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.
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!