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.
This is so easy and tastes incredible!
Do you know if it would freeze well?
Thanks!
It definitely could!
I’m going to make this tonight! Curious if I do a whole pound of pasta I’d i need to double this recipe, though. The pictures make it look like there’s an abundance of sauce.
You could certainly try it out and let us know!
I haven’t made this in a few years, but when I first discovered it it was on repeat in our house. Such a simple pasta, but bursting with flavor. It’s easy, doesn’t take too long, perfect for a weeknight dinner. Reheats well!
Thanks Jordan!
Can you use frozen spinach instead of fresh? I’d really like to use spinach but the fresh spinach at the moment is a bit out of my price range. Thanks
Yes, but the texture won’t be quite as nice (it will be stringier or in small pieces if you buy “chopped”). Just make sure to thaw and squeeze out the excess water before adding it to the skillet. :)
Wow this recipe is everything and more! Seriously, so good!
IS it ok add sour cream if I don’t’ have cream cheese.
Sour cream might work, but it can sometimes curdle in hot acidic liquids, and this one is acidic because of the tomato.
I’ve made this many times and I love it! It’s so simple, affordable, and delicious. Tonight I added cooked shrimp because my husband needs the added protein since he’s weight lifting. It was a great compliment to this dish!
Thanks for the work that you do, Beth. This website is a wealth of wholesome, homecooked recipes that anybody can cook. And the price breakdowns are really helpful. It’s a godsend for a working mom on a budget, like me. :)
Thank you, Emily!
Olive Garden has some competition I’m extremely pleased and surprised with how well the recipe turned out !!
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I had splurged at the Greenmarket on $5 a bunch spinach from Fledgling Crow Vegetables certified organic farm (in Essex, NY) and wanted to use it immediately, while in peek nutrition, on something that would turn this divine spinach into a whole meal rather than side dish. I’ve read about putting cream cheese in pasta before and been skeptical, but this works. It hasn’t even a hint of bagel and cream cheese flavor as I’d feared ( great, but just not how you want your pasta to taste!). I was out of tomato paste, and mine turned out beautifully without. I added a little more of everything so it would work on a pound of pasta. For our family of four it was just enough. We probably would’ve eaten a pound and a half of pasta. I used beet fusilli by https://www.sfoglini.com/. (8$) My tomatoes, onion and basil were also local and green market fresh, though, unfortunately, not organic (it’s a little soon for field and these are grown in a greenhouse in New Jersey). Perfect platform for them. When I’ve got the discretionary income, it feels right to use the money to support small, local organic farms and businesses. They’re scraping by. Cooking seasonally makes it more affordable. Finding fast, delicious recipes like this is welcome —because then you don’t waste the expensive produce you splurged on —the worst!
Best pasta i’ve had. Thanks for the recipe, this is amazing!
Loved this recipe. Added some sliced up sausage that were cooked down with the onions because I like a meat. Very flavorful sauce.
Quite yummy! I used both mushrooms and spinach, as well as a dash of wine. The hubby thought it was delish as well!
My family loved this so much that my husband offered it for a grad party! Can I make it and put it in a crock pot to keep it warm? Will it end up mushy?
It will probably get mushy. :(
How many calories per serving?
I’m sorry, I don’t have nutrition info.
Is there a way to make this dairy free
Unfortunately I don’t have a dairy sub for this one. The cream cheese and Parm play big roles in both the flavor and texture, and changing those will drastically change the outcome.
No need for extra salt. Tomato paste has some, unless you use the no-salt-added, and Parmesan cheese has plenty. If some pasta lover who has high blood pressure, as I do, it would be worth giving a bit of thought to leaving out the salt. It won’t be missed, not with all that flavour. I’ve half a mind to fix this dish for my lunch tomorrow! I love pasta of any kind. Thank you for breaking me out of a food rut! 😀