipe. Thanks!!
This is good!! I added some grilled chicken just because. This will definitely be one of my new rotations for when I want to treat myself! (Fiancé doesn’t like tomatoes or spinach haha!) I enjoy how it is not difficult to make as well.
Im really hungry
Made this last weekend and it was SO good. I added rotisserie chicken to it!
Do you have any experience freezing this? I was wondering about cooking it all the way through then freezing in a foil pan and reheating maybe in the oven?
I haven’t tried freezing this one, unfortunately. A lot of times creamy sauces don’t do so well with freezing and thawing, but this one uses cream cheese which tends to stabilize creamy sauces, so it might work!
I added bacon and put extra parmesan. It would’ve been amazing without it, but oh my GOSH it’s so good.
Delicious! I blended it up before adding the cream cheese because it was a bit too chunky for my toddler and it was a good call because he liked it! :)
I make this all the time, it’s delicious.
This is delicious. I blended the sauce to make it less chunky. Then I subbed mascarpone for the cream cheese.
I made this dish and it was FABULOUS! It even freezes well. My son likes a lot of spice/ hear so I increased the amount of chili flakes. I also added in chopped mozzarella cheese in the end the covered the dish to melt in the cheese. I will make this over & over again. It is out of this world DELICIOUS!
I used rotel instead of tomatoes and sour cream instead of cream cheese & it was DELICIOUS! 10/10
So I made this and I feel like it lacked flavor. I tried to save it and I added ricotta cheese in the leftovers I had; but to no avail. Tomorrow I’m going to pan sear some parmesan crusted chicken and mix together some fettuccine and spaghetti sauce to make an easy pink sauce. Hopefully I can save it and not have to waste all that pasta.
I made this for my family who loves pasta. I never make sauce from scratch and everyone LOVED this! It was simple, quick and smelled so fresh and yummy. Also, someone said they loved it bc it wasn’t too acidic like a lot of sauces. Definitely recommend.
Made this for dinner. It was delicious. We all enjoyed it. Will definitely make it again. Thank you!
I’m not a novice cook. I trialed this recipe and it is nearly flavorless. This is going to be a one and done recipe.
I was looking for a quick recipe to use up some spinach so I made this for me and my dad. we were both so surprised at how delicious and amazing it is! soooo tasty. I’ve never used cream cheese in a creamy tomato sauce before but it WORKS!
Literally the best pasta I’ve ever made!
Instead of 1/2c of water, I used 1/4c water and 1/4c milk! So delicious, definitely will make this again.
This was delicious!
Excellent! I made this exactly as written and I wouldn’t change a thing. I panicked a bit after adding the spinach because it looked like way too much but it cooked down to just the right amount. It reheated well in the microwave for my lunch. I will definitely make this again.
Love the pictures above. Thanks for sharing
This was absolutely ridiculous!!! I added chicken seasoned with an unknown amount of olive oil, Italian seasoning, oregano and basil which was cooked at 350 for approximately 25 minutes and it was fantastic!! Thanks so much!
I had this recipe for a while now and decided to give it a try .All I can’t tell you it was delicious . I add some sausage and some mushrooms this recipe is definitely a keeper . Thank you
Made this for dinner last night after searching for a recipe that would include spinach, which I had a lot of. It was filling, tasty, and colorful. The aroma of the sauce filled my kitchen in a good way, and I loved the bites of chunky tomato, and the diced onions that filled each forkful along with the other ingredients. I will definitely make this again.
Super easy and I added Italian sausage too!! It was delish!
Everything was wrong about this recipe. The cream cheese gives the sauce an unappetizing appearance. The Parmesan cheese ended up clumping in the sauce. The amount of spinach was wayyyyyy too much. It had a weird after taste. Not good. Sorry.
I think the weird after taste must have been from your satly tears when you were dicing the onions. Just like your salty attitude!
Haha thanks for the laugh, Lindsay
I do love the ingredient index feature and the ability to scale down the recipes. I had half a can of diced tomatoes leftover from another of your recipes so I checked the index. This recipe is perfect for tonight (Friday/Lent) since I have all the other ingredients on hand, too.
Family loved it! I could eat it all by myself. Addictingly yummy!
Made this with vegan mayo instead of cream cheese and it was such a hit!!
Can I use ricotta cheese instead of cream cheese
I’ve never tried that, so I’m not sure how it would turn out. But keep in mind that ricotta and cream cheese have very different flavors and textures.
We made this yesterday, only without the Parmesan because we don’t like it much. It still tasted great, we’ll definitely make this again in the future! Thanks for the recipe.
Oh wow, these look amazing and thank you so much for this recipe. I have saved this one in my recipe box
Very quick and delicious dinner…we doubled the recipe ❤️
I loved it! I added lesser cheese as I thought it would be too much but it was still quite nice! I think adding more cheese will be good, since without it tastes more like the normal tomato paste pasta. But still, five stars. Definitely going to try this again :)
So easy and absolutely delicious. Very simple recipe with lots of flavor. I added Mushrooms and chicken to my sauce.
Thanks for sharing
AHH it’s actually very nice! I didn’t expect it to be so not greasy since a lot cheese is added it’s actually tastes quite delish! I was very surprised! But I love it!
Wonderful sauce, will definitely use again.
FYI, the salt and crushed red pepper is missing from the photo steps. I missed it when I made this. :(
Fixed! Thanks for catching that. You can definitely add those to the finished dish, too.
Very good. Like the comments say..it really does taste like a Olive Garden dish. I swapped out the water with heavy cream for more thickness. Will definitely be making again.
Super yummy! Cheap to make and tastes like an Olive Garden at home. Kid-approved!
Making this dish. Can’t wait to try it
Delicious and easy’
This was easy to make and absolutely delicious! I sautéed chicken sausage before cooking the onion and it was so good! I saved about a cup of pasta water before draining it and used a little bit in my sauce before adding the pasta back in. I will definitely be making this again!
When I make it it doesn’t come out as saucy as the picture. What am I doing wrong?
Are you adding the ½ cup water in step 3?
I was always taught to save a cup of pasta water before draining. That way you can add it to the final dish if needed.
I can’t thank you enough for this wonderful recipe… My husband ain’t a big time fan of pasta items but this was a game changer for him too… Now he is hooked to this recipe & it never disappoints in making a perfect weekday lunch/ dinner
This pasta was sooo good and sooo easy. It’s the perfect weekday dinner. I will absolutely make this again.
Used elbows instead of penne and omitted the tomato paste (because I had none) but this recipe was still amazing. It’ll def go into my rotation when I need to use up a bag of spinach.
I make this frequently and it’s delicious! It’s great leftover as lunches as well. I recently made a bulk batch of homemade sauce and froze it, and I just made this again but used that sauce instead, and it came out just as good. One of my favorite easy pasta recipes!
Just made this for dinner tonight…SO GOOD! Some recipes are giving me meals that are every bit as good as paying high prices at restaurants, and this is one such recipe. Will save and make again…only change I might make would be to use half as much onion, and finely chop it. Otherwise, great meal!
Had everything right in the fridge for a quick and easy dinner! It’s so delicious 😋
Made this for lunch with some minor tweaks (added 4oz button mushrooms, upped the parmesan) and it was straight up delicious. Definitely keeping this one bookmarked,
This recipe was amazing!! Simple recipe yet tasted so good! My husband, who doesn’t typically enjoy pasta dishes, gave it a 10/10. It was a hit with my kids too which is a win! Will definitely add this to my rotation!
I just made this and I must say it’s on o the easiest recipes I have ever made. I added chunks of chicken to mine.
I loved it!
Made it with fresh chpped tomatoes and added chicken pieces and bell peper. I also used frozen spinach instead of fresh. Thank you so much for the inspiration.
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Highly recommend.
I have no less than 70 of your recipes saved in my AnyList app (which is a great app by the way) and while I haven’t come close to trying them all, the ones I have tried are wonderful. Your emails are the ones I check first, and I’m not even a budget cook! Thanks for sharing your talents!
Delicious!
My daughter and I have been doing date night Sat nights during this Covid time.
We pick a new recipe to try, dress up, make it and rate it.
My daughter picked this one for last night and definitely a 5 star!
We follow the recipes to the tee the first time, then change/add after that if we want.
This was not only a 5 star because of the wonderful flavour but also for how easy it was to make!
We made a small “Olive Garden” salad and garlic bread with cheese on the side and mmmmmm!!
Thank you very much for this recipe. Will definitely make it again and again!
Cynthia & Jordyn.
This recipe was so clear and easy to follow, and it turned out so good!!
I love this recipe. Make it as written and it will be perfect. Even my picky kids love it, I have made it 3 times in the past weeks, with some crusty bread and a salad. Love!!
This recipe was so good. Used ingredients from home and didn’t need to go to the store. I did not do garlic and onion.
This was so easy and so good! Baked some chicken to go with it ..whole family loved !!
I’ve been on a budgetbytes recipe kick this week, and this is another great recipe! I used what I had, half and half instead of cream cheese, a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, garlic powder instead of fresh garlic, and frozen spinach instead of fresh. I also doubled the spinach for an extra hit of veggies. Even with all these minor changes, it was still soooo good. My husband loved it and even went back for seconds, the true measure of whether or not he’s pretending to like something. Really delicious, flexible, and easy to make!
This recipe is absolutely perfect as is. I had some turkey kielbasa and some mushrooms so I sautéed them and added to the recipe. It took it over the top. I also used Italian seasoning instead of the herbs in the recipe…essentially the same thing. It was a big hit…plates were empty and people in my family who don’t eat much got up to get seconds. I made it two nights in a row and put in a whole block of cream cheese the second time around. Cheese is life. This recipe is a keeper for sure. And it’s so easy! Thank you!
Fabulous recipe! I had a few sweet mini peppers, so I cooked those in with the onions. I forgot the parmesan and didn’t miss it. This dish was a big hit and used up a bunch of leftovers. I’ll be making this often.
Really very nice and very tasteful recipe
Made this for dinner tonight. It was tasty. I doubled the sauce as hubs likes more sauce on his pasta. I also subbed marscapone for cream cheese. Will make this again.
Hi could you make this without the diced tomatoes?
This was really good and very tasty! I sauted brussel sprouts along with the garlic and kelibasa and put it over lobster ravioli bc that’s what I had. Fantastic! A hit with everyone! I had no idea I could use cream cheese rather than heavy cream for a cream sauce. Perfect!
Fabulously tasty and easy. I didn’t have any spinach on hand, so I used a can of callaloo instead, and tossed in some diced leftover chorizo (weird to even have any leftover chorizo, I know, so this must have been destiny).
Unbelievably delicious. My family loved it! Thank you for the recipe.
Unbelievably good! Added chicken and it turned out great. I doubled the recipe too. I would definitely make again.
So my grocery store doesn’t have canned tomatoes, but lots of tomato paste. Could I just used tomato paste in the recipe and if so, how could I alter it?
Also thank you so much for the recipes you provide! I have been following you for years and haven’t had one bad dish.
That was amazing! I made this with mini farfalle pasta and did a double batch. I also cooked some italian sausage ahead of time and threw it in before the spinach. It was very yummy. My 4 year old loved it!!
Delicious! Any recommendations for protein to go with this next time I make it?
Beth recommends these herb roasted chicken breasts.
I just made this using tomato basil chicken sausage from Aldi and it was the PERFECT complement. 10/10 from my husband, parents, and kids.
amazing recipe. my favourite go to spinach tomato pasta!
I doubled the recipe but in place of the Can of tomato, I used a container of cherubs diced in the food processor along with one 15 oz can whole tomatoes diced. I added fresh broccoli. So yummy!!!!
My daughter found this recipe when she was in college and on a budget. She sent it to me and we love it. I have cut up a rotisserie chicken and added that. My husband likes to add shrimp. I guess you can add whatever you want it’s that versatile. One other thing I do since I’m not a fan of chunks of tomatoes is to put the diced ones in my food processor and it’s perfect.
I use passata instead of tinned tomatoes to get the same effect of no bits, works a treat and saves me some washing up!
I’m normally not much of a pasta person, but this dish was incredible!!! And bonus points for the leftovers keeping well. Definitely making it again.
This is a new favorite. I added mushrooms and used rotel with chiles and it’s everything I didn’t know I was missing. Is good with veggie pasta too!
Can I sub the fresh spinach for frozen? Thanks in advance!!
Yes! I’ve made it with fresh often. You’ll just have to use quite a bit more. :)
Do you know the nutrition info on this dish?
Hi Elyssa! We do not have nutrition information yet, however we are working through our recipe database to add it to all of our recipes. You can read about our nutrition disclaimer here. So stay tuned!
Probably the easiest and most delicious pasta I’ve made to date! Really enjoyed this recipe.
Well thank you Suezan!
Can any leftovers be frozen?
Thanks!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You can freeze the leftovers :)
This was a great recipe! Added sausage to it for some added protein ☺️
Thanks Lauryn!
I just made this and it was sooo easy and so delicious! I usually don’t eat tomatoes but I don’t mind them in this dish (:
Hooray! Thanks Amber!
Delish! Ii liked how quick and easy to make this was . I altered it a smidge by adding in some mushrooms and red pepper as well as 1 tablespoon of pesto , and feta to garnish!. Will be adding this to my supper go to list for sure!
Thanks Becky!
This was sooo easy to make and was absolutely amazing!!!
Thank you Sylvia!
Love this dish. Stole the recipe from my daughter. I shred a whole zucchini and use that in place of spinach. I use less water or less chicken broth as zucchini has a lot of water and add 3 tbsps of paste. 😋 😋 😋
Ooh great swap!
This is so easy and tastes incredible!
Do you know if it would freeze well?
Thanks!
It definitely could!
I’m going to make this tonight! Curious if I do a whole pound of pasta I’d i need to double this recipe, though. The pictures make it look like there’s an abundance of sauce.
You could certainly try it out and let us know!
I haven’t made this in a few years, but when I first discovered it it was on repeat in our house. Such a simple pasta, but bursting with flavor. It’s easy, doesn’t take too long, perfect for a weeknight dinner. Reheats well!
Thanks Jordan!
Can you use frozen spinach instead of fresh? I’d really like to use spinach but the fresh spinach at the moment is a bit out of my price range. Thanks
Yes, but the texture won’t be quite as nice (it will be stringier or in small pieces if you buy “chopped”). Just make sure to thaw and squeeze out the excess water before adding it to the skillet. :)
Wow this recipe is everything and more! Seriously, so good!
IS it ok add sour cream if I don’t’ have cream cheese.
Sour cream might work, but it can sometimes curdle in hot acidic liquids, and this one is acidic because of the tomato.
I’ve made this many times and I love it! It’s so simple, affordable, and delicious. Tonight I added cooked shrimp because my husband needs the added protein since he’s weight lifting. It was a great compliment to this dish!
Thanks for the work that you do, Beth. This website is a wealth of wholesome, homecooked recipes that anybody can cook. And the price breakdowns are really helpful. It’s a godsend for a working mom on a budget, like me. :)
Thank you, Emily!
Olive Garden has some competition I’m extremely pleased and surprised with how well the recipe turned out !!
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I had splurged at the Greenmarket on $5 a bunch spinach from Fledgling Crow Vegetables certified organic farm (in Essex, NY) and wanted to use it immediately, while in peek nutrition, on something that would turn this divine spinach into a whole meal rather than side dish. I’ve read about putting cream cheese in pasta before and been skeptical, but this works. It hasn’t even a hint of bagel and cream cheese flavor as I’d feared ( great, but just not how you want your pasta to taste!). I was out of tomato paste, and mine turned out beautifully without. I added a little more of everything so it would work on a pound of pasta. For our family of four it was just enough. We probably would’ve eaten a pound and a half of pasta. I used beet fusilli by https://www.sfoglini.com/. (8$) My tomatoes, onion and basil were also local and green market fresh, though, unfortunately, not organic (it’s a little soon for field and these are grown in a greenhouse in New Jersey). Perfect platform for them. When I’ve got the discretionary income, it feels right to use the money to support small, local organic farms and businesses. They’re scraping by. Cooking seasonally makes it more affordable. Finding fast, delicious recipes like this is welcome —because then you don’t waste the expensive produce you splurged on —the worst!
Best pasta i’ve had. Thanks for the recipe, this is amazing!
Loved this recipe. Added some sliced up sausage that were cooked down with the onions because I like a meat. Very flavorful sauce.
Quite yummy! I used both mushrooms and spinach, as well as a dash of wine. The hubby thought it was delish as well!
My family loved this so much that my husband offered it for a grad party! Can I make it and put it in a crock pot to keep it warm? Will it end up mushy?
It will probably get mushy. :(
How many calories per serving?
I’m sorry, I don’t have nutrition info.
Is there a way to make this dairy free
Unfortunately I don’t have a dairy sub for this one. The cream cheese and Parm play big roles in both the flavor and texture, and changing those will drastically change the outcome.
No need for extra salt. Tomato paste has some, unless you use the no-salt-added, and Parmesan cheese has plenty. If some pasta lover who has high blood pressure, as I do, it would be worth giving a bit of thought to leaving out the salt. It won’t be missed, not with all that flavour. I’ve half a mind to fix this dish for my lunch tomorrow! I love pasta of any kind. Thank you for breaking me out of a food rut! 😀
Easy, delicious. Made vegan by subbing vegan cream cheese and doing nutritional yeast instead of parm. This be has been in the meal rotation for a while. I made this tonight without realizing I didn’t have tomato paste- a tsp or so of better than bouillon made a decent substitute in a pinch!
I ran into an issue where this became more watery than creamy. I’d like to give another go at it, so I’m wondering if anyone’s got an advice on what I’ve might of done wrong? Thanks. :)
Great recipe the family loved it. I added red capsi and sliced salami cut into strips. I had no cream cheese so added zoosh creamy garlic dip instead yum. This will now be one of the regular meals, thank you.
This recipe is so simple, i’m only 14 and was able to make it all on my own for my family, delicious too! just the right amount of spices, will definitely make this one again!!
This was awesome!! I doubled this recipe and served 6 including kids who loved it. Next time, I will add some sundries tomatoes, artichokes and capers to experiment a bit more, but this was one of my favourites!
So easy and I had most of the ingredients on hand already. This is a very forgiving recipe with lots of wiggle room for adding more vegetables or spices. We loved it!
Could someone please give me the nutritional info if spolt into 3 portions please?
This was so yummy!!! I added a bit too much of the red paper flakes but overall so much flavor and so delicious! Thank you for this.
This was so quick, I had everything to make it on hand, and it turned out delicious! The recipe was so easy to follow I will definitely make it again.
This looks so good! Do you have a recipe like this for an Instant Pot?
No, unfortunately I don’t.
Was great & easy!! Could definitely use more garlic than what was called for! I also used fresh basil on top, instead of dried in the sauce. I added shrimp to mine too, for some extra protein! And some sirracha for those that like it spicy!!! Will definitely be making again!
What are the nutrition facts?
GREAT flavors, but I could just not get it to be creamy! Added everything properly and in the right amounts. Oh well. Still love the combo of garlic/onion/tomato/spinach.
We tried this for the first time last night. Delicious! Adding mushrooms really added some umami to the dish. We’re hosting a luncheon on the weekend and will be serving this for sure. The colours are magnificent!
This has been a dinner staple in our house for a couple years. We love it. I use thawed frozen spinach and squeeze it out really well and use scissors to make it into smaller pieces. Then I can pass the spinach off as “spices” to my kids. I also add another couple tablespoons of cream cheese. It’s good the original way but we love creamy pasta.
I just made it for our six guests and everyone,all six, loved it. It’s simply delicious. Try it, you won’t regret.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. Simply loved it.
Made this tonight for myself, hubby and our very picky three year old. Needless to say, she absolutely loved it as did my husband!!! So delicious! Definitely will make this again soon!
I’ve made this before and added shrimp for a little protein. Delicious!
I make this frequently when I want a meatless dish. It is sooo good. I have made it with fresh and canned tomatoes. I used minced garlic from the refrigerator tonight. It is always delicious and comorting.
Made this tonight using vegan cream cheese, goat cheese (for more flavor), and Romano instead of Parmesan (my preference). It was wonderful! Thank you for this! Will definitely make again!!
Used fresh diced tomatoes, added more salt, kept some pasta water for the sauce and it came out so gooddd. I made homemade garlic bread as well.
Great recipe and delicious. I will make this again. One of my favorites!
Nutritional info per serving?
Very solid recipe. Super easy to make and tasted great. Substituted 1 tablespoon of onion powder for the onion in a pinch and low fat cream cheese.
Added beef. Browned beef w onions and spices – Italian seasoning, pepper, Lawrys, garlic powder. Also used Garlic and Herb cream cheese for added flavor. Doubled recipe for a big family. Delicious!!
I did not like the dried oregano and basil. It made it taste like jarred sauce- will try again with no oregano and add fresh basil
Could you freeze an extra batch of this?
I actually haven’t tried freezing this one, so I’m not sure how well that creamy sauce would hold up.
I found this recipe and made it twice within 2 weeks. I made it exactly as stated, except for doubled the recipe. Great, easy recipe. It’s my girlfriend’s new favorite meal.
Made this recipe a dairy free recipe. Subbed Daiya cream cheese for regular cream cheese, and, pecorino for the parmesan.
Turned out great!
I did not read the recipe throughly and added all the cream cheese and it was YUMMY. I also added spicy smoked sausage which I browned first and tossed in while the sauce was simmering. Definitely not as light as intended but it’s pasta so oh well! Loveee this recipe. Thank you.
This is one of my favorite pasta dishes. Light and delicious. I’ve made many, many times. Thank you!
Made this tonight, loved it! Such an easy and good base recipe.
What a brilliant and easy pasta recipe, I added shrimps and broccoli and it was simply perfect, thank you so much for this recipe. I am sure I am gonna be making it again and again and again.
Sorry, not “easy” or cheap. Cream cheese for one, is expensive and the total dish is about one, maybe two servings.
which part did you find difficult? Chopping onion and garlic? Opening the can of tomatoes? or measuring the 1/4 of the “expensive” $1.48 package of cream cheese and saving the rest for future servings of cream cheese dishes? Geez, just get a banquet dinner next time.
Dear Diana
First of all as the professional person putting out a Blog I think it’s very Unbecoming of you to totally criticize a person for I’m not so positive review on a recipe you put on. Not everybody might have the same cooking skills as you and I think it was very unprofessional. I’m not sure what part of the country you come from prices do very and I think your pricing was a little out of line the recipe is a good recipe and can certainly be tweaked to each person’s preference.
Hi Freya,
I’m Beth, the author of this blog. I just wanted to make sure you know that the previous comment is by another reader, not anyone associated with this blog. I always let negative comments stand as-is so that other readers can get an unbiased impression of the recipe, from multiple view points. Your review is just as valuable as anyone else’s. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
This was delicious! We are snowed in and I didn’t have cream cheese on hand, so I substituted sour cream and it turned out so yummy.
Love this recipe. I have used a similar one for years from a milk calendar https://www.dairygoodness.ca/recipes/pasta-with-creamy-tomato-sauce.
I recommend getting a pampered chef can opener. It is a bit pricey but totally worth it! I’ve had mine for years.
Delicious and very forgiving recipe. Didn’t have some of the ingredients on hand- substituted V8 for some of the tomato ingredients. Added Italian Sausage. Still ended up good. Next time will make sure I have everything in the house. 😁
Good recipe! However, I personally put in in half the amount of water that the recipe calls for.
To make this meal higher protein and less carby, we eliminated the pasta and served the sauce over grilled chicken! Delicious! I love the sauce! 🤤
Excellent! Made a double batch . Everyone loved it. Will definitely make it again .🛒📸🍝
This was delicious!! And really easy to make. Definitely going to be a go to.
Could I use the pasta water or does it have to be normal purified water ?
Yes, you can use pasta water. :)
What’s the nutritional information per serving?
I’m sorry I do not have the nutritional information.
Made this tonight. It was really good! I doubled the recipe and added chicken that I tossed in at the end.
This was my first budget bytes meal and I am HOOKED. It was absolutely delicious. After looking through some comments, I added chicken sausage and mushrooms and must say I’m very glad I did. They enhanced an already delicious dish.
This was fantastic! I added Andouille sausage to negate the vegetarianism. Next time we make this (there will be many next times) we’d like to try adding sun dried tomatoes for extra flavor.
As a side note: I do not like spicy but my husband does; the pinch of red pepper flakes was a perfect middle ground for the both of us.
Thanks for this one!
This recipe was delicious! It’s definitely a keeper. Next time, however I’ll use 6 oz. of pasta instead of 1/2 lb.
This was perfect, as I was in a pinch tonight. I would skip the red pepper flakes, as it makes it too spicy for me. But it is a good pasta! Love it.
Great recipe thank you! Do you think it would freeze ok?
This one would probably freeze decently. :)
Can you add coconut milk instead of cream cheese to make it vegan?
No, I don’t think that would produce similar results, unfortunately. Coconut milk is far too different in both texture and flavor from the cream cheese.
Have you tried cashew cream? It works well with Italian dishes if you’re trying to veganize it
Is it possible to use fresh tomatoes in place of canned? I am loving tomato season right now!
You probably could, but it might not turn out exactly the same because you might not get as much juice out of the cooked down fresh tomatoes and there was in the can of tomatoes. Plus, you may also need a pinch more salt. :)
Excellent and easy to make. I added shrooms and used veggie stock instead of water. The sauce wasn’t quite thick enough because of using gluten-free penne, so I thickened with some cornstarch. I will use fresh herbs the next time, that should put it over the top! I served the pasta next to pan seared talapia. It would be good with shrimp or chicken too, but is good enough to stand alone.
Can You used canned spinach instead of fresh spinach?
I wouldn’t suggest canned spinach for this one. In a pinch you could use frozen spinach that has been thawed and squeezed of excess moisture, but the texture will still not be that great. For this recipe in particular fresh definitely works best.
can’t wait to try this along with many of your other recipes. thanks so much!
i just joined your website and can’t wait to start my ‘budget’ cooking…..thanks so much!!!!!
This dish was so delish. I needed something different to get out of the weeknight slump and this recipe was A+. My picky 4 year old ate it. Utterly shocking. I did change some steps. For instance I cooked frozen spinach and sausage on another skillet. Fresh spinach ends up going bad when I buy it. And I added more cheese. Overall great dish.
Beth your recipes are great and your site is my #1 go to for easy and tasty meals!
This pasta dish is delicious. Our family loves tomatoes and spinach so this was perfect. Everyone loved it and our family is very picky so this was unusual. Definitely going to make this dish again!
you need to get an OXO can opener and you will never buy another one! Haven’t tried this recipe yet but love every recipe I have tried on your site!
Is there any good way to convert this to an Instant pot recipe?
Since this one is so quick cooking, I don’t think you’d benefit from using an Instant Pot. You’d probably just use the sauté function, which would be the same as cooking it on the stove top (except a little less flexible since it only has high or low).
Not too much of a tomatoey sauce person but this was Quick and delish! Ugh thanks! Hubby thinks adding bits of bacon and shrimp will be nice.. hmm defintely shrimp for sure.
This came out DELICIOUS for me.
Any idea on the caloric count?
I’m counting calories.
Nice Post… thanks for sharing this yummy and healthy food recipes ides with us…Plezs share more recipes with us..Yummy recipes
Can I use whipped cream cheese that I already have?
Yes, that will probably work fine. :)
Can this be frozen for an easy work lunch?
I actually haven’t tried freezing this one because I eat it up too quickly! Haha! Usually pasta dishes freeze well, but sometimes cream sauces don’t, so I’m not sure how this one will fair.
Why do none of these recipes ever have calories??
The nutritional information you see on recipes around the internet are vague guesses at best, and can be very misleading. I don’t feel comfortable posting data that I don’t trust and can not verify. Instead I leave it up to readers to use the nutritional calculators that they trust to calculate the information themselves. If you Google “recipe nutrition calculator” you’ll find several to choose from, but keep in mind the calculations are not very accurate.
This is a great recipe. The only thing I would do differently is to double or triple the sauce. I used rotisserie chicken but it would have tasted way better with shrimp.
Can you substitute the cream cheese for anything else?
You can do a splash or two of heavy cream. It won’t be as tangy as the cream cheese, but it should be quite nice.
Do you have the macros for this?
can you add any meat or shrimp to the recipe
I added shrimp and it was a hit!
Delicious! Added extra garlic and sun dried tomatoes though! Definitely need the red pepper.
Just tried this, sooo damn delicious!
I made this last night and my family loved it. My youngest said she’d eat it again. TY.
Never thought of putting in cream cheese, so yummy though! Works really well, I added some chopped up pumpkin and zucchini just because I had them in the fridge… so you could almost add anything!
Best creamy tomato pasta recipe EVER!! Thank you so much for sharing this!
This receipe showed up when I googled meal prep for lunches. Will this recipe store well for 5 days? Looks amazing!
This should stay good for about 4-5 days, depending on your refrigerator and packaging.
So good! Reminds me of my favorite dish to order at Noodles & Co! I will add turkey sausage next time – an idea from the comments!
My god that music is catchy! Does anyone know the name of the song from the video?
I just made this meal tonight & it was super easy & D E L I S H!!!! Thanks for sharing it!!!
Hi Beth,
Do you know the nutritional information for this recipe?
Thanks
No, I’m sorry, I do not have nutritional info for my recipes.
Best pasta ever! Freezes well too! I make a whole batch and freeze in containers …great for my busy university kids!
I added some venison chorizo and a few cherry tomatoes just after the onions and instead of spinach used baby french kale, but otherwise followed the recipe and it was delicious!
Omg so yummy! Only thing I did different was add polska kielbasa too it. Definitely will be making it again
I made this before I knew this existed as a real recipe:)
The only difference with mine is that I added uncooked penne to the sauce with enough water just to cover the pasta and it made the dish very rich. It’s a family favorite.
Thank you for the recipe! I subbed cream for cream cheese and added a little balsamic vinegar for some extra zing. It turned out great!
This recipe was great! Very flavorful and a nice change from a standard tomato sauce and pasta. My husband isn’t a fan of chunky tomatoes so before adding in the spinach I just transferred the sauce to another dish and used my immersion blender and vola! No complains from the husband.
Gotta love the magic of the immersion blender!
We made this last night for dinner – we threw some sliced smoked turkey sausage into the pan after sauteing the onion so we could add some extra protein without spending a whole lot of time cooking chicken breast or fish or anything. We used a box of whole wheat penne and doubled all the ingredients since we made a full pound of pasta to get a few nights’ dinner out of it. It was quick (my husband cooked it in about 20 minutes after I got home from work!), fairly cheap and very tasty. It’s like a tomato cream sauce but not as heavy as those made with cream, so you don’t have that bloated “I ate way too much” feeling afterward. Very satisfying though. We talked about how you could do endless alternatives – gnocchi or tortellini instead of penne, shrimp or sausage added in to make it more hearty, and you could add mushrooms of course or white beans. I’m sure you could substitute kale or swiss chard for the spinach but personally I liked the softness and subtle taste of the spinach compared to a more stemmy veg. Love most of your recipes (I’ve tried about half a dozen in the past month!) but this one is definitely one of my top choices! Even my picky toddler daughter loved it :-)
Could I sub the tomatoes for tomato sauce or purée? We don’t like tomato chunks..
I think that would probably work. It’s hard to say for sure without testing it, though.
Have you tried adding chicken to this dish?? Wondering how to do so?
I would cook the chicken until browned in the skillet before adding the garlic and onion. :)
I made it once with chicken tenders sliced diagonally and browned first in the skillet. It was delicious!
I just made this for the first time, I know it is an older posting, it is fabulous. I wish I could post a pic because it looks identical. Thank you for this!!!
This was delicious and I will be making it again!
If I don’t want to use cream cheese, what do you think I could substitute it with?
Either heavy cream or sour cream, but with either you may need to add a bit more salt.
Can you use frozen spinach instead of fresh? I’m planning on making this tonight but only have frozen on hand…
Thank you very much for this simple, & so delicious pasta. My husband loved it!; ; just wanted to make a quick dish for lunch… saw this recipe, had all the ingredients … well, after cooking it, not just the dish looked beautiful, but this dish tasted superb! My hubby’s comment:” The best pasta since Tuscany! “.❤️
Can you freeze this?
Creamy sauces don’t usually fare so well after freezing and thawing.
Thank you !!! This recipe was amazing!! My whole family loved it:) We will definitely make it again!!
I made this last night, and it was so delicious! I’ll definitely will be making this again in the future.
The story of your can opener is a good reason I buy tomato paste in a tube. No waste.! Many recipes call for only spoonfuls and I’ve wasted so many half cans of tomato paste I feel bad about it.
You can freeze it in ice cube trays 👌🏼
Could we have the nutrition information and serving size?
I have been plotting on making this dish for a couple days now. I almost made it last night, with all intentions on adding chicken breast! Instead I made something else, and currently have my penne boiling to make this dish. Following the recipe but on a larger scale, and definitely adding portabella mushrooms in the mix! Will be having this a nice juicy steak, so I’m extra excited for this meal. Never tried it, so thanks for your recipe! Oh by the way, Happy Valentine’s Day!
I am making this today also your cheese bread recipe so easy and tastes like takeout. This is my pantry meal so I am using what I have. I added jalep. peppers, roasted red and orange peppers from earlier this week and used some italian pasta I snagged at dollar tree last month. I am thinking this would make a great mexican pasta dish if you take out the basil and add a chiptole pepper in adobo sauce maybe some smoked paprika, chili powder and cumin if you wish.
I have tried this recipe twice now and both times were awesome! The first time I followed the recipe to the letter and the second time I subbed mushrooms and zucchini for the spinach. So good and super easy!
What in the world does a 27oz bag of spinach look like?! The only size option here is 5oz, and i can’t imagine using 5+ of them. Halp.
Sorry, the information did not get transferred correctly to our new recipe cards. I just fixed it. It should be 1/2 of a 9oz. bag. So, your 5 oz. bag will work just fine.
My 10 year old and I made this meal this evening and we absolutely loved it! Plus I love any meal that’s quick and easy. Win win! 😊
Uhhh… Yum! So, so good. Used whole wheat spaghettini and it was delish!
This is seriously one of the most underrated recipes on this blog. My husband and I have been making this dish since 2013… About to make it again tonight. Try it. Love it.
Tried it last night – really great!!!!
Thank you
Would chive and onion cream cheese do?
Oooh, I bet that would be very delicious!
Had this tonight- so YUMMY! Everyone loved it! Thanks!
This recipe is DELICIOUS!! It tastes like its from a 5 star restaurant. My entire family LOVED it. Will definitely be making it agin in the future!!
Substituted real tomatoes for the tomato paste and water. It was delicious. I also am interested in the calories per serving.
I have some leftover ricotta. Can I use this instead of cream cheese? Thanks!
It will definitely create a different texture and flavor than the cream cheese.
I loved this! I used whole wheat penne instead.
Any idea how many calories per serving ?
Easy and really good. Served with some garlic bread and yummy.
My fiance and I make this dish once a week and we just never get tired of it. And it is so cheap too! Thanks for posting it.
Yummy! Easy and tastes better than some restaurant selling it for $25 a dish.
Made this tonight and my family LOVED it! Super yummy and easy to make. I doubled the recipe but forgot to buy an extra can of diced tomatoes, so I doubled everything except the can of tomatoes and it still worked wonderfully! I also added some chicken.
Had this tonight and really loved it. Terrific recipe!
Can you subsitue frozen spinach for the fresh spinach?Please reply fast as i only have frozen spinach at home.
You can, but the texture isn’t as nice in the final product as fresh spinach.
I just made this…it is delicious! I have 10yr old twin nieces; one is a meat lover and the other is vegetarian. This is a meal that they both would LOVE!😄
Thank you so much sharing this recipe!
This is my first pasta EVER. well me making my own pasta, steps were so easy, I just became a vegetarian so this was good & no need to substitute anything!!! Quick and easy, economical for a full time worker part time student. Haha love love love
Hey! I substituted the can of dices tomatoes for a can of Rotel. Made it yummy and spicy. Also added a little shredded cheese. Thisnianaonwasy ans yummy!!!
(Correction) Hey! I substituted the can of diced tomatoes for a can of Rotel. Made it yummy and spicy. Also added a little shredded cheese. This was easy and very yummy!!!
This is so delicious! A little bit of cream cheese goes a long way in making this super simple meal taste extra special. I used some of your Thick and Rich Pizza Sauce that I had leftover in place of the tomato sauce in the recipe, and it was spectacular. I will definitely be making again.
For vegans you can add hummus (about 1/4 cup) to make creamy pasta sauce! So good!
Thanks for sharing this recipe, entire family loved it!!!
If you still need a can opener- this is the BEST! I’ve had mine 8+ years!
https://www.amazon.com/Kuhn-Rikon-Safety-Master-Opener/dp/B000B6NXL6
Is this good reheated? I want to have 5-6 servings of this. You have it listed as 4 servings- would you say they’re big servings or just standard?
They are standard servings but on the bigger side.
I enjoy the reheated leftovers. It does get slightly less saucy as the pasta absorbs a little moisture while it’s in the fridge. I would say they are standard-sized servings, but not exceptionally large.
Looks delicious! Could I substitute goat cheese for the cream cheese?
Yes that sounds like a delicious substitute.
Made it loved it 🍽 it was Delicious
Made this dish tonight, loved it! Thank you for sharing. I made 1lb of pasta so I doubled almost everything, except onion. I also used San Marzano whole tomatoes and crushed them, because it’s what I had and it worked just as well!
Why didn’t you double the onion? I’m thinking about doubling it as well. Going to the grocery store soon to get ingredients.
Made this last night it was a hit in my house both my husband and 5 year old loved it eating it right now as we speak for lunch wondering if you can make the same base sauce for other dishes like pesto or alfredo
Really great! Added pieces of chicken breast with the garlic and onion in step 1 and finished the steps as follows!
Seems like an easy-to-make recipe and also delicious. Maybe adding some precooked shredded chicken would make it all the more interesting if you are a die-hard non-vegetarian!!!
Sorry my last name had a spelling error!!!
I am excited to make this! 2 pan dinner = easy clean up!
Just made this. It’s fantastic!
really good simple vegetarian dish! lots of flavor
Thank for sharing this dish.
This was delicious! It’s definitely a keeper recipe!!
I made this for the second time tonight, and while it’s perfect as is, I made a few changes based on my personal preferences: I love spinach and goat cheese together, so instead of parmesan, I crumbled a handful of goat cheese into the sauce. I also added some sliced mushrooms (mushrooms belong in everything) and let the sauce simmer until they were soft. It turned out so savory… and comforting! I love this recipe (with and without any changes), it’s perfect for a cold fall day! I honestly can’t wait to have my leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Really tasty and satisfying. I’m a new vegetarian. ( 3 months) and I do get cravings for the “full” feeling sometimes. This really satiates the desire for flavor and makes me feel like I don’t need any more food. This is one of the best recipes I have ever found.
This was really tasty. As a newer vegetarian, I am having trouble finding recipes that are nutritious, but satiate my cravings. This does it all. It isn’t vegan, ( I am working toward that), but really tasty and really satisfying!
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I was looking for a last minute dinner idea that didn’t require a lot of time or effort. This recipe popped up in my Pinterest search. I added some sliced polish sausage, and subbed parm cheese with shredded Italian blend since that’s all I had on hand. It was so quick, easy and turned out super delicious. Thank you for saving this mamma tonight!
Sounds delicious! Bought all the ingredients to make for a party. Can I prepare this dish in advance??
I think this one works best when served just after cooking. I enjoy the leftovers and enjoy them quite a bit, but they definitely are not as saucy as when you first make it.
i actually prepared it all in advance, kept the sauce on warm and tossed it with the pasta just before company came. Absolutely amazing! Thanks for sharing. This will be a keeper for my fam for sure!
Awesome! I’m glad you found a good solution! Very smart. :)
Would it work to use a bag of frozen spinach?? I’ve got everything else! So will be trying next week!!
Yes, it will work, just keep in mind that frozen spinach is often much more stringy than fresh spinach. :)
Love this recipe, I have a question, we do not usually have cream cheese on hand but we do sour cream. Is that a suitable substitute? I’m so happy I found your site! I live cooking and cooking with my daughter who just turned 17 and one night wanted to treat me and cook dinner. I sent her the link to one of yours because not only does it have easy recipes with ingredients we always have in the pantry, you have easy step by step instructions and detailed pictures.
Sour cream will definitely give you a different flavor and a slightly thinner texture. Whether you will like the flavor or not is hard to say. :)
It was amazing!! I made it a little more saucy and added a dash of red wine 😉
Absolutely loved this!
The first pasta recipe that my 14m old liked 😊
Thank you for sharing this. Next time I will pure the spinach to ensure hub has his green!
We will be repeating this for dinner tomorrow.
Great recipe!! Can’t wait to try.
Very good, although I need to figure how to make it a little creamier. I added extra cheese, but that didn’t do it. Also used reserved pasta water instead of plain water, and added the tomato paste to the onion and garlic, and let it briwn a bit, for deeper flavor.
This was delicious! I added mild Italian sausage and sliced mushrooms. Family loved it, and will definitely make it again. Thank you!
I love pasta. I think it’s easy to prepare this recipe.
This was delicious! I kept with the original recipe and it was perfect. I was wondering though, could it be frozen? It just made way too much for our little family
I’m not sure I’ve tried freezing this one because I always eat it up too fast! :) Sometimes sauces with cream cheese don’t work so well after freezing/thawing, so I’m not sure.
This was the best pasta dish I’ve ever made! I skipped the dried oregano and basil. Instead i added Classico basil and parmesan pesto! It was absolutely delicious! Thank you for this recipe, this is going into my recipe book! ❤
I used freshly diced tomatoes. So delicious!
Thank you, this was so easy and very good.
Adding sausage to this is absolutely awesome.
I made this dish. The only thing I did differently was added sliced mushrooms. Myself and the family really enjoyed it! Thankyou for sharing!
This was really good!!! I’m actually trying to eliminate all animal products. I used nutritional yeast in place of the Parmesan cheese. But not sure what I can replace cream cheese with. Unless there is a vegan cream cheese. I’ll have to find out. But so so good.
We love this recipe. I added shredded zucchini in place of spinach and chicken broth in place of water. One question, does anyone know if this can be made ahead of time and frozen?
Seriously good recipe! This is a keeper
Hey Beth!
First I’d like to say that I’m 17 and I enjoy this website so much. It’s also quiet fun making these recipes with my younger sisters too. But I have onr question.
Can I use rainbow twirls pasta instead of penne?
Sure! I think that type of pasta would work fine. :) I’m glad you’re enjoying the site!
This sounds like it would be really good with spinach AND mushrooms!
Absolutely delicious!!!
Made this tonight because I wanted to do a similar dish that called for mascarpone cheese but it had gone bad. This recipe fit what I had in the fridge. I added fresh parsley, mushrooms, and arugula and it was so good!! Thank you for sharing!!
Very good. However- I recommend using way less onion. I already cut the amount down to 1/2 a medium size onion and I still thought it was too much. Perhaps preference. I 💜BB tho
Its a very good dish to make, i loved it!
I made it but substituted. Added sugar for acid to cook out of it. Tomato sauce instead of tomato diced. Chicken stock instead of cream cheese. Mozzarella cheese and didn’t do the onions at all. It really was good 4 servings total. Even had spinach fresh baby and spinach ravioli that made it creamy as I bit into it. Looked like something I wouldn’t touch but sooooo much better than I thought.
Very yummy dish!! The spinach really pulled it all together. Mine didn’t look exactly like the pictures but I bet it tasted just as good.
I and my whole family loved this . So So Good.
Could you sub plain coconut yogurt or full fat coconut milk to make it diary free?? TIA :-)
I’ve never used coconut yogurt, unfortunately, so I’m not sure how that will work out. Coconut milk would make it nice and creamy, but you’d be missing that nice tangy flavor that cream cheese has. It might also make the sauce more watery than cream cheese.
Wow! Cooked this for my family and they lobed it! Simple enough so I loved it too. I actually added chicken cuts to mine, alongside would probably be good too. I also was short of tomato paste so I substituted with marinara and a little extra cream cheese. Served with breadsticks and some boxed red wine for myself and everybody was happy. Will make again :) 4.6/5 stars
Nice, simple recipe that comes together quickly after work. I substituted cream cheese with leftover ricotta. I also didn’t have fresh spinach, but used frozen. My husband loved it & I appreciate how versatile it is with ingredients.
Amazing & easy to cook recipe. Thank you so much for sharing
Just made this. It was super delish. I used fresh tomatoes instead, didn’t have any canned. I also put cilantro instead of basil, it’s what I had in the fridge.but it turned out great!! 😋 thanks for the recipe!!
Love this flavor! The recipe is great however I didn’t see the step by step pictures (I immediately printed it out and started cooking!) Those pictures are helpful! The recipe calls for 1 small onion… well to me a small onion is the size of a tennis ball. In the step by step photo you can see it’s about half of what anyone would consider a small onion. The recipe also calls for 1/2 cup water with the tomato paste. I feel like my pasta turned out more watery then I wanted. I would sub 1/3 cup white wine (which will help the paste to blend and then evaporate) if you prefer not to use wine while cooking I would add 1/4 cup water instead. Lastly I used a equal part mixture of Parmigiano and Pecorino cheese . Pecorino cheese tends to melt a little bit better and made the sauce more creamy ( even with the extra water) This recipe is a must try! Delicious!
Delicious! Definitely a keeper…whole family loves this!
I just made it. I will use this again esp during the week. I will look for other recipes on your site. Thanks
This is my new creamy tomato spinach pasta to go too… was a great hit with my husband. Really tasty. Thank You 😊
Yummy meal! Made this from a suggestion from my eldest child, good pick! I wasn’t aware it was meat-less which is even healthier and would have been perfect for a Friday Lenten meal. In the future, I’m thinking about adding the mushrooms as suggested and maybe grilled shrimp. A definite keeper. By the way, I could only get the spinach in two 6 ounce packages, I loved the extra spinach and wondered why I passed on spinach as a kid, I was missing out a lot all these years.
Easy quick recipe — I added some mushrooms as well and it was fabulous :)
We loved it! This was simple and fast. I added some shrimp and a little extra red pepper.
Parmesan is not vegetarian!! Its contains rennet which is made from baby cow enzymes so if you want this to be vegetarian you need to use another kind of cheese
Made it for our guest tonight. I am already craving. Super easy
Can you freeze or refrigerate this and reheat it?
This one works really well as refrigerator leftovers, but can get just a tad dry as frozen leftovers.
I must try it! looks delicious
Im thinking of adding mild sausage!
Love this blog /website
Love the recipes and that you break It down with pictures
I’m glad I’m not the only one asking is it suppose to look like that lol .
I’m also glad I’m not the only one that thinks of things like 2T of flour is 2 cents
Thanks
So I thought this recipe couldn’t be as great as the reviews indicated- maybe it would be good, but not great. I was wrong! The only thing I altered in the recipe is that I used canned san marzano tomatoes instead of the regular cheap kind, and I might have added an extra 1/4 cup of them. I also reduced the added water to 1/4 cup because I like a thicker sauce. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to the T and it turned out PERFECT. The flavours and textures are great and I wouldn’t change a thing. I did find that this recipe, as a meal on its own without any side, only made three servings for me, and I don’t ever have the appetite for huge meals, so if I were making this for guests, I might double the recipe, or have a lot of sides. Even so, when I added it up, 1/3 the recipe is between 400-450 calories, which is a perfect-sized meal for me. This will be a go-to recipe for me the couple times a year I want pasta- thanks!
I enjoyed this recipe very much and was easy to make! Thank you!
As always, my family and I loved it! I am teaching my 10 y.o. son how to cook, and this was a fun one to cook with him. We added mushrooms. Loved the chunky tomatoes.
thanks for this recipe 😀
Love it. I think next time I might add chicken
This was absolutely delicious and so easy to make :) I used whole wheat penne and it turned out great!
Made this without the parmesan (forgot to add it to the shopping list) – I didn’t end up missing it! Might look around for a lower calorie alternative to the cream cheese, but if the sauce serves 4, it comes out to 122 calories per person and I can’t be too mad about that :)
Delicious….. came out perfect!! Hubby approved! Thank you
This looks delicious. I want to make it ahead of time and just heat it up for dinner. What’s your recommendation for doing that? I was thinking of putting it in a casserole dish and then in the over for 20 minutes. What do you think? Thanks for the help!
Hmm, honestly I’ve never tried to reheat pasta that way. If you do, I’d definitely cover it with foil because it will dry out a bit. I think this one will definitely be better when made fresh.
This looks delicious! Could I substitute kale for the spinach?
You’d probably want to sauté it first because it’s so much more sturdy than spinach, but it could work!
I love how simple this recipe is. It’s something I can whip up when I’m half brain dead, and desperately need something carby and creamy.
When I have a surplus of cream cheese, I double the amount in this recipe. I usually add more spinach too. And I pretty much always add Cayenne to this to give it more zing (if it’s just me and my boyfriend).
Made this for the billionth time last night, and my boyfriend had thirds. We love your recipes, thanks for a keeper!
Excellent! It was really easy to stretch this recipe to use the whole box of pasta. I had a nice ziti on hand witjh green beans, carrots, and spinach, Just used the whole can of tomato paste and more cream cheese. Restaurant-quality, I agree.
Absolutely delicious! Added mushrooms with the onions to add a bit more goodness and it tasted so good!! Also used a box of frozen spinach instead of the fresh kind as thats what I had on hand – made the recipe even cheaper which is an added bonus :)
This is absolutely delicious. I doubled the recipe to feed 4 people. My guests say it’s of restaurant quality. Such a crowd pleaser. I really think I can eat it all myself lol. Thanx so much for the recipe.
I’m looking for you tomatoe sauce that included sun dried tomatoes
WOW– this is SOOOO good! This is the best pasta dish I have ever made. My family kept asking for leftovers long after it was gone! I will double the recipe next time (and our family is only 3!). — this is also delicious with portobello mushrooms which I cooked with the onions. Thanks very much!! Monica
We love this recipe! Only thing is that my husband always wants to take some to work the next day for lunch but there are never leftovers lol! Right now we are watching carbs so tonight I am going to use spaghetti squash in place of the pasta and see how it turns out.
How did that turn out?
This recipe was fantastic! Simple & easy to make after a long day! Had to double the recipe for a whole pound of pasta to feed my big family & it came out amazing! Everyone loved it (even the kids). Will definitely make again, thank you!
This was really good. I added zucchini, used vegan cream cheese and left out the Parmesan. It’s a winner. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Lovely recipe I usually do not like tomato based recipe but this was really lovely will definitely have it again
Wow! My husband and I are amazed at how much flavor this delicious recipe has. It is my favorite new recipe this year (and trust me, I have tried many blog recipies). We added asparagus and freshly diced tomatoes to ours and it turned out great. Thanks for sharing.
Hi! This looks fantastic. Can you think of a good dairy-free substitute for the cream cheese?
Hmm, I can’t think of one this time. The cream cheese is so unique here because it’s creamy, tangy, and helps thicken the sauce.
I used tofutti cream cheese.
This was delicious! I added chicken and my sometimes hard to please family of 4 loved it. Next time, I will double the recipe.
Thanks for posting I was wondering how this would be with chicken and if it would be “child” pleasing!
Do you happen to know the serving size and amount of calories per serving are in this recipe?
I have to say my family loves this recipe, tonight will be my 4th time making it! It’s become my go to after I have had a long day at work & need something simple! Tonight I’m going to add a little ricotta & see how that goes over =)
Is there something else that I can use to replace the cream cheese that would work?
You can add a splash of half and half, but it won’t have that nice tang that cream cheese has.
Do you put half of a 9-oz bag of spinach in (so 4.5 oz spinach) or do you put 9 oz of spinach in there?
Sorry for the confusion. It’s about 4.5 oz., or half of my 9oz. bag. :)
That looks and sounds so yummy. :-) will have to try this. Thanks
Simon
This recipe is so perfect! One of my husband’s favorites. So simple to make too. Just follow the directions and you will have a delicious dinner on your hands with some left over.
I tried this recipe and i love that it tastes so good but is so cheap. I find it hard to get a vegetarian recipe that actually fills your stomach. Even my 18 month old picky eater ate a lot!
http://2sharemyjoy.com/quick-tomato-spinach-penne-recipe/
Where do you buy your groceries?
Currently I buy most of my groceries at a local grocery store chain, but some I buy from Whole Foods. This blog has been going for several years, though, and my shopping habits have changed over time and depending on where I was living. :)
Hey Beth, do you think I can use frozen spinach? :)
You can, but the texture isn’t quite as nice in this dish. And be careful because some frozen spinach that is labeled as “chopped” can be in teeny little pieces and it will look like spinach dust in the pasta. Hahah :)
My bf is a picky eater, but he just loves this dish. I just made it 20 minutes ago! Thanks for the recipe :)
Greeting from Berlin/Germany
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
I’m not sure this one will freeze so well. It will probably be a bit dryer upon thawing (the pasta will continue to absorb the moisture), so it won’t be as saucy.
Looks delicious! I just have 2 questions: can I substitute cream cheese for cream and can I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned ones?
Cream cheese has a tangy flavor that regular cream doesn’t have and the cream cheese also helps thicken the sauce. Fresh tomatoes might not yield as much juiced as the canned variety, so it might not be as saucy. Plus, you’ll probably want to add a dash of salt since canned tomatoes usually contain some. :)
I have made this a few times and I love it! I love a creamy red sauce so this is right up my alley. I definitely always use 1/3 less fat cream cheese and I have always thought it tastes great. Other things I have tried is adding a few grilled shrimp for a protein component and I really love it with the shrimp. I have also sautéed asparagus and thrown that in with the pasta as well. I would just make sure to avoid the tough ends of asparagus when you are trimming the asparagus into bits. Great recipe and I would also recommend using a basil, oregano, and garlic (Italian style) diced tomato as well. Do no use chile tomatoes. Love this recipe! Thanks!/
Made this tonight and didnt have any tomato paste on hand..also I added chicken and it came out delish. Totally going to make this again.
Just made this at home for my mum. We both loved it. Really simple but delicious and fresh
Thanks for the recipe! I make this all the time at home. Do you know if it would be possible to do this with fresh tomatoes instead of canned? I live abroad now and canned tomatoes aren’t available here. I also don’t want to use all my parmesan, so will probably halve the amount in the recipe. What do you think?
It might be tricky with fresh tomatoes because it’s hard to know how much juice they’ll let off and that will affect how much sauce is created. The Parmesan does add quite a bit of flavor (and salt), so using half may make it a bit on the bland side.
Absolutely delicious! Thanks!
The pasta looks yuuumy
Thanks for great recipe :)
I made this last night and everyone raved! I wanted to tell you I added roasted red peppers and it really added a great sweetness to the dish. My husband is still talking about it the next day.
Looks great! I would highly recommend using the technique that many Italians do to brighten up the sauce even more: cooking the tomato paste. After sautéing vegetables, add the tomato paste with a very small splash of hot water (just enough to rinse out the can) and cook a few mins until the paste has turned a few shades darker (it will already fill the kitchen with an amazing smell). Afterwards, add your canned tomatoes and herbs and some water/broth and simmer. There’s something amazing that happens when you let tomatoes cook for a long time on low heat. Just love it. By the way, another trick is to use the water from the boiling pasta pot instead of regular water (this adds creaminess because of the starch, which is great for dairy-free people).
Great tips! Thanks for sharing! :)
I made this as a surprise for my boyfriend who LOVES pasta. It’s delicious!! I just made it again to take to work for lunches! Thank you for this amazing recipe i plan to make many more times!
Beth I have tried so many of your recipes! Every single one comes out amazing! This is my go too site if I can’t figure out what the hell I want to make for the week!
Question: Do you think this will freeze okay? Only difference I made was used wheat pasta instead of white
I don’t think the sauce will be quite as smooth or moist after thawing. I probably wouldn’t freeze this one because it’s so easy to make fresh and the fresh version is probably noticeably better.
Just tried this one. With a few minor alterations. Halved the basil, used shells, and used mushrooms instead of spinach. Tastes pretty good. Simple and quick. Hits the spot.
I’m a few years late to this recipe but I had to say it’s amazing. Reminds me of the frozen Bertolli skillet meals that I love (but are about $7), and WAY BETTER tasting since it’s homemade. This is in permanent rotation now! Your blog has changed my life, Beth. Thanks for all the delicious, reliable, and affordable recipes.
Made this tonight and added breaded chicken. SO good!! Definitely going to make it again.
This was great! Even my picky dad ate it! My 8 year old brother enjoyed it too! I used fettuccine instead of penne…. and i used an immersion blender to make it less chunky… A new favorite in our house! Thanks for the great recipe.
I made this recipe twice now, exactly how it written. It is INCREDIBLE!!! A family favorite and in our meal rotation. Great recipe, thanks
Such a great recipe — easy and delicious!! I make this all the time now.
Another excellent recipe. I’ve taken to making the sauce by itself and adding it to the pasta in individual servings.
Do you think this could be made early in day and sit in crock pot on warm? Trying to add meatless options to Christmas for veggie family.
I find that pasta doesn’t do well in the crock pot because it will continue to absorb moisture and become mushy. :(
Have made this before right before eating, but had extra rime today and made ahead. Just kept the sauce and pasta separate until ready to eat. Will heat sauce on low and add pasta before serving. I usually use rigatoni or penne, but tonight making with basil/garlic shells. This is a delicious recipe.
I made this tonight and it is delicious! Even the picky eaters were happy (even knowing the green stuff is spinach!) So quick, it was ready in less than 30 minutes.
I made this and its soo delicious and incredilbly easy. The sauce is amazing! My sister loved it. I will definitely make it again!! Thanks for the recipe Beth!
Made this last night and it was super tasty! It’s important to get a good amount of freshly ground pepper in there. I’d add just a bit more cream cheese, and double the amount of parmesan and garlic next time for an extra kick.
I made this last nite and it was amazing, just the right amt of seasoning.Will definitely make again.
Hi, I am really excited to try this recipe but we are dairy free. Do you think that I can substitute the cream cheese for some almond milk and corn starch? Thanks!
Hmm, honestly I just don’t think that will have the same tangy/creamy flavor as the cream cheese. I’m not sure if there is a non-dairy product that is similar in that way because I don’t explore those products very often. :(
If you have a high powered blender try blending 1/2 cup of cashews with a few tsp. of lemon juice and a little hot water (just to the top of the nuts) until it becomes smooth and cream cheese-like. Add this to your tomato sauce and it will make it delicious and creamy. I use this for many recipes that call for cream cheese or heavy cream. Another idea would be to use the thick cream from the top of a can of coconut milk. This also works well.
I made this recipe for my partner and myself. I didn’t have tomato paste and substituted frozen spinach for cost, but it was great anyway! Thanks for the recipe.
Great recipe; the oregano really goes a long way with the cream and parmesan. I like to go heavy on the black pepper and add a little rosemary as well. I also find that chopping the spinach up a little before adding it to the sauce prevents it from clumping up into knots as it wilts. Great job with this one!
Ok, so I’m not being endorsed, nor am I affiliated with them, but I have been on that same struggle bus. I have torn into cans like a savage just TRYING to finish my da** dinner. My boyfriend bought this and I was initially totally against it, look how weird it is! NOPE. This sucker is pretty much my favorite kitchen implement.
http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AX13US?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00
I’m a broke college student and I just made this for dinner and it is oh my god delicious. I’m not much of a chef but it was so simple (and fast) to make. I used whole wheat pasta in an attempt to be more health conscious and it turned out great. Thanks for the recipe! This is a new favorite!
Can’t wait to make this for dinner tomorrow. I’m going to throw in some chicken though, my kiddo and boyfriend aren’t big pasta eaters without meat! Lol. Thanks for the recipe!! :)
I’ve made this a few times now and it’s very good, but there’s just something extra I want to add. I don’t know what it is… but I feel the need to add something. I doubled the garlic and that was good, I also doubled the parmesan and it worked well, but still, perhaps I’ll add mushrooms or more cheese. It’s a great recipe though, and very cost efficient!
This looks absolutely delicious!!! Can’t wait to try it and add some mushrooms.
making this tonight and SO EXCITED. thank you for this bomb recipe!
how would the sauce hold up in the freezer?
Creamy sauces don’t hold up quite as well in the freezer (it may get a little dry and the sauce may clump a little upon reheating). But honestly, I’d still eat it! The flavor should still be just fine.
I make something like this with chicken and its always better after it has rested a bit. i just ad butter when im heating it up to loosen some of the sauce from the noodles.
This was soooo good. I added italian sausage and this was 10x better than the Penne Rosa you get at Noodles and Co. And 10x cheaper. This is going to be in the weekly rotation!
Hi! Found this on pinterest and I’m making it right this second. I had about four tomatoes and no canned tomatoes, so hopefully it won’t change the taste too much!
id love to know how that turned out for you. i have a bunch of tomatoes i need to use up but haven’t because im worried about the lack of juice. but i do add fresh baby romas to my recipe with the canned and its good!
Has anyone tried it with frozen spinach? Maybe adding less water for the tomato paste since the frozen spinach will bring some to the dish would work? Can’t wait to try and cook this! Seems delish!
I would thaw the spinach first and squeeze out the excess moisture. That way you don’t have to worry about altering the other ingredients. The only issue I’ve had with frozen spinach for recipes like this is that it can be a little stringy or just in really small chopped pieces.
Hey guys, I’ve used partially frozen spinach and it turned out fine. The excess water did not dilute the flavor at all. It just took a bit longer to cook. Also, I didn’t have enough cream cheese so I used some leftover plain Greek yogurt (~1/3 cup) for substitute. So much yum!
Hi Beth! What as fantastic website! I’m new to cooking and this recipe look easy enough that I can make it. Just a quick question- what kind of onions did you use? Yellow ? Thank you in advance .
Yep, just a simple yellow onion. :)
Hi! I am planning to make this yummy looking meal this week. My husband and I are not the biggest onion fans, so would it be safe to half the onion or does most of the flavor blend, thus making the onion not stand out too much? Thank you!
I think you could safely use half the onion and still have a very tasty dish. :) I didn’t think the onion stood out too much, but if you’re opposed to onion, you might notice it more.
Hey Haley, I didn’t have any onion on hand and I didn’t miss it amongst the fantastic flavor.
This is my favorite recipe! I wish I could make it in double batches, but I don’t have a skillet large enough.
It makes a great leftover, and it’s almost as good cold as it is hot.
I made this for my family tonight and it was delicious!! My husband likes mushrooms so I chopped some and added them as well. The flavors were so good together. And, this was so easy! Thank you for such a yummy dish.
My family is Italian, so we make/eat pasta constantly, but this was on another level entirely!! Thank you so much; this dish is absolutely fantastic.
Great tasting recipe for such inexpensive ingredients. I doubled the recipe to feed my family. Would add more red pepper flakes next time.
Has anyone tried Kale with this instead of spinach? Looks delish!
Yes! We frequently switch out kale for spinach depending what’s on sale at the store and it’s yummy either way :)
I made this yesterday for my family. I doubled the recipe, fed a family of 5 and still had some leftovers for lunch. Kids loved it, but suggested adding chicken next time. Thank you!
So quick and soo yummy My go-to meal if I’m in a time crunch and need something fast but delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hey Beth this recipe is awesome! Since i’m a poor student I literally eat this at least 3 times a week. But I never get tired of it because I love it so much. Sometimes I add way more red pepper flakes to spice it up.
Wonderful! Even my four picky kids gobbled it up. Thank you so much for this creative & healthy recipe! It will be a staple in our home.
My dog wouldn’t eat that slop. Fucking amerikans know nothing about food.
Sounds like a pretty ungrateful and spoiled dog.
That’s a way classier reply than he deserved.
I agree, Scott!
And. op, why such a rude comment? Don’t like the recipe then move on! Sheesh!!
Wow, how funny. You can’t even spell ‘Americans.’ How about using your time Learning how to spell instead of bashing the way different people cook. You sound extremely ignorant and uneducated. I think this recipe looks delicious!
Sounds like you don’t know anything about culture and can’t appreciate new dishes. Not every person cooks the same. To each their own but leave the negativity out of here!
I can’t wait to try this one out!!
My !!like I always told my kids you dont have anything nice to say you say nothing
I just tried this recipe and the end result was awesome! I had all the ingredients already and I had a great lunch. Looking forward now to taking some on a picnic later.
Made this tonight and my family loved it. Will make again. I veganized the recipe by substituting cashew cream for cream cheese and omitting the parmesan cheese.
amazing recipe, I ate it over the course of a week! So good. However, I have one issue, and that is why I am giving 4 stars. taste Wise: 5 STARS.
Price wise: 2/5 stars. You claim just a little over $3.00 for the entire recipe. I paid $15.00 dollars for the entire recipe (this was excluding the spices which I already had at home).
How do you calculate the price of you recipes? They do not seem accurate to me. Thanks
Hi Max, here is a quick tutorial on how I calculate recipe costs. I calculate only the cost of the amount of each ingredient used, assuming the remainder of the product cost will be accounted for when it’s used in another recipe. Of course, ingredient costs vary quite a bit from region to region.
have u calculated the calories in this dish? just curious. I used about a tablespoon of Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese.
No, I haven’t :(
I imported the recipe in myfitnesspal and it turned out to be only 353 Kcal per portion (4 portions).
How did it turn out with Greek yogurt?
Beth, I love your web site. Your cooking is down home and great. Thanks for sharing!
We made this last night for meatless Monday, and it was REALLY good! We run the gambit of veggie lovers, ranging from can’t stand to doesn’t eat anything but! The veggie hater even ate a few pieces of spinach, and that’s saying something! Thanks for helping us meet our tight grocery budget this month, we’ll be using your recipes more often! As a matter of fact, I’ll be writing about you on my blog! (Not that I have many followers yet… LOL)
This is the first recipe I’ve made from your website and I went out immediately and got groceries for four more of your meals. You cook the way I cook, but way smarter! And as a grad student on a major budget (also I just moved to Montreal and oh lordy, the groceries are through the roof here) I definitely appreciate the tricks that take a meal from grub to gourmet.
Keep up the awesome work!
I really enjoyed this recipe!! Is so easy and delicious! thank you! My family love it!
Hey Beth! This recipe was the first one I tried. It was delicious. Even my picky husband liked it :). I’ve been an addict to your site ever since, trying a new recipe every time. Thanks for sharing this deliciousness with us.
I made this tonight, and it was really fantastic! I didn’t adapt the recipe a bit–which is rare for me–and I’m so glad. I was a little dubious of the red pepper flakes, but they really made the finished dish sing. Thanks, Beth!
This was delicious! super fast too, I added extra pepper flakes to make it extra spicy. Yum yum
great recipe! I doubled it(except I did not double the water), put in whole wheat spiral noodles and chopped up my spinach.
thanks for the tip!! I want to make this tonight and was wondering about how to double it.
So good! Made it last night with grilled hot Italian sausage. Everyone loved it and the leftovers were bomb!
Wow, this was fantastic!! I’ll definitely be checking out other recipes on your site. Thank you :).
It was very good :) Thanks for the recipe!
Made this with diced red bell pepper and button mushrooms. Absolutely delicious. I think I will puree it next time.
This is an excellent and quick dish. Thanks for helping a single working mom with a quick dinner.
Made this tonight for a group of friends–just excellent! And cheap! Will definitely make again.
delish!
Nom, nom, nom….this was SO great! Added fresh mushrooms at the beginning with the onions & garlic, added 1/2 cup of water from the boiling pasta water (the sauce was a little too thick) and used about 1.5 cups of frozen chopped spinach from the bag, which I microwaved for a minute and 1/2 before adding to the sauce.
Truly scrumptious! Thank you, again!
Made this tonight. So good. Decided to blend half the sauce Before adding the spinach so it was extra creamy. Only needed to use 1tbsp of cream. Also added peas
It was too spicy for my taste. Is it the oregano? It was also too much onion. Im sure with a little tweaking it will be great.
Nope, the spiciness comes from the red pepper flakes, which can be fairly potent. You can add less to make it just a little spicy, or even leave them out all together. :)
I just tried your recipe….wow it was so simple and delicious. Thanks for sharing :-)
Why oh why won’t my husband eat tomatoes or onion!?!? “It’s the texture!”
Sigh.
He’ll just have to eat something else for dinner some night soon!
Anyone know the most nutritious way to do pasta? Multi-grain? Wheat? Not including Veggie noodles.
Blend it!
Agree with Jenn…..blend that right up My hubby hated green pepper texture when first married. I threw a lot in the blender than. I am old now and my hubby eats that stuff but now my kids (in their 30’s!) have fits over tomato, onion, mushroom. STILL! And dad complains about it but he was just as bad! have a little hamilton beach, I’d throw in what was bendable and zap it in there. Then add the spinach and the penne. oh lordie!
This is delicious! So easy and always have the ingredients on hand. I usually add some extra cream cheese since, well, who doesnt love extra cheesiness. I’m adding some sliced honey garlic sausage tonight for some extra protein. No doubt it will be
I am telling you speaking from experience you MUST invest in an awesome can opener – look for WMF / you will be using it for decades and for $20 something it’s a one time investment you will NEVER need to replace! Ever!
I finally did and I LOVE it! :D
This is delicious! :)
I can’t stop making this dish. I love everything about it! I throw some baby bellas in there and it’s even better. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Beth,
Made this recipe yesterday. It got sooo creamy and delicious! I messed up the sauce to pasta ratio as always, still good though, ahah. I’m definetely going to do it again.
I made this three times so far…Perfection each time. So simple but so good. Probably one of the best “quick and easy” pasta dishes Ever!
I made this for my family tonight just added some sweet Italian sausage…super yummy and so easy…I love this website
always my weekly go to to try something new…
Wondering if diced ham would be a good add on for protein?
Yeah, that would probably be pretty good, especially if you browned it a bit in the skillet first.
Super delicious! This might be my new favorite pasta dish. I followed the recipe to the letter except I heavily salted the water before cooking the pasta, like I usually do.
Made this for dinner last night – so tasty! I was out of cream cheese and I had an extra pint of cherry tomatoes in my fridge that were going to go bad. So – I substituted two oz of cream cheese for 2 oz of creamy, mild goat cheese and added the diced cherry tomatoes in addition to the can of diced tomatoes. It was delicious!
I stop before the spinach and puree it with an immersion blender. Makes a great cream of tomato style soup. I’ve also held out some of the tomatoes until after blending so I have some chunks of tomatoes in the soup.
This turned out absolutely fantastic. As a graduate student it is hard to find delicious, low-budget meals that will fit into my busy schedule. This turned out to be one of my favorite dishes I have made so far. 5 Stars! Thanks, Budget Bytes!!
Also an amazing recipe. I used Pomi tomatos (strained) instead of water and fresher diced tomatoes instead of canned. Give it a shot for a thicker sauce. I also did it without the cream cheese–just as good!!
My husband and I love this recipe and how easy it is! We usually add mushrooms as well, and sometimes use Boursin instead of the cream cheese (especially if we can get it on sale).
this recipe is delicious and easy! additional ingredients that I had on hand were dried thyme, roasted red bell peppers, and balsamic vinegar which deepened the flavors.
For any lactose intolerant people, Toffutti brand makes a fake cream cheese that is completely non-dairy and works perfectly with this dish, but is pricey.
What do you do with the leftover tomato paste? I hate to see it go to waste, but don’t use it very often in my recipes. Do you have another recipe that calls for it that I can make tomorrow night? ;) or does it freeze well?
Yes, it does freeze very well! :) I always spoon it into a quart sized freezer bag, then squeeze it down into the bottom of the bag (use the edge of a countertop to kind of smoosh it down there). Once it’s frozen, you can kind of break off a piece every time you need to use some. Other people have said that they spoon one tablespoon lumps onto a baking sheet (cover with foil or parchment first) and freeze that way. Once the balls are frozen, you can then transfer them to a freezer bag.
Where in the world do you buy your onions? Here you can get a whole 1kg net for 40 cents!
Yeah, my local grocery store can be kind of expensive, especially if I buy one at a time (which I do, on occasion).
Your recipe looks great but the budget is just not practical. I live in Toronto – chicken breast here is $7-10/lb. 2 oz of cream cheese would cost just under $1, and a can of diced tomatoes is about $1.29. I’m shocked at how cheap your groceries are.
Well, you have to also take into consideration the fact that Canadian dollars are not equal to U.S. dollars.
What do you think about sour cream instead of cream cheese? (thinking of what’s in my fridge at the moment.)
That will also be delicious. :)
In love! I sautéed shrimp in ghee, a little olive oil and minced garlic, seasoned with just a bit of s&p and then set it aside and started in with the original recipe. The only addition I made was to add some pancetta when sautéing the onions and garlic. Restaurant quality, for sure.
I’ve made this recipe a few times and love it. I have a poud of tortellini. Do you think it would work to double this sauce and use it with tortellini instead of the penne?
Mmm, yes, that sounds delicious!
I made this for dinner. So easy. I was a huge hit. My boys ate it up…..spinach and all.
Made this for some friends this evening, added in some scallops I already had, and used linguine instead of penne. A huge hit.
I made this on Monday and it was so delightful! I invited my friend over to try with me, and for desert we had naan (also your recipe) coated with Nutella and whipped cream :) We loved it all.
Next time I am going to sauté mushrooms with the onions and garlic and see what happens! Thanks for sparking my cooking curiosity again!
You’ve saved me from the grasp of Ronald McDonald!
Can you add a little chicken or shrimp?
Yes, you can sauté them in the skillet before the onion and garlic. For shrimp, definitely remove them from the skillet after they turn opaque, then add them back in at the end. Shrimp overcook quickly, so you don’t want to leave them in the skillet the whole time.
Love this dish, have the ingredients to make it for a second time.
Made this last night!! Was a HUGE hit with the husband (and me too!) So simple and amazing. I used herb and garlic cream cheese instead of regular to try out! So soo good
I’ll have to try that!! :-)
Made this recipe using a jar of homemade tomato puree instead of the diced tomatoes/paste/water combo. My boyfriend hates tomatoes, but he said he likes it, and if it passes the boyfriend test, you know it’s good :)
Made this last night. It was super easy and super delicious!! I’m so excited about the left overs!!!! :) Thank you for the great recipe!
Hey, I love this recipe.
I have a lot of frozen spinach in my freezer,
would it be possible to use this in the dish instead of fresh?
I am a bit worried about the extra water it would produce in the dish, could you give me some tips about that?
If you thaw the spinach in the microwave first, you can squeeze most of the moisture out with your hands (it’s fairly quick). That being said, the frozen spinach will have a different texture than fresh and you need to make sure not to use frozen chopped spinach because that will be in super small pieces. :)
I used canned spinach, and that worked well. I did not even know they made canned spinach until I came across some at my local Dollar Store. I think I actually prefer the canned spinach to fresh in this dish because it isn’t bulky, but it’s also not in tiny pieces like frozen spinach. It also tasted great. With some extra olive oil, parmesan cheese and salt added to the finished product, this is seriously a restaurant quality dish!
Lisa:
You could use soy or oat cream, and just leave out the parmesan.
OP:
For your can opener troubles http://world4.info/can-opener-gws-finland/ (or search for “finnish can opener” if the link doesn’t work).
It’s a blustery cold day here in CT and I fell asleep. I needed to feed my family and needed something quick and good. There are always canned tomatoes and pasta in the pantry, and I just brought home spinach last night. I found you with Google, search terms spinach and pasta. My family all agreed that this is a keeper. Thank you so much for sharing.
I just discovered your website and I’m a fan already! Yesterday I made your feta spinach grilled cheese (delicious!) so today I wanted to use the leftover spinach and ended up cooking this dish. It was awesome, even my boyfriend, who usually doesn’t like vegetarian stuff, loved it! By the way, I used two ladles of the penne-water to bind the sauce, the starch in the water does the trick perfectly :)
This recipe is super yummy and easy!
Would it freeze well in individual portions or would the pasta be weird after?
I freeze pasta a lot and it’s great. I would worry a little about the cream cheese sauce, though. That doesn’t always freeze/thaw so well.
Looks amazing. Would it turn out okay leaving out the dairy? Or do you have any suggestions for replacing the dairy, for someone who can’t eat it?
Well, the dairy really is what makes this recipe unique. Leaving it out or replacing it would kind of turn it into a different recipe all together. That being said, a plain tomato & spinach pasta wouldn’t be terrible, but I think I’d add some red pepper flakes or something to make it more interesting. :)
Great recipe, super easy to make and it’s delicious. I added some cooked hot italian sausage to the sauce before adding the spinach and pasta. In regards to the can opener, did someone try to use it to hammer in a nail? Because that’s what my roommate did with ours.
So good! I added chicken and my husband and I both loved this recipe! I can’t wait to make it again.
This was absolutely fantastic!!! It tasted sooo fresh and wonderful, and only took about a half hour to make! Glorious!
came across this on reddit, decided to try it…OMG it’s so yummyyy!!! Love~ and i’m an extremely picky eater! :D
This recipe is simply awesome. I have made it many times for my husband and I and he always comments how good it is. Thanks for sharing!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!! Super easy too. I’ll be making it again for sure!
As a broke student, I would like to thank you. This is all I have. Made myself a pot to last for the week.
this sounds awesome- I am making this for dinner.. wonder if I could use fresh tomatoes instead of the canned?
You can, but you’ll want to cook them down a bit until they get a little saucy. Also, you may need to add some salt to make up for what is in canned tomatoes.
I made this tonight. Delicious. My husband thought it was one of the best recipes ever. I did dink around with the recipe. Added about 1/4 cup of the Sangiovese wine I was drinking, used frozen spinach loose in bag since it’s all I had, added some chopped mushrooms I needed to use up to the onion garlic mixture after 3 minutes but before I added tomatoes. I didn’t have paste so I used a bit of tomato sauce, Better than Bouillon 1/2 tsp and a ladle of the pasta water.
Ahhh!!! Made this last night!!! LOVED IT!!! Will be adding it to my recipe book!
Made this last night and loved it! Will be making it again :)
I’m thinking of making this tonight but have a couple of questions. Do you mean grated parmesan as in the kind that is crumbly and comes in a jar, or actual cheese using a grater? I could use either.
Also, do you think using the multi-flavoured pasta would work well? I recently found some boxes of the kind with regular, tomato, and spinach pasta on sale for $1 each and it seems like it might complement this recipe perfectly, but I’m wondering if it would be overwhelming.
I used the kind that comes in a jar, but if you have a block of parmesan, you could use that too (it’s much more expensive, though). I think the multi-flavored pasta would be just fine. :)
Made this today, it was delicious and very healthy.
Hi Beth –
I made this recipe once before with the exact ingredients and it was excellent (and the only time I convinced my roommate to try my cooking, haha)!
I was going to make it again this weekend but I only have frozen spinach on hand – do you think I can substitute it for the fresh spinach and if so would I have to make any alterations to the recipe?
Thanks a bunch!
You can, although the texture will be a bit more stringy. Also, if you get “chopped” frozen spinach, be prepared for little tiny bits of spinach throughout, rather than larger pieces. I’d also recommend getting the kind that comes frozen loose in a bag rather than frozen into a block because the block kind has a lot of water and will need to be thawed and squeezed before adding to the pasta. :)
Really nice recipe. Replaced Parmesan and cream cheese with yogurt and result turned out to be equally good and less heavy.
This was tasty! I warily chose a 12-inch skillet for it, though, and that was probably unnecessary–my 10-inch cast iron would have worked just fine.
I imagine some pepperoni slices would go nicely in the mix. Next time I make it, I’ll give that a shot.
Yuuum. My roommate gave me a great tip- take a generous spoonful or two of the pasta water and dump into sauce, and let it reduce back down. It adds some starch and makes the sauce stick to the pasta instead of puddling in the bottom of your bowl!
What a great recipe! I tried this out as a quick dinner on the weekend and my family loved it so much that I’m doing a repeat performance for a party! Thanks for sharing with us all :)
I made this for lunch the other day and then again tonight for supper. I used whole wheat penne tonight and although it was more filling, I dont think ill do that again. Both my hubby and I love this pasta!
OMGGG. So good!!! I used chunky tomato sauce from a jar, added some sauteed shrimp, broccoli and chopped up half a red pepper. I added the whole box of pasta and it diluted some of the flavor but it was still very very good. That was just me being a little piggy. Next time I’ll stick with your measurement lol
Thank you so much for this!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I added some sauteed boneless chicken breast chunks for added protein. It was on sale this week.
Is that half a 9 oz bag of spinach or a total of 9 oz? My bag of baby spinach was 10 oz, but I added all of it and boy was it hard to get it into the sauce in my saute pan. Maybe I just need to use a larger pan!
Half of a 9oz. bag. Sorry about the confusion!
Made this tonight and it was great! I accidentally doubled the spinach and like it that way. Extra iron!
I made this pasta tonight, and it tasted amazing! The only downside — my sauce was much more watery, which I attribute to the fact that I used half & half instead of cream cheese. Maybe next time, I will omit that 1/2 cup water and see what happens.
Amazing. My new go to sauce :) I even add a protein (chix Shrimp)
This was so delicious! Instead of using canned tomatoes and tomato paste I just used half a jar of tomato sauce. The cream cheese was perfect — creamy but not too rich. Will make this again!
I made this last night and it was delicious! I subbed creme fraiche for the cream cheese, as that’s what I had on hand and it worked beautifully! Quick and easy too- love it!
My husband and I love this recipe! We have made it several times, and we enjoy putting different proteins in it, like Italian sausage, or white beans.
The pasta looks great, I can’t wait to try it.
As far as your can opener issues, I went through at least a half dozen can openers that always broke at the worst times and then I bought a Pampered Chef can opener, best purchase I ever made!
I Had fun making this dish last night and it smelled so good while cooking the sauce from scratch… I used a bit more garlic than it called for and a bit more Parmesan and added shrimp and used white wine instead of water… it turned out wonderful…
Made this as a side dish for my husband who hates cream cheese. He never noticed! Bonus points for sneaking in the spinach too! Thanks for this recipe, it is easy and delicious and I will be recommending it.
This looks delicious! Bought all the ingredients and plan on making it sometime this week. I was wondering if you have any tips for storing/reheating pastas like this so they’re good the next time you have them? I didn’t see anything in your how-tos. Thanks!!
Honestly I don’t do anything special. :) I just portion it out into single serving resealable containers (like Ziploc or Glad) and then use the microwave to reheat. Leftovers are never exactly the same as when they were first cooked, but they’re usually still totally delicious! :)
This recipe is definitely a keeper! I made it last night and added sautéed shrimp seasoned with garlic and Creole seasoning. My meat and potato man loved it : ) Don’t hesitate in making this; it was easy and delicious.
Made this for dinner this evening, the BEST pasta ever! So simple and easy and yet so yummy :)
Love it!
Made this last night, and just had some for leftovers! Oh, was this good! It was so easy to make, and very flavorful. I’ve actually never made a pasta sauce from scratch before, but this one was delicious. I’ll be making this again. Mmmm.
Made this tonight, was Fabulous! Speaking of which, about how many calories would you say is in this awesome dish?
doesn’t have to be exact but a round about clue would be most appreciative! :)
I’m not sure, really, BUT there are several websites online that let you enter ingredients for a recipe and it will calculate it out for you. :)
Can the cream cheese be substituted for something else to add creaminess to it? Would plain yoghurt work?
I don’t think plain yogurt would be quite creamy enough. I would try a mix of yogurt (for tanginess) and liquid cream (for the creaminess).
Thank you! :) For some reason, my stomach just doesn’t handle cream cheese well.
This is one of my family’s favorites. My toddler even loves it (which is really saying something.) There’s no fresh spinach here lately, so I’ve been using frozen spinach sautéed with the onions and garlic. Tastes amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
This was so yummy and easy to make!! Next time I’ll add more garlic thought. I couldn’t really taste it.
Did you mean grated parmesan like the powdery stuff in the plastic container or shredded parmesan? Wanna make sure I have all the right stuff before I cook this!
I used grated (the powdery kind), but you could use shredded, too. Shredded is just more expensive. :)
I used some shredded asiago & parmesan that happened to be on sale & it was delightful! Love opportunity buying.
Just made this and it is delicious! Officially on my go-to recipe list.
I found this recipe on Pinterest and through another website but this looks like it might be the original – so glad I found it! I made this a feature recipe on my recipe review blog page and a couple of changes that I personally would make WHEN I make it again (it was fantastic!) You can check it out on http://nikkieandbabies.blogspot.com/2014/07/what-i-ate-wednesday-creamy-tomato-and.html
Also, these are fab photos and I may or may not be drooling over this recipe again! :-)
im 15 and just made this for my mom and shes a picky eater and she loved it and i felt so proud :D so good!
That’s so awesome!!
This is excellent! I used whole wheat spaghetti instead and puréed the diced tomatoes (for a picky eater). Very good!
Made this tonight. I found it a little acidic so I added 1/2 tbs of sugar. And I added more oregano and basil, but that is just me. I also had some shrimp in the freezer so I threw that in too. Really great and will definitely make again.
Made it twice: once with spinach and the other with sausage bits. Both times the sauce was absolutely delicious! Thanks!
Found this on Pinterest – thanks! Made it tonight; great recipe!
My toddler ate this even though it has “green things” in it. That speaks highly for the recipe! :)
I just made it omg it was delicious…my husband told me I bought those refrigerated food an heated it up for him lol…I told him no it was all me from scratch..thanks
This was cheap, easy and SO delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
This was delicious and so easy to make! My husband loved it and thought I was a chef coming up with all these amazing recipes (which all came from budget bytes!) thanks Beth!!! I’m trying Cajun chicken pasta tonight which I see from your comments is worth it! Thanks again !!
Favorite recipe I’ve made from this site so far! The sauce was so delicious, I will definitely be making it again.
I’m making this for dinner tonight, but adding boneless chicken pieces to it. That way it’s a one pot meal… thanks for the recipe. I’ve make something similar to this but w/asparagus instead of spinach… you can also add broccoli or sliced zucchini.☺
Just made this, and it’s delicious! I’d highly recommend putting a little feta and sriracha (if you like a little spice) on top. Super good!
Just wanted to let you know it looks like some of your content was stolen and used on another site without credit. :( I noticed this recipe off hand, not sure if there are more on their site of yours or not. Looks like the entire website is stolen content.
http://best-foood.blogspot.com/2014/01/creamy-tomato-spinach-pasta.html
Yep, sure enough. *sigh* Thanks for letting me know!
Our vegetarian daughter is home from college for the summer and I’ve been looking for tasty recipes for all of us. This was really easy and really good and I love having the spinach in there for extra vitamins. My only “complaint” would be the portion size. Half a box of pasta for four people might work if you’re doing one of those tiny meals, four to five times a day, diets. We, unfortunately, are not. I doubled this for five of us.
I found this on a friends Pinterest board. She just had her first baby and I am bringing her a meal. I chose this dish because it’s not time consuming and sounds amazing! I want to bring her salad, bread and wine as well. any suggestions that would pair well with this dish? She tends to like red wine and all of the wine pairings that I’ve found seem to be white wine? Is there a way to get around this with red wine?
I’m definitely not the best with wine pairings, but check out WineFolly.com. They have amazing info about wine that is easy to read and sort through. Maybe some sort of light, crisp red wine would do well (like a Zinfandel or Grenache).
I saw this recipe on Pinterest but it looks like somebody has ripped off your photos and recipe. http://inspiredreamer.com/creamy-tomato-and-spinach-pasta/
Sad when this happens. I read the comments on the other site and someone mentioned that it looked like your recipe. I thought I would let you know.
Thanks for the heads up!
This was amazing!!!! Perfect! There is really nothing else to say but thank you and I will be trying your other recipes! Thank you again!
I just made this dish for dinner again. It’s amazing! :)
I sell Pampered Chef products and would love to send you one of our amazing can openers. I laughed so hard when I scrolled down only to see a mutilated tomato paste can ;) I have seen this before in my own home. I no longer have that problem. Send me your mailing address and I will send you one for FREE that is guaranteed to work properly and you will never have a sharp edge of a can to deal with a gain. I only ask for one small request and that is a great easy recipe for Cashew Chicken. One of my favorites that I have never tried to make at home :D
Thanks for the offer, but I’ve since bought a can opener that works amazingly well! :) I’ll work on that cashew chicken recipe, though!
Hello, this recipe looks awesome! I didn’t see it posted so long ago. Any tips on making it heart healthier? I’m serving it with a salad, but I’d like to make it a little healthier for those in my family that are older and have some restrictions!
Well, the only heart un-healthy thing in this recipe is the cream cheese, but it’s only 2 oz. for the whole recipe, so it’s actually pretty good! :)
Oops, and the parmesan. You can cut back on the parmesan by half and that should help.
I’m not a super chef or anything, but mine actually looked like the picture! It was very good, and actually tasted better reheated the next day! Very easy to make as well!
Delicious!! Added some grilled chicken breast. This is definitely something I’ll make again and often!!
I really enjoyed this meal! I used spinach pasta and I also added some mozzarella cheese when I served it. It was a great meal, and not too heavy. Will make again…thanks for the recipe!!
Oh, yuummm. Made this for dinner tonight. It’s delish!!! I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes, and it was just so good! :)
Yet another winner!!
Added leftover chicken- was great!
Seriously this is one of the best tasting pasta recipes I’ve ever made, thank you! I’m trying to curb my pasta eating, so rather than make this with penne I added chopped chicken breast, zucchini, and yellow squash. So. Dang. Tasty.
So good! The sauce has killer flavor without being too heavy or over filling. And for only about 300 calories a serving, win-win-win!!
How many calories are in this? I really want to make it!
Roughly 300 according to my calorie app
just made this tonight and it was amazing! i have bookmarked so many recipes on your site. glad i found it :)
I made this for my husband tonight and he is a big food critic and he absolutely loved it, as did I! I added some chicken breast and served it with some extra yummy garlic bread because the sauce was so good. Thanks for the great receipe!
Made this tonight and it was amazing! Definitely a keeper.
This was a hit. Once I forgot the parmesan and it was still good.
I added grilled chicken and it was a hit at my house!!! Will be making it again! YUM!!!
I must admit, this was much better than I expected, given the simplicity of it! I diced canned whole San Marzano tomatoes, doubled the spices and added a few chopped sundried tomatoes, but otherwise made it true to the recipe and it was really tasty. Will definitely make it again!
I was making this and then saw the cream cheese was gone! So I added three triangles of laughing cow creamy Swiss. I didn’t add parm either since it too was gone. (Major cheese fans at my house). It was still super good served with Raviolis.
Eating this right now. Added fire roasted diced tomatoes instead of regular and it has a nice little bite to it!
Made this earlier in the week and was a hit with the whole family. The picky 4 year old even loved it! I can’t seem the click the 5th star, but I do give it 5.
this came out scrumptious. made a couple meals for the week! perfect for this freezing weather.
I just made this tonight, and it was incredible! So easy and so delicious!
Fantastic! A great way to get my kids to eat spinach and actually like it! I drained and added a can of black beans at the end. This recipe is a keeper!
I made this tonight and added chicken. My husband and 2 year old are much obliged! Thanks!
I just discovered your site and have been making dinner from it a couple of times a week! I’ve always been too intimidated to cook because of how much I thought it would cost me, so this has been perfect!
This recipe was delicious – I had some chicken that I had grilled the day before so I just threw it in at the end, and had a delicious meal!
I couldn’t be more suprised. I just made this, and omg… most delicious meal I’ve ever made! Quick, easy and amazing. This would make a perfect date night meal. I will definitely be making this again!
So excited! Trying this tonight! Silly question though, for the Parmesan cheese.. Should it be fresh or like the kind you’d sprinkle over spaghetti?
I just used the kind you sprinkle, but fresh is always superior. Use whatever you can afford. :)
Both me and my husband loved this! It’s definitely a new favourite!
SO GOOD! I would also double the recipe to use the whole pound of pasta and have extras because this was such a good recipe! It is definitely going to be a go-to in our household! Delish!
This is such a delicious recipe! For the first time possibly ever, I had every ingredient for a recipe and decided to make this. It was such a hit with my husband and 14 year-old son too. Wonderful flavor and I’m looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow. I used gluten-free penne but that was the only change I made. Thank you so much. I will be making this again.
I made this a few nights ago and it was amazing! Thank you for sharing! My picky 3 and 4 year old boys cleaned their plate!!
Loved it! I will make this again and again. Just next time, I will make a double batch. Yum!
Yeah! I am trying to clear out my fridge and had some opened cream cheese (4 oz), big clamshell of spinach, and some opened pasta sauce. Pretty much a free dinner using stuff I already used/opened. I think my daughter will love it! Thanks!
I think I have everything I need to make this except for the spinach and cream cheese and tomato paste. Can I use heavy cream instead of cream cheese? Will it still be yummy without the tomato paste?
Yes, you can definitely use heavy cream in place of the cream cheese. Start with just a splash and add more as needed. I think if you leave out the tomato paste it will just be a regular cream sauce, which seems like it would be good, but I haven’t tried it to know for sure. :)
Loved this!
Looks amazing…i will have to try this…will it be possible for you to include calories per serve in your recepies.
Cheers
This recipe looks great! What do you think about freezing servings and saving it for busy days?
Although I haven’t actually tried it, I think it would work. The only potential problems might be that it could get a little dry in the freezer because sometimes pasta absorbs more moisture as it is stored and sometimes cream based sauces separate upon thawing… but I think it would work.
I love this recipe. I have already made it twice!
This dish was a HUGE hit with my family! Super easy to make and absolutely delicious. Just ate the left overs for lunch and it’s just as good the second time around.
I highly recommend!
Thanks so much for this! It was super simple to make and will be even easier the next time around. It is so good!!
It made so much though that I am wondering how I am going to eat it all. Is it possible to freeze this pasta dish? Any tips on how you would do it without the pasta getting too mushy?
I don’t think I would do anything special to freeze it. Because the sauce isn’t super liquidy, I don’t think you’ll have too much of a problem with the pasta getting mushy (it won’t be anything like how mushy canned pasta is, for instance).
Fast + tasty = happy flatmates. Nice one.
Can you freeze this?
I haven’t tried it. It might work okay, but sometimes cream sauces separate when they thaw out.
Awesome meal. This dish reminds me of one that I ate over and over at a place in the Totem Lake neighborhood in Washington state called Cafe Veloce ~ their Quatro Formaggio. OMG ~ same sauce!! Thank you for bringing me the recipe!!
I’ve made this quite a few times now. Absolutely delicious. Only thing I do differently is cook sweet Italian sausage with it. Sooooo good!
I never tought spinach, pasta and tomato would have been a match so phenomenal! I just made it for lunch and me and my mum loved it!
Greetings from Italy!
I made this last night – fantastic! There wasn’t even any leftovers!
My daughter made this recipe and the whole family loved it! Made a meal out of it by topping it with cooked chicken and a splash of olive oil. Easy and quick, but most of all delicious!
Love this recipe! Tonight I tried it out with gnocchi and it was delicious.
Hi! I just wanted to let you know I featured this dish on my daily dinner ideas blog, What to Make for Dinner Tonight. Come check ‘er out!
I’m a huge fan of your blog and can’t wait to share my “Budget Gourmet” eBook with you :)
http://whattomakefordinnertonight.com/creamy-tomato-spinach-pasta/
Awesome, thanks!
Hi i wanted to try this recipe the only issue i have is i dont have tomato paste. I do have spaghetti sauce and tons of canned tomatoes. What do you recommend?
I would try a can of the diced tomatoes and maybe 8 oz. of the tomato sauce. The tomato paste just helps thicken up the sauce a bit, so adding some tomato sauce may help in the same way.
This recipe is so delicious, I blogged about it! This one is going in my recipe box. The only thing I changed is that I used cream cheese from a tub, because that’s all I had on hand. Still tasted great to me! I served it with garlic bread and a side salad. I can’t wait to add this dish in my supper rotation.
This recipe looks really yummy and I’d like to try it out! But my family are a bunch of meat-lovers. What kind of meat would you recommend to go with this?
You could add some shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken for a super quick fix. Shrimp would also be great!
Thank you so much for a fast answer! I suppose I’ll go for the super quick fix this time.
This is a pretty good recipe. We enjoyed it. I like how much more spinach we are eating now since we started making your recipes!
Thank you!
This recipe is delicious!! I followed this recipe as written and I am in love! I love spinach and with the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and cream cheese is simply divine. I served the dish with a side salad and garlic bread. I cannot wait to make this again!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Had very little in the pantry so when I found this I was thrilled that I had all the ingredients. I used fat free sour cream (instead of cream cheese) and spaghetti sauce (instead of tomato paste) with 1/4 cup water to get more juice for the sauce. I added small chopped eggplant and green peppers to the onions + garlic mix which gave it a lot of volume and helped clear out my crisper before heading out of town. Overall delicious, easy + so quick to make! Thank you!
I’m going to have to do this with spaghetti squash rather than the pasta (wheat allergy over here – bummer!) and either some ground beef or chicken. I’m thinking chicken would be best for this. Awesome, thank you! The pasta thing and the cream cheese are all I have to change. That’s rare for us!
Loved this recipe! I put a cooked, chopped up chicken breast in with the onions and garlic before adding the tomatoes. Other than that, I followed the recipe to a T. Thank you for the recipe!
Followed the recipe to a “T” last night and it was excellent.
Made this last night and it was delicious! Added shitake mushrooms and a little steak I found in my freezer. I use your site all the time. I have made over 50 recipes from it over the last few years and they are always a success! I meant to use some of the used starchy pasta water for the half a cup needed, but then forgot and dumped it in the colander :( Do you ever do that I see it done a lot, but have never tried it myself?
Yep, I’ve done it on occasion. It works well!
Not that this recipe needs another glowing review, but oh well – IT’S AMAZING! And sooo simple. I’ll be making this constantly.
Yummy! I added portobello mushrooms that had to be cooked. Next time I would add chicken for a little protein. It’s delicious with some crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
After pinning this recipe, I just knew I had to try it! I followed your ingredients and directions to the T… It came out wonderful!! My husband’s exact words were “you did good, babe”. Thank you for sharing this ANAZING recipe! Can’t wait to try your others. :)
P.S. I added Italian on the side.
*Italian sausages*
This was a delightful dish and it lasted us through most of a very crazy work week.
I added a few shrimp and some mushrooms.
Yum!
Made this last week. It was sooooo good and on the table in less than 20min!!
I used 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped up, instead of the can diced.
Will be making it for my in-laws on Sunday.
Thanks for sharing!
We just made this for dinner tonight and loved it! It was so creamy and flavorful, and a breeze to make. I added a bit of vodka right after the garlic and onion softened and it came out incredibly yummy. Thanks for the recipe!
Made this on Monday. I used heavy cream instead of cream cheese and added shrimp. OMG it was so good! I have made several things from the website and have yet to be disappointed(for me that is really saying something) will absolutely be getting the cookbook.
When you use heavy cream instead of cream cheese do you still use the same amount? 2 oz?
Yes, 2 oz, or 1/4 cup sounds like it would be the perfect amount for this.
This was crazy good and my friends I had over thought I was a rock star. I also had half a head of riddichio and use it in a double recipe. I also used 2 qt s of jarred tomatoes from my FIL’s garden and it was incredibly good! Here’s a tip I learned recently regarding the tomato paste. Instead of buying it in the can like we all always have, and end of not using the entire can before it goes bad, buy it in the TUBE. It lasts WAY longer and is way easier to measure. It’s in the same aisle as the rest of the tomatoes. I got mine at publix.
Do you think shrimp would be ok mixed in with this? I’m having family over tonight and I want to make this.
Absolutely! It’s very similar to my Spicy Shrimp & Tomato Pasta.
First time saying anything on this website, usually i’m just a lurker, but THIS IS SUCH A GOOD LAYED BACK RECIPE!!!!! Lol I had to post this after I made this. It was just a flat italian tasting dish. And by flat I don’t mean its flavorless. It’s just so..neutral, like sitting out on a porch watching the sunset or sunrise. Can’t describe. Mouth is full. As did others, I added a tad bit more parmesan and cream cheese. Next up I’m trying the Brocolli and Fettucine Alfredo on this site of course.
Loved it and so did meat and pots husband! Added chicken that I baked in the oven and it came out great!
This was DELICIOUS!!! I have been following your blog for a while now and I LOVE the stuff you come up with!!!
–Your ever loyal fan,
Kierston
Spotted this on pintrest looked so yummy I ran out to get the stuff to make it up. I am not a big fan of those spices so I did not use any of them. I mixed red bell pepper with the onion. I wilted the the spinach with the pasta water. (great idea). I also used whipping cream. I used tricolor bow tie pasta as well. It turned out very well. The only thing i will do different is chop the spinach a bit, because I choked twice while eating it. Even my parents enjoyed this. It was easy to make (my dad did most of the work). I will make again. I got all of this under 8 dollars. Next time I will shop ahead when the sales are on and make it even cheaper.
Wow!!! I made this last night and I am SO happy that I did, because it was delicious! I ended up doubling it, because I hate having extra pasta boxes in my pantry, and I am am happy I did because now I can eat more left over tonight!!! It was seriously awesome! Thanks for sharing! Allyson@Domestic Superhero
It’s Delish but any suggestions on making the sauce a little sweeter?
Try stirring in a teaspoon or so of brown sugar (add it to the sauce before the noodles are added). That will also help neutralize the acid from the tomatoes.
Delish! I made this tonight & used ricotta instead of cream cheese & added fresh basil at the end! :)
so when i’m measuring out the dry pasta, how many cups is that?? thanks.
I usually buy 1 lb. (16 oz.) packages of pasta and then just estimate half of the package instead of trying to measure it out, but if you wanted to do cups, it would probably be about 2 cups of dry pasta. The measurement is different for each shape of pasta because they fit differently in the measuring cups, but I found this really great chart on the Barilla website that gives conversions!
Thanks! This was so delicious! My 9 year old son didn’t even complain about eating spinach. I love the cream cheese addition. Yummy!
Sounds exactly like my favorite dish at Noodles!! Can’t wait to try it!
Made this tonight and it was awesome. Tastes just like the Penne Rosa from Noodles! Next time I’m going to add mushrooms.
I just tried this pasta as part of my meal plan this week and it rocks! Thanks for the recipe!
Had this tonight – oh my gosh, so good and SO EASY for someone who’s a terrible cook. I used only half an onion (not a big onion fan) and fresh basil from my plant, and it was great. Can’t wait to make for friends and family.
This was delicious! The sauce was a little bland for me, so i added garlic powder, onion powder, Penzeys pizza seasoning, and a dash of marjoram. But overall, this was a hit, and my guy doesn’t normally enjoy creamy tomato sauces. I on the other hand love them, so I’m thrilled that he said I could make this again! Thanks!
This was YUMMY! thank you!
About how many cups is one serving. Trying to plan for a certain amount of people…kids and adults.
Looking forward to making this! Thanks! :-)
It made about 5-6 cups, so the servings were about 1.25 to 1.5 cups each.
Thanks! That helps. :-)
Hi Beth!! I’m going to try this recipe for the fam tonight, but will definitely need more than 1/2 lb of pasta…for 1 – 1.5 lbs, do you suggest doubling all the ingredients? or more of some less of others?
I’m also going to add some sautéed mushrooms, I think it would work really well!
Yes, I would multiply all of the ingredients by the same factor so that you end up with the same thing, just bigger volume :)
This was so quick and easy! Used what I had on hand, so medium shells instead of penne, tomato soup paste mixed with a jar of sun dried tomato pesto, all the fresh ingredients, and mascarpone…SO good!! Thanks for the idea, I will have a great couple of lunches this week!
I made this last night for me and my boyfriend (who usually hates those kind of pasta sauce) and it was a real success! Because tomatoes were on sale this week at my local grocery store, I actually switch the can tomatoes for some real italian tomatoes. I loved how the tomatoes became veggies in the pasta rather than just a part of the sauce!
Would adding some italian sausage taste OK with this recipe? Thanks!
Yes, I think that would be delicious!
I was just thinking the exact same thing, as my boyfriend’s a carnivore and I was trying to figure out how I would get him to eat this. I’ll be trying this tonight (half with sausage for him)!
I’ve made this recipe before and it was always great, but tonight I added some italian sausage and it took it up to the next level. Great suggestion!
Made this just the other night, love it when I happen to have every ingredient on hand! This was so tasty and so easy to whip up! Perfect for a filling and hearty meal that takes no time after work! The boyfriend loved it – thank you!
About that can opener– check to see if the screw that the metal hinges on is loose. Mine sometimes loosens which causes the gears to not line up
Awww, I wish I would have checked that before :P I already bought a new one (that came with a lifetime warranty, so hopefully I’m good!).
another home run Beth! thanks so much!
I know the recipe asks for canned tomatoes, but I have a ton of fresh tomatoes I just bought! Should I just use a couple tomatoes and add water to make up for the lack of juice?
Yes, that would probably work. Canned tomatoes can sometimes have a slightly more concentrated flavor, but I think it will still be good.
This dish got a “spectacular!” from my partner. I mostly followed the recipe but didn’t have cream cheese so I just used cream instead. If I used cream again, I’d cut down on how much water I put in, to make the sauce a bit thicker.
I was also short on fresh spinach so I heated up a bit of frozen spinach and threw it in along with the fresh to bulk it up a bit.
Delicious, quick meal! Would be perfect with a big hunk of garlic bread…Thanks for the recipe!
Where does one buy spinach for $.50!?! I pay at least $6 for 9 oz!! (Mind you I live in NYC)
Yeah, I mentioned that in the post because it was an insanely good sale price! The bags were 99 cents a pop! Woot! Lucky me :) You can use frozen spinach if you have to. I can sometimes find the huge bags of spinach (they call it “cooking spinach” but it’s still just baby spinach) for almost the same price as the small salad-sized bags (about $3).
yet another home run, Beth! my boyfriend, my sister, and I scarfed the whole recipe down with some garlic bread! I think the next time I make it, I’ll use the crockpot marinara I made from your recipe and just add the spinach and cream cheese, so it will be even more budget-friendly.
Oh, and I added some sun-dried tomatoes, too. phenomenal!
Thanks for the recipe, Beth!
I had something similar to this once, but with the addition of chopped bacon mixed in. Made for a “BLT” pasta dish. Seriously good :)
Oooh, that sounds amazing!
Just finished making (and eating) this. One of those rare web recipes where I didn’t have to alter anything — it was delicious exactly as written.
So… I just got referred to this blog and LOVE it. I have all of these ingredients and will be trying it. Question: Where do you get tomatoes for $.59 a can?!
It’s a new generic brand that my local grocery store is carrying… I wanted to use the fire roasted diced tomatoes of the same brand, but they were double the cost!
Would kale work as well as spinach? I have kidney stones and spinach is a no-no for me (I know, it sucks!!).
Yep, kale would probably work well. It might take a few more minutes for it to wilt down, but other than that it should be fine :)
Love your recipes! Don’t remember how I came across your site, but it’s wonderful, smart, and practical. Great idea! Every meal is so easy, cheap, and delicious! If I’m ever stumped on what to cook, I just see what you’re up to since your food obsessions are right in line with mine. Keep it up homegirl! You’ve earned your spot in my bookmarks bar!
Made this last night and it was sooo good! I used a mix of chevre and cream cheese, and fettuccine for the noodles, and added a handful of chopped sundried tomatoes. Really, really delicious and full of flavor! Awesome recipe, thanks!
Another winner! Thank you!!
Yum! This was dinner tonight and the whole family loved it. Great recipe, thank you!
Would feta sprinkled on top be any good do you think? I have some feta I need to use up!
Oh yes, that would be awesome!
What are the odds some plain Greek yogurt could replace the cream cheese? I just don’t happen to have any cheese on hand! (it’s a very sad situation in my fridge these days)
Hmm, if it’s full fat Greek yogurt, go for it! But, I’m guessing it’s not ;) It probably won’t be quite as creamy and might make the sauce more acidic, but if you’re not expecting the results to be exactly the same it might be okay. If you try it out, let us know how it tastes!
Melting cream cheese into a marinara sauce is one of my favorite kitchen tricks! THE BEST pasta sauce.
Think I’ll make this one later this week, I got some frozen sausages that would go well with it on the side.
Also you should totally get one of those top-opening can-openers, I swear you’ll never go back to the old kind once you try one.
Seriously the exact same thing happened to me with the can openers, so frustrating! I finally just spent a little bit more and got a nice one, I’ve had good luck so far!
Hi there. Love your site! Do you think frozen, chopped spinach would work in this if I thawed and drained it? It’s so much cheaper than fresh and I always have some in my freezer.
It would probably be okay. Sometimes frozen chopped spinach tends to be in really small pieces, but I’d definitely do it if I needed to save a penny or two :) Try to get the frozen spinach that is loose in a bag rather than frozen into a block. It tends to have a better texture.
Thanks! :)
Dang, love how east this is! Yum!
This was great! Made it tonight with zuke instead of spinach. Easy and just a little more filling than my usual tomato sauce because of the cream.
This looks really good! Everything except for the cream cheese, in fact. What would be good substitutes, or would this stand up without it?
A little bit of half and half or heavy cream will make the dish nice and creamy without using cream cheese. Try about 1/4 cup.
I used 3 patties of Laughing Cow 35 calorie cream cheese. Low calorie, lower fat, and it was really delicious.
This looks super yummy! Thinking of making this with some grilled chicken too.
Definitely going to try this one and veganize it for my brother. We both work in an Italian restaurant and he is always so bummed he can’t eat anything there, but this’ll fix his wagon. I’m gunna try and cook the spinach with some white wine with the sauteed garlic and onions before putting it all in the sauce, which I definitely recommend if anyone wants to really dress this dish up. Nothing special, even Franzia will do.
Would be good with Zucchini, too!
If you have experience preparing vegan food you may already know this, but if you put a handful of raw cashews in a Vitamix with a splash of water or vegetable stock, you can use it in place of cream in almost anything. Vitamix is worth the investment for anyone, but I certainly couldn’t cook vegan without one.
Just made this for supper. I used more cream cheese and parmesan and it was sooooo good. I didn’t think I had anything for supper and then saw this recipe and knew I had all of the ingredients! Can’t wait to eat the leftovers!
Looks fabulous! I make a similar version with feta cheese, may have to try this one next week :- D
Also, can opener recommendation…Pampered Chef. THE BEST can opener you will ever own. It’s worth the price.
This looks delicious – I can’t wait to try it! One way to prevent the spinach from flying out of the pan is to wilt for a few seconds in the microwave before adding it to the sauce. I just throw the spinach in a bowl and nuke for about 30 seconds. It brings down the volume of the spinach very quickly!
Or put the spinach in the strainer, then pour the pasta and water over it. Wilts really nicely that way too.
Another great recipe, Beth! As for the can opener, I recommend investing in a top-opening can opener. They are more reliable and the mechanics stick out less so they are less likely to get banged up
Looks great! I wonder if a chèvre goat cheese would work in place of the cream cheese? And buy a really good can opener, like an OXO one- lousy can openers are the pits!
Chevre would be *amazing* in this. …but then I love chevre in anything. ;) The first can opener that spontaneously broke was a good one. I had it for years and then suddenly one day it didn’t turn right. It was like a little elf snuck into my kitchen in the middle of the night and mis-matched the gears.
Hey Beth, instead of relying on a faulty can opener, why dont you buy tomato paste in a tube. In the long run its cheaper ’cause you keep it in the fridge after the 1st time you use it, & none of it ever gets wasted.