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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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
BG says
Love this recipe for a easy Friday night dig in kind of meal... with a garlic bread side! I use less cream than the recipe and it still turns out great (just a few tablespoons) I always love adding in some stir fried red and yellow peppers, some chopped zucchini for a bit of colour and getting in the veg! Definitely one of the nicer pasta recipes.. and Mutti canned tomatoes is my go to..!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Thanks so much! Glad it inspired you!
Chip59 says
Great sauce, I added a few red pepper flakes!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Thank you! Appreciate the review!
Sarah P. says
So easy, so good. I didn’t make any modifications.
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Wonderful to hear, Sarah! Thanks so much! 🙂
Lily says
As a sophomore in college I decided to make this since it sounded delicious but also claimed to be 'easy' and 'simple'. It was everything and more! I really enjoyed cooking it, it didn't take long AT ALL and actually it didn't take very long to clean up afterwords! My roommates and I are big fans and will definitely be cooking this exact recipe again! Super creamy, rich, and tasty! Also the tomato wasn't overpowering which was super surprising! Love!
Natasha says
Yay!! That's awesome! 🙂 Appreciate your review, Lily!
Tera says
Made so much deliciously creamy sauce! I’ll definitely be making this again. 👍🏻😃
Natasha says
Fantastic!! 🙂
Jamie says
This was amazing, so easy and cheap to make!!
Seriously was not expecting it to be this good with so few ingredients.
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Right!? Thrilled to hear that, Jamie! 🙂
aimee says
hi just wondering what your measurement would convert to into grams as i’m from aus so the, 1 (14 fluid ounce) can tomato sauce, does anyone know how to convert that into grams ?
Natasha says
Hi! I'm Canadian and the can says 398 ml.
Gabriella says
Hey
Could you bake it in the oven for 20 to crisp it for a pasta bake or would this ruin it? Thanks x
Natasha says
I think that if you topped it with some mozzarella (or other easy melting cheese) then that should be ok, but by itself you'll likely just dry out the cream sauce.
rishtika says
hi, when you say tomato sauce, is it like tomato pasta or tomato ketchup? thanks:)
Natasha says
Hi! It's a North American product. It's similar to passata. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Staci says
This is an absolute fav. A true staple in our house. We sub the pasta sauce for canned diced tomatoes and then blend. It's a bit cheaper and has less additives. We cook this weekly and even make batches for our adult lunches. Super easy and DELICIOUS!
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that, Staci!! 🙂 Appreciate you taking the time to write me a review!
Krystil says
So easy and tastes awesome 🔥🔥
Natasha says
Thank you!! 🙂
Amanda says
I now have these ingredients at all times in my house.
Natasha says
Awesome!! 🙂
Jayme says
Wow! I never take the time to review recipes- but this one was so good! Restaurant quality dish. I doubled it and added cut up chicken breast that I sautéed first in the pan with olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. I set that to the side after just barely cooked through and continued with the recipe. Added it back in at the end with the pasta… delicious! My whole family loved it so it’s a keeper!
Natasha says
I appreciate your review! 🙂 I'm so glad you all enjoyed it!
F Strevens says
Delicious and so helpful for a mid week meal! My family loved it with tarragon as it was the only herb I had.
Natasha says
I'm so glad it was a hit!
Danielle Cowan says
I tried this recipe and added some fresh spinach and Italian Meatballs to it and it was very good! Compliments from the whole house! I will be doing this again!
Natasha says
Excellent!! So glad you enjoyed it. I appreciate you taking the time to write me a review!
Nthandiwe says
I was out of chopped tomatoes, so I used more tomato puree, and it turned out well. I also used linguine as I was out of penne (it was a bad day in the pantry). This is going on my list of favourite pasta sauces from now.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you were able to tweak it!! 🙂
Megan says
10/10 recommend! I added chicken to it! So good! Even my toddler loved it
Natasha says
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for your review!
Marcella says
It’s absurd how delicious and easy this was to make. My family was shocked that it was homemade and not from a top Italian restaurant. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!!!!!!!
Natasha says
Awww that's so nice to hear!! 😀 You're very welcome!! Thanks for your review!
Jay says
hi, I would really like to know all the ingredients and recipe in UK measurements as I'm from England and would like to make it for myself. also, is the ingredients list and recipe for the suggested 4 people or is it for 1 person, if it is for the suggested 4 people could I have the ingredients and recipe sent back for just 1 person.
I'm enquiring about the creamy tomato pasta just to let you know.
thank you