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.
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!!