This creamy tomato pasta recipe comes together quickly and uses everyday ingredients. You'll love the silky tomato sauce!
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. 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. And some freshly grated parmesan cheese takes it over the top!
Like the sound of this recipe? Try my Tomato Spinach Chicken Pasta.
Recipe notes & tips:
- 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.
- I've been asked by a few UK readers on Instagram what to use instead of tomato sauce, and passata would be a good equivalent, I believe.
- 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 can use whatever pasta you've got on hand (I love penne for this sauce because those little tubes are so nicely coated).
- 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.
- You could stir in some spinach or other veggies towards the end of cooking if you want to dress it up a bit.
- I use Italian seasoning in here because it's a great all-purpose herb blend, but 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.
- Storage: You can keep this sauce in the fridge for a few days or freeze it if you've got some left over. I'd re-warm it on a low heat.
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- The Best Penne alla Vodka Recipe
- Creamy Tomato Gnocchi
- Easy Creamy Lemon Pasta
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- Tomato Goat Cheese Pasta
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
This creamy tomato pasta recipe comes together quickly and uses everyday ingredients. You'll love the silky tomato sauce!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (14 fluid 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.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Calories: 447kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 10gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 654mgPotassium: 569mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1383IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 2mg
Jamie Pugh says
I love this recipe! I’ve been using it for months and bringing it to gatherings. I love it and so do my friends and family!
Natasha says
Fantastic!! 😀 I'm so happy to hear that!! Thanks for coming back and writing me a review... it's much appreciated!
Kj says
Simple and amazing. Super affordable to make as well.
Natasha says
So happy you liked it! 😀
Hiran says
Easy to make an very tasty
Natasha says
Thank you so much!
Keri says
was very quick and tasted great! 🙂
Natasha says
Wonderful!! Thank you!
Auburn says
Love this recipe!! I make it all the time and my boyfriend and I both love it. Tonight I forgot the tomato sauce at the store, and wanted to say that if you have tomato soup on hand it works really well as a substitute. It makes it a bit sweeter so if you typically add the sugar I wouldn’t recommend it, but I think it cuts the acidity really nicely anyway!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you were able to adapt it this time, Auburn! Thanks for your review!
Sofia says
Subbed olive oil for butter and Alpro single soya for the cream and it was delightful even dairy free! Used an extra garlicky tomato sauce as well, would recommend!
Natasha says
Excellent!! So glad you were able to adapt it, Sofia! Thanks for your review - appreciate it!
Esther Flores says
So I did make the Creamy Tomato Paste. It was easy to prepare. And we both enjoyed it. My husband had three serving. I like to try different recipes and then tweet it. But this recipe was the best. Next time I'll just add chicken or shrimp with spinach. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us. Bon appetit.
Natasha says
So glad it was a hit! 🙂 You're very welcome, Esther!
Dee says
This was absolutely a delicious meal! Went together fast and the best thing is the hubby ate it and said it was a keeper. This from a man who eats fried food! Definitely will make again and again….
Natasha says
That's awesome!! 😀
Jean says
What a great, quick meal! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did add some red pepper flakes to give it a little kick. A definite keeper!
Natasha says
So happy you enjoyed it!!
Jean says
Such a simple but so delish recipe! I know you said not to swap with low fat cream but I only had that in my fridge and luckily it worked out just fine! Thanks so much 🙂
Natasha says
So happy you enjoyed it, Jean!!