This Simple Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta is quick and easy to make. It's made with just a few ingredients and is done in under 30 minutes. This 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 and spinach pasta 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. It's made with simple ingredients like your favorite jarred pasta sauce and coconut milk. If you love simple pasta recipes you will also love my Spicy Rigatoni with Ground Pork and Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta.
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Under 30-minute recipe. This meal comes together in just 20 minutes and it requires minimal prep work.
- Can easily be dairy-free. This recipe already uses coconut milk to add creaminess to the sauce. Just omit the parmesan cheese or replace it with a dairy-free version!
- Just 10 ingredients! This tomato and spinach pasta uses just 10 ingredients and that includes oil and spices!
Ingredients
- 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 recipe.
- 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.
- Spinach- I recommend using fresh spinach over frozen spinach.
See the recipe card below for quantities and remaining ingredients.
Equipment Needed
You only need a few kitchen tools for this recipe:
- Cutting board and knife
- Large saucepan
- Large skillet
- Strainer/colander
- Measuring cups and spoons needed: 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon and 1 cup.
- Mixing utensil
- Can opener
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Cook diced chicken sausage in oil over medium heat until browned.
- Next, pour in the jar of pasta or marinara sauce and bring it to a slight boil. Add ½ of the can of coconut milk to the sauce and add in Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, add in some of the reserved pasta water.
- Stir the sauce together 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!
Frequently Asked Questions
The creamy tomato pasta sauce can be stored in the fridge with the pasta for about 3 days.
Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Yes! 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.
The easiest way to prevent pasta from sticking is to stir periodically for the first two minutes after dropping it into the boiling water.
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 another 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.
Top Tips
- Don't forget to reserve pasta water before draining because you may need to thin out the sauce.
- Cook the pasta until it is al dente. It will continue to cook slightly more when tossed with the sauce. I recommend cooking it for 1 minute less than the lowest suggested cooking time on the package.
- Do NOT rinse your cooked pasta with cold water after cooking. You need the starchiness of cooked pasta so the sauce will stick.
Similar Recipes
🍳Recipe
Simple Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8-10 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, optional
Instructions
- Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, add pasta and cook according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain and set the 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 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. If the sauce seems too thick, add in some of the reserved pasta water.
- 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!
Notes
- Don't forget to reserve pasta water before draining because you may need to thin out the sauce.
- Cook the pasta until it is al dente. It will continue to cook slightly more when tossed with the sauce. I recommend cooking it for 1 minute less than the lowest suggested cooking time on the package.
- Do NOT rinse your cooked pasta with cold water after cooking. You need the starchiness of cooked pasta so the sauce will stick.
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 🙂