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.
I saw this recipe on Pinterest but it looks like somebody has ripped off your photos and recipe. http://inspiredreamer.com/creamy-tomato-and-spinach-pasta/
Sad when this happens. I read the comments on the other site and someone mentioned that it looked like your recipe. I thought I would let you know.
Thanks for the heads up!
This was amazing!!!! Perfect! There is really nothing else to say but thank you and I will be trying your other recipes! Thank you again!
I just made this dish for dinner again. It’s amazing! :)
I sell Pampered Chef products and would love to send you one of our amazing can openers. I laughed so hard when I scrolled down only to see a mutilated tomato paste can ;) I have seen this before in my own home. I no longer have that problem. Send me your mailing address and I will send you one for FREE that is guaranteed to work properly and you will never have a sharp edge of a can to deal with a gain. I only ask for one small request and that is a great easy recipe for Cashew Chicken. One of my favorites that I have never tried to make at home :D
Thanks for the offer, but I’ve since bought a can opener that works amazingly well! :) I’ll work on that cashew chicken recipe, though!
Hello, this recipe looks awesome! I didn’t see it posted so long ago. Any tips on making it heart healthier? I’m serving it with a salad, but I’d like to make it a little healthier for those in my family that are older and have some restrictions!
Well, the only heart un-healthy thing in this recipe is the cream cheese, but it’s only 2 oz. for the whole recipe, so it’s actually pretty good! :)
Oops, and the parmesan. You can cut back on the parmesan by half and that should help.
I’m not a super chef or anything, but mine actually looked like the picture! It was very good, and actually tasted better reheated the next day! Very easy to make as well!
Delicious!! Added some grilled chicken breast. This is definitely something I’ll make again and often!!
I really enjoyed this meal! I used spinach pasta and I also added some mozzarella cheese when I served it. It was a great meal, and not too heavy. Will make again…thanks for the recipe!!
Oh, yuummm. Made this for dinner tonight. It’s delish!!! I used a can of fire roasted tomatoes, and it was just so good! :)
Yet another winner!!
Added leftover chicken- was great!
Seriously this is one of the best tasting pasta recipes I’ve ever made, thank you! I’m trying to curb my pasta eating, so rather than make this with penne I added chopped chicken breast, zucchini, and yellow squash. So. Dang. Tasty.
So good! The sauce has killer flavor without being too heavy or over filling. And for only about 300 calories a serving, win-win-win!!
How many calories are in this? I really want to make it!
Roughly 300 according to my calorie app
just made this tonight and it was amazing! i have bookmarked so many recipes on your site. glad i found it :)
I made this for my husband tonight and he is a big food critic and he absolutely loved it, as did I! I added some chicken breast and served it with some extra yummy garlic bread because the sauce was so good. Thanks for the great receipe!