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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Stainless Steel Pots and Pans
- Whisk
- Measuring Cups Spoons
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.
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.