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This creamy tomato pasta recipe comes together quickly and uses everyday ingredients. You’ll love the silky tomato sauce!
You may also like my Easy Pink Sauce Pasta or Best Penne alla Vodka Recipe.
Why you’ll love it
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. It’s 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. Add some freshly grated parmesan cheese to take it over the top!
What you’ll need
- Pasta – you can use whatever pasta you’ve got on hand. I love penne for this sauce because those little tubes are so nicely coated.
- Butter – for sautéing
- Garlic – adds savory goodness
- Tomato paste – for concentrated tomato flavor
- Tomato sauce – I’ve been asked by a few UK readers what to use instead of tomato sauce, and passata would be a good equivalent
- Heavy cream – to make the sauce luxuriously creamy
- Italian seasoning – it’s a great all-purpose herb blend
Pro tip
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.
How to make creamy tomato pasta
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cook the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet. Sauté the garlic for a minute. Stir in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, cream, and Italian seasoning until smooth.
Let the sauce gently bubble until thickened to your liking. Season generously with salt & pepper. Add a pinch of sugar if desired. Toss with the drained pasta, and top with parmesan cheese if using.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This is the skillet I use for this pasta.
- Easy mince garlic with one squeeze of a garlic press, and store the rest of the cloves in a garlic saver.
- I love this butter dish because it has measurement markings right on it for ease.
Substitutions and variations
- 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 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.
- You could stir in some spinach or other veggies towards the end of cooking if you want to dress it up a bit.
What to serve with creamy tomato pasta
- Pair it with a salad to round out the meal. Try my 10 Minute Caesar Dressing or this homemade Italian Dressing.
- Go all out and make some Cheesy Garlic Bread to go with it.
- 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.
Leftovers and storage
- You can keep this sauce in the fridge for a few days, or freeze it for up to 3 months if you’ve got some left over.
- I’d re-warm it over a low heat in a saucepan.
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
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (14 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.
- This recipe can also be found in the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials hardcover cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Oh my lanta!! So delicious 😋 even our 4 kids (6 and under) LOVED it!!! Thank you for sharing!! ❤️❤️❤️
You’re very welcome!!
My family loved it ❤️
Fantastic!!
Ok, so this was probably the BEST recipe i’ve tried in a long time. I used pappardelle pasta and it was just incredible with the sauce. Glass of red wine made this meal complete. Highly recommend, coming from a very picky eater.
That’s so nice to hear!! 😀
I would like to take this to a family that needs help. I would be taking over before dinner time, I can take it hot but may not be served immediately. Any suggestions would make it still taste good.
That’s so nice of you! Is it possible to boil the pasta fresh and reheat the sauce separately? That would be my tip… like reheat the sauce gently on a low heat and cook the pasta just before serving. If you can’t do that, I’d just tell them to reheat it over a low heat… probably not the microwave as the sauce could separate quite easily and the pasta may come out weird too.
An absolute cracker of a recipe! Quick and easy to make, simple ingredients that most people would have in their pantry too. Full of flavour.
Instead of Italian seasoning, I added a generous amount of fresh parsley, basil and a shake or two of dried oregano. Delicious! Can’t wait to make this again.
Thank you so much!
Hey I was wondering what side dish or bread did you serve this dish with?
Hi! Some fresh crusty bread would go great if you’re looking for a side. I’ll usually just pick up a baguette or something from the store. A salad would work well too.. I love making one with my Caesar dressing: https://bit.ly/3Xm49Qx
This is the most amazing recipe! Everyone who tries it falls in love with the taste. 5 stars!!
Aw thanks so much!! Thrilled it’s always a hit, Kristin!
Hi, I was wondering how can I safely store the leftovers and how long can the pasta be stored?
Hi! Leftovers will be good for a few days in the fridge, but the pasta will soak up the sauce. If you can, make fresh pasta when reheating. Enjoy!
I never write reviews because I forget to lol. I had to with this one because I was wanting a sauce like this in the mood for it. Anyway, I had a bunch of Mutti jarred sauce my family brought back from Italy once. I live in Maryland. I finally found what to use it in. And omg they do help make these kinds of sauces ten times better!! These brands are the key!! I’ve used anything else in the past locally bought, everything you could thing of and using Mutti is definitely my go to now. I just didn’t know how to use it lol. I’m so glad now because the flavor and thickness really do go together. Thank you!!
I appreciate you taking the time to write me one haha. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! XO
I just made this and it’s absolutely delicious! Subbed heavy cream with creme fraiche + evaporated milk. And added some bacon lardons! We just finished the whole pot of pasta.
Sounds delicious!