Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta

Submitted by AmyZoe

"This is one of my favorite recipes of the year so far. Wow. Wow. Wow. I couldn't stop eating it. I didn't have Parmesan, so I skipped it and still loved it. Recipe courtesy of budgetbytes.com."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 15 ounces diced tomatoes
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 ounces cream cheese
• 1⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1⁄2 lb penne pasta
• 9 ounces fresh spinach

directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
2. Add the pasta and cook until tender (7 to 10 minutes). Drain the pasta in a colander.
3. While waiting for the pasta to cook, dice the onion and mince the garlic.
4. Cook both in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium-low heat until softened and transparent, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the diced tomatoes with juices, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper to the skillet with the onions and garlic.
6. Stir to combine. Add the tomato paste and a 1/2 cup of water to the skillet and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce.
7. Turn the heat down to low. Cut the cream cheese into a few pieces and then add them to the skillet with the tomato sauce.
8. Use a whisk to stir the sauce until the cream cheese has fully melted in and the sauce is creamy.
9. Add half of the parmesan to the skillet and whisk until it is melted inches Add the remainder of the parmesan and whisk until melted in again.
10. Add the fresh spinach and gently stir it into the sauce until it has wilted (3 to 5 minutes). Add the pasta and stir until it is well coated with the creamy tomato sauce.
11. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm.

Reviews

[runningwild69]

WOW is right! I could not stop eating it. Although I assume just as good without, I added chicken. I cooked the chicken in the oil for 5 min, then added the onion and garlic. I also omitted the red pepper flakes. Thanks for posting. This one is a keeper.

 

[Charmie777]

Yum!!! This is great! I added some pasta water at the end to thin it a little. Great meatless meal!!

 

[Rachael P.]

We love this recipe, we actually added ground Italian sausage to it and it taste so delicious! we add it with the diced tomatoes step. mmmmm good!