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!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
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
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!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.
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.