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!
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Video
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.
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! :-)