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This one-pot creamy tomato pasta is my ultimate quick dinner on busy weeknights! Add all the ingredients to a pot, and have a plate of tender pasta cooked in rich, savory tomato sauce on the table in 20 minutes.
If you love one-pot dinner recipes as much as I do, try my one pot Caprese pasta, this creamy lemon pasta, and sundried tomato pasta, next. You might also like this one-pan Boursin pasta that you bake in the oven!
This creamy tomato pasta recipe is an ode to my husband, the pasta-holic, who also happens to be obsessed with tomato sauce. He’d bathe in the stuff if he could. So, I made this quick and delicious tomato pasta with tender fettuccine noodles cooked in a rich and creamy tomato sauce with onions, basil, and garlic (of course). Even better, it needs one pot to cook the pasta, sauce, EVERYTHING! This is officially my ultimate Friday food. It pairs perfectly with a Campari spritz!
Why I Love This Creamy Tomato Pasta
- One pot. You’ll boil your favorite pasta in a savory broth complete with herbs, garlic, and onion. All the flavors get absorbed into the noodles while they cook. Then it’s a matter of stirring in cream and tomato sauce. Presto!
- Quick. Since there’s hardly any prep and a short cooking time, this saucy pasta dinner is on the table in under 30 minutes. You can’t beat it on a busy weeknight.
- Adaptable. This vegetarian creamy tomato pasta is family-friendly as it is, and super flexible. Include any veggies, protein, or other add-ins depending on your preferences.
What You’ll Need
These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this creamy tomato pasta, along with some tips and substitutions if needed. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for a full list with recipe details.
- Pasta – I use whole-grain fettuccine or linguine, but you can make this recipe with any long or short-cut pasta you’d like. Whole-grain pasta adds a nutty flavor and extra fiber, but you can substitute it with regular pasta if preferred.
- Vegetable Broth – I like low-sodium broth or stock. You can use chicken broth or water as a substitute.
- Onion – Yellow or white onions work best, but you can mix in shallots for a milder flavor.
- Fresh Basil – Fresh herbs, like basil and oregano, add an aromatic flavor that pairs nicely with the tomato sauce. If you don’t have fresh, dried basil or Italian seasoning can be used instead.
- Garlic – I use fresh garlic almost always, but garlic powder will also work.
- Cream Cheese – I keep it light with low-fat cream cheese. Regular cream cheese can be used, too, or you can substitute Neufschatel cheese instead.
- Pasta Sauce – Use your favorite store-bought or homemade tomato sauce. Marinara sauce is a great alternative.
- Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated parmesan is best. Pecorino Romano or Asiago cheese can be used as substitutes.
How To Make Creamy Tomato Pasta
Gather up those ingredients, and let’s put them to work on the stovetop. I say “work” loosely here, of course, since there’s hardly any work involved in this one-pot pasta! See for yourself:
- Combine the ingredients. Add your pasta to a stockpot with water and vegetable broth, and stir in the onions, basil, and garlic. Give that a quick season with salt and pepper.
- Cook. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, remove the lid. Keep cooking the pasta uncovered for another 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked al dente. Most of the liquid should be absorbed at this point.
- Add creaminess. Now, take the pot off the heat and stir in the cream cheese and tomato sauce.
- Finish and serve. Lastly, stir in the grated Parmesan cheese. Adjust the seasonings to taste, and serve!
Tips and Variations
- Adjust the creaminess and tomato flavor. If you prefer less cream cheese and more tomato sauce, go ahead and add as much or as little as you want. Start with 3 ounces of cream cheese and 1-1/2 cups of tomato sauce, then adjust to taste.
- Add chicken. For an extra protein boost, add cooked chicken or shrimp to the pasta. Stir them in at the end with the cream cheese and tomato sauce.
- Veggie add-ins. Add vegetables like spinach, diced bell peppers, or diced zucchini. These can be added during the last few minutes of cooking the pasta or sauteed for a few minutes in a skillet.
- Make it spicy. If you like a bit of heat, add some red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce when stirring in the tomato sauce and cream cheese.
Serving Suggestions
I love pairing this creamy tomato pasta with a fresh side, like this Mediterranean salad, a classic Caesar salad, or a LaScala chopped salad with a zesty vinaigrette to balance the richness of the pasta. Meanwhile, crusty garlic breadsticks are a must for soaking up the leftover sauce!
This creamy one pot pasta is also a great, easy dish for entertaining. I serve it at dinner parties alongside baked lobster tails or grilled scallops! Steamed or roasted vegetables like broccoli or sauteed broccolini are also perfect as a side. Don’t forget a glass of chilled Chardonnay (or your favorite white wine) to round out the meal, and a slice of German marble cake for dessert.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store any leftover creamy tomato pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. This tomato pasta reheats well. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth or water to loosen it up if needed.
- Freeze. I don’t usually recommend freezing pasta recipes like this one, since the texture of the cooked pasta tends to get a little mushy once it’s thawed. Instead, try a freezer-friendly pasta dinner like my baked mostaccioli or spaghetti casserole.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
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Creamy Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces whole grain fettuccine, or linguine
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 large yellow or white onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 ounces low fat cream cheese, or Neufschatel Cheese or regular cream cheese
- 1½ cups pasta sauce
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, or to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. In a stockpot, combine the pasta with water, vegetable broth, onions, basil leaves, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove the cover and continue to cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and almost all liquid is absorbed; stirring occasionally.
- Make the sauce. Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese and tomato sauce; continue to mix until completely combined.
- Finish and serve. Stir in the grated parmesan cheese; taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Made this dish tonight, but I ended up with 2 pots as I browned Italian sausage and added it at the end of the cooking process. It was amazing!
Everyone loved it and it’s now a must have with our kids!
I just made the Creamy Tomato One Pot Pasta, and it was a real winner! This is certainly a keeper. I made a mistake and put the tomato sauce in with the ingredients at the beginning. It still came out perfect. I only had macaroni on hand and used that instead of spaghetti, and it was a very nice result. Thank you Katarina.
This was insanely delicious! Thank you so much for a quick, easy, and full of flavor recipe. I normally don’t have cream cheese but had some left over as my husband likes it with banana bread and I recently made some. This was just perfect! I’ll definitely be adding it to my regular rotation. Thank you.
Do you just use tomato sauce or a spaghetti sauce???
Hi Amy!! I know that can be a bit confusing, but some people call it spaghetti sauce, others call it tomato sauce and then there’s also others that call it just pasta sauce. 😀 For that reason I put “tomato/pasta sauce”.
But, yes, you can use spaghetti sauce, and please don’t forget the basil – it’s what makes the dish pop. 😀 I hope you’ll get a chance to try it!
I am a newlywed, and not a very good cook! So I’m always on the lookout for a recipe I hope my husband will love…and honestly, this was a knockout!! I will definitely be adding it into my meal plan rotation! I was skeptical about the onions (shouldn’t I sauteé them first???) Lol but I just followed the recipe. I bought the basil “paste” in a tube, and oh yes it adds tons of flavor! We love this, thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
I thought this looked really tasty and easy, so I gave it a try. I didn’t have any basil to use, which probably would have helped it, but it just wasn’t a good dish in my opinion. There’s something odd about it that I can’t quite describe. It tastes a bit like Campbell’s tomato soup on top of pasta, with sort of a weird aftertaste. In the words of my sister, the dish is “almost delicious” in that it had potential, but it just didn’t turn out the way I expected it to. I will say that is is very simple – but perhaps it was a bit TOO simple to be good. (I should probably give this one star except for the weird fact that it’s ALMOST good… so I’m giving it two).
Hi Leanna! I wouldn’t like anything that tasted like Campbell’s soup on top of pasta, either. hahaha 🙂
I’m sorry you didn’t like it – I guess I can’t win ’em all. Damn! hehe 😀 The basil adds a lot to this, so by leaving it out, I can definitely agree that it probably didn’t taste as it should have. 1/2-cup of basil is a lot of missing flavor.
One pot pastas are definitely the best thing ever – and this creamy tomato one is clearly no exception. Looks very comforting & delicious!
This is what perfection looks like! I have been dying to try the one pot pasta phenomena and this looks like the perfect way to start!
Your recipe sounds delish. I’m Greek Orthodox so can relate with Easter. Great dish for those who are fasting as well. Definitely on the list for this week
I always love your one pot pastas!! This looks like a winner already 🙂