Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta Recipe

Nancy Piran | The Bitter Side of Sweet

Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta is what's for dinner tonight! It's full of fresh flavors and ready in minutes.

You know what I love about easy to make pasta recipes? It’s that while your pasta cooks you can make a delicious sauce to go over the top of it in less than 30 minutes!

Sometimes it takes less than that, but definitely no more.

Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta Photo

For this creamy tomato spinach pasta, I deviated a little from what I normally do with my cream sauce. Normally I make a bechamel, which I love the thickness of this kind of sauce and went with something a little less heavy.

Honestly, I kind of like how it simplified the recipe some.

Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta Picture

How do I make the sauce?

To make the sauce you just need a few basic ingredients you probably already have at home. We start with our base of onions and olive oil; you can never go wrong with these two simple ingredients.

Next, we add a little bit of fresh garlic.

The first time I tested this recipe out I made it with garlic powder, which is fine to use if you have that instead, but there is just something about fresh garlic sautéed in a pan with olive oil and onions.

Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta Image

What kind of tomatoes do I use?

When picking your tomatoes, you want to try and use the freshest tomato possible.

Originally, I made this with Roma because it’s my favorite variety of tomatoes, but the ones in my grocery store were full of water and just not good.

My husband suggested cherry tomatoes. It was a great suggestion! They contain less water, so I felt like I was actually eating tomatoes and not mush.

Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta Pic

Why do I need to use fresh spinach?

Again, the fresher your ingredients the better your sauce will taste. Frozen spinach could work in this if you squeeze all of the liquid out of it after you cook it, but I would not recommend it.

Also, you could easily substitute kale in the place of the spinach. We’ve done it and it’s super tasty too!

File 1 - Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta

What kind of pasta should I use?

For me, right now I am on a kick of using the smallest noodle possible. I’m not really sure why that is, maybe because they cook faster?

Also, the kids love the smaller noodles so it works for us! Any short-cut pasta will work, from penne to rigatoni to bowties.

Looking for more pasta recipes? How about trying this creamy sausage and tomato pasta if you are looking for something with a little more protein! You might like this spaghetti alla carbonara too!

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Creamy Tomato Spinach Pasta Recipe

    4 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Short Cut Pasta, like Mini Penne
  • 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup Onion, diced
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 2 teaspoons Salt
  • 10 ounces Cherry Tomatoes, halved
  • 4 cups Fresh Spinach
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions

  1. Cook mini penne according to the package.
  2. In the meantime, add olive oil, onions, garlic and salt to the pan. Cook on medium heat for 3 minutes.
  3. Add tomatoes. Cook for another 3-5 minutes or until softened.
  4. Add spinach to the pan. Cook on medium heat for 3 minutes or until wilted.
  5. Pour in milk and allow to boil for 2 minutes.
  6. Toss in penne, stir well.
  7. Top with cheese.
  8. Serve warm and enjoy!

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Cuisine:
Italian
Category:
Tomatoes
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Related Recipes:
Italian Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Tomato Recipes, Spinach Recipes, Cheese Recipes, Sauce Recipes, Easy Dinner Recipes, Easy Recipes, Dinner Recipes
Recipe Yields:
4 servings
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Related Post:
Published:
Author: Nancy Piran
Recipe Yields: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Nutrition Facts

Servings Per Recipe 4

Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 114
Calories 709

% Daily Value*
22%
Total Fat 14g
17%
  Saturated Fat 3g
90%
Sodium 2151mg
35%
Total Carbohydrate 105g
5%
  Dietary Fiber 4g
  Sugars 4g
46%
Protein 23g

* Percent Daily Value are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrition Facts are estimated based on ingredients and data provided by Fat Secret. Please consult a doctor if you have special dietary needs.
Nancy Piran

About Nancy

Nancy has been writing about good food on The Bitter Side of Sweet for years now. We're pretty stoked that she's our Puff Pastry fanatic, because it's about to get deliciously epic.

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