This Simple Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce is quick and easy to make. It's dairy-free, is made with 6 ingredients and will be your new favorite weeknight dinner!
Pasta is the ultimate comfort food and is the perfect meal to make on those busy nights. This creamy tomato pasta sauce recipe will be a hit with the whole family and will quickly become a staple in your household.
The sauce is easy to whip up and is ready by the time your pasta is cooked. Let's start making this pasta!
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Ingredients
You only need 5 or 6 simple ingredients for this creamy tomato pasta:
- Pasta- I used rigatoni for this recipe but you can use your favorite pasta. This sauce would pair perfectly with penne or ziti.
- Chicken sausage- in this recipe I used a sweet Italian sausage but you can use hot Italian or your other preferred sausage. The chicken sausage can also be omitted for a vegetarian meal.
- Pasta sauce- use your go-to store-bought pasta sauce. Any kind will work in this creamy tomato pasta sauce.
- Can of coconut milk- a can of full-fat coconut milk will make this sauce creamy and dairy-free. However, you can also use heavy cream in this recipe.
- Spinach- I like adding spinach into this pasta because it cooks down quickly and adds in extra nutrients.
- Parmesan- while this doesn't make the recipe completely dairy-free, I always top with my pasta with extra parmesan. Omit if you have a dairy sensitivity.
Equipment Needed
You only need a few kitchen tools for this recipe:
- Cutting board and knife
- Large saucepan
- Large sauté pan
- Strainer/colander
- Measuring cups and spoons needed: 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon and 1 cup.
- Mixing utensil
- Can opener
Instructions
Begin by bringing salted water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, add pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain and set the pasta aside.
While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add diced chicken sausage and cook for 3-5 minutes until slightly browned.
Next, pour in ¾ of the jar of pasta or marinara sauce and bring to a boil. Shake the can of coconut milk to mix the coconut cream and water together. Add ½ of the can of coconut milk to the sauce and add in Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper.
Stir the sauce and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the spinach and pasta and turn off the heat. Stir to combine everything together.
Serve immediately with grated parmesan, if desired and enjoy!
Storage
The creamy tomato pasta sauce can be stored in the fridge with the pasta for about 3 days.
If you want to freeze the sauce, freeze it without the pasta in an airtight container for about 3 months. To defrost, place in the fridge overnight or for a few hours at room temperature. The sauce can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop.
How to customize
This dish is so simple, it is easy to customize to your liking. I encourage you to make this dish your own.
Make it vegan. Leave out the sausage and the parmesan cheese. Use a plant-based sausage or other meat alternative instead or skip it altogether. Top the pasta with vegan cheese when serving.
Make it vegetarian. For a vegetarian dish, skip the sausage and replace it with a plant-based alternative. Or skip it altogether!
Add veggies. Feel free to add additional veggies to the pasta. Add onions, mushrooms, zucchini and/or broccoli.
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Recipe
Simple Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta of choice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound chicken sausage diced
- 1 (24 ounce) jar of pasta or marinara sauce
- ½ can full fat coconut milk shaken
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2-3 cups spinach
- 2-3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and set pasta aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced chicken sausage and cook for 3-5 minutes until slightly browned.
- Next, pour in ¾ of the jar of pasta or marinara sauce and bring the sauce to a boil. Shake the can of coconut milk to mix the coconut cream and water together. Add ½ of the can of coconut milk to the sauce and add in Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper.
- Stir the sauce and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the spinach and pasta and turn off the heat. Stir to combine everything together.
- Serve immediately with grated parmesan, if desired and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
James B. says
I love a good creamy tomato sauce, and this beats any sauce you might buy on its own! I love the simple combination of a quality jarred sauce combined with fresh ingredients. I went with heavy cream, and the sauce partners up nicely with the chicken sausage. I’m going to try sweet Italian next time! I will also use this sauce to pour over some chicken breasts and serve them over the veggie pasta.
Sarah Holt says
Thank you James! This would be great on chicken breasts, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Sisley White says
So delicious and easy to make. Thank you for linking up to #CookBlogShare x
Sarah Holt says
thanks Sisley!
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
This looks delicious, I love a good pasta sauce!
Sarah Holt says
Me too, thanks so much Kat 🙂