Description
Creamy tomato spinach pasta brings Italian comfort to your dinner table with rich, silky sauce and nutrient-packed greens. Perfectly balanced flavors and easy preparation make this dish a delightful choice for weeknight meals you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta:
- 1/2 pound (227 grams) penne pasta
Sauce Base:
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) olive oil
- 1 can (15 ounces / 425 grams) diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) tomato paste
Creamy and Seasoning Elements:
- 2 ounces (57 grams) cream cheese
- 1/4 cup (25 grams) grated Parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Fresh black pepper to taste
- Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
Additional Vegetable:
- 4 ounces (113 grams) fresh spinach
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until al dente, approximately 8 minutes. Drain thoroughly in a colander, shaking off excess water.
- Heat olive oil in a deep skillet over medium temperature. Sauté finely chopped onions and crushed garlic until translucent and fragrant, roughly 4 minutes.
- Pour diced tomatoes into the skillet. Incorporate dried herbs, salt, pepper, and tomato paste. Introduce water and stir until ingredients are evenly distributed and sauce begins to simmer.
- Lower heat to minimum. Gradually incorporate cream cheese fragments, continuously whisking until completely melted and integrated. Sprinkle grated Parmesan and stir until sauce achieves a velvety consistency.
- Add fresh spinach leaves to the sauce, gently folding until they wilt and reduce in volume, approximately 2 minutes.
- Combine cooked pasta with the creamy tomato sauce, ensuring each pasta strand is generously coated. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding extra salt or pepper to enhance flavor profile.
Notes
- Cook pasta just until al dente to prevent mushiness and maintain a delightful texture that holds sauce beautifully.
- Let cream cheese sit at room temperature before adding to sauce for smoother, faster melting and a more velvety consistency.
- Replace spinach with kale, Swiss chard, or arugula for different nutritional profiles and exciting flavor variations.
- Make this dish gluten-free by using zucchini noodles or chickpea pasta, and dairy-free by substituting cream cheese with cashew cream.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 360
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 30mg