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This creamy tomato pasta recipe comes together quickly and uses everyday ingredients. You’ll love the silky tomato sauce!
You may also like my Easy Pink Sauce Pasta or Best Penne alla Vodka Recipe.
Why you’ll love it
Making a creamy tomato pasta sauce from scratch with canned tomatoes is simple! The best part is that it can be ready by the time your pasta has cooked. It’s perfect for those on-the-go weeknights.
This sauce uses a can of tomato sauce for liquid, and I also add in some tomato paste to punch up that tomato flavor. Garlic, Italian seasoning, butter, and cream complete it. Add some freshly grated parmesan cheese to take it over the top!
What you’ll need
- Pasta – you can use whatever pasta you’ve got on hand. I love penne for this sauce because those little tubes are so nicely coated.
- Butter – for sautéing
- Garlic – adds savory goodness
- Tomato paste – for concentrated tomato flavor
- Tomato sauce – I’ve been asked by a few UK readers what to use instead of tomato sauce, and passata would be a good equivalent
- Heavy cream – to make the sauce luxuriously creamy
- Italian seasoning – it’s a great all-purpose herb blend
Pro tip
Canned tomato brands can vary, and some tomatoes are more acidic than others. My favorite brands are Mutti and DeLallo. If you find the sauce is a little bit too tart, you can add a pinch of sugar to balance the flavors/enhance the sweetness of the tomatoes.
How to make creamy tomato pasta
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cook the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet. Sauté the garlic for a minute. Stir in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, cream, and Italian seasoning until smooth.
Let the sauce gently bubble until thickened to your liking. Season generously with salt & pepper. Add a pinch of sugar if desired. Toss with the drained pasta, and top with parmesan cheese if using.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This is the skillet I use for this pasta.
- Easy mince garlic with one squeeze of a garlic press, and store the rest of the cloves in a garlic saver.
- I love this butter dish because it has measurement markings right on it for ease.
Substitutions and variations
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream for half-and-half or something with less fat. The sauce is likely to curdle due to the acidity of the tomatoes.
- You could definitely change the herbs up a bit… some dried oregano or basil would work great. You could even add fresh herbs if you happen to have some.
- You could stir in some spinach or other veggies towards the end of cooking if you want to dress it up a bit.
What to serve with creamy tomato pasta
- Pair it with a salad to round out the meal. Try my 10 Minute Caesar Dressing or this homemade Italian Dressing.
- Go all out and make some Cheesy Garlic Bread to go with it.
- This sauce will actually work for other things (like over chicken or shrimp, for example), so you could skip the pasta altogether if you want! Or you could add a bit of cooked chicken/shrimp/your protein of choice to the sauce for a more filling meal.
Leftovers and storage
- You can keep this sauce in the fridge for a few days, or freeze it for up to 3 months if you’ve got some left over.
- I’d re-warm it over a low heat in a saucepan.
Will you give this creamy tomato pasta a try? Questions? Let me know in the comments below! Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you’ve made one of my recipes.
Creamy Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving, to taste
Instructions
- Boil a large, salted pot of water for your pasta and cook it al dente according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile (once the pasta starts to cook), add the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it melts, add the garlic and sauté for about a minute, stirring constantly.
- Add in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, cream, and Italian seasoning. Stir until it's nice and smooth. Let the sauce cook for about 5 minutes or until it's thickened to your liking (it should be very gently bubbling, so you may need to turn down the heat).
- Season the sauce with salt & pepper as needed (I'm pretty generous with both). If the sauce is a little too acidic/tangy for your liking, add in a pinch of sugar.
- Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce (add a splash of hot pasta water if the sauce gets too thick). Serve immediately with plenty of parmesan cheese over top.
Notes
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream with something that has a lower fat content as it’s likely to curdle due to the acid in the tomatoes.
- This recipe can also be found in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials hardcover cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I used canned stewed tomatoes because that’s what I had on hand & it was absolutely delicious!
Thanks, Kathryn!
This was fantastic, but i used 4 cloves of garlic and added green peppers, mushrooms and onions to ir.
Thanks, Joe!
It was super yummy. My whole family enjoyed it, even my super-picky sister. I love it and would definitely recommend it!
Wonderful! 😀 Thanks for your review, Riley!
This was much faster that my usual tomato sauce recipe because it didn’t require a long simmering time to reduce the sauce. I used whatever I already had in the kitchen (no butter or tomato paste). The slowest step was crushing the garlic, my family loved it.
I’m so glad it was a hit!
I grated the garlic, but it was worth it.
I cut this recipe in half and made it as a quick dinner for my daughter and I. I added a good amount of fresh parmesan after plating. The flavor was awesome. I did end up putting a pinch of sugar in it to cut down the acidity, as you stated in your notes. My only issue (totally my fault) was that I didn’t have tomato paste, so I used three tablespoons of tomato sauce in place of it. It works in other recipes when I do that (usually stews and such), but I think the absence of the tomato paste made my sauce not thicken..or maybe I should have let it simmer longer. I had way too much liquidity sauce for my noodles, but as I said, the flavor was there. It is simple ingredients, unlike all the added crap you get from most store bought sauces. Also, it’s quick and easy, which is a plus for being a busy, full time working mom with a kid who plays sports. I will definitely pick up some tomato paste and make this again. It was good without meat, but I may try adding a mix of ground beef and mild Italian sausage to it.
Hi Leigh! I’m glad you enjoyed the flavors. Yes – tomato sauce definitely is more runny. I think you’ll enjoy it with the tomato paste. 🙂 I have a version with Italian sausage here: https://www.saltandlavender.com/italian-sausage-tomato-pasta/
Bomb dot com !! My family and I loved it. Added some ground beef and spinach
Thanks so much, Riley!!
thanks for this recipe it was amazing
Thanks so much, Billy!
This is a weeknight go to meal for my family. We all love it! It’s almost as easy as jarred sauce and noodles but tastes so fresh and I can adjust the spice and sweetness. Even with the heavy cream it is still a nice light sauce. I highly recommend! Will definitely look into more recipes from Salt & Lavender!
Aww thanks, Ariel! 😀
This has become my go to tomato sauce. It’s delicious and I’m proud to share it with others. Thank you so much for the delicious recipe.
You’re very welcome Susan! 😀
This is one of our favorite recipes! I make it at least twice a month. I cook beef or turkey smoked sausage in the skillet first (while the pasta water boils), then add the sausage back in while the sauce thickens… holy moly, so delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe!!! ❤️
You’re very welcome!! 😀