Pink pasta! Spaghetti tossed with a creamy tomato sauce that’s totally slurp worthy, this Creamy Tomato Pasta is silky and indulgent tasting but the tomato cream sauce doesn’t actually have that much cream in it!
Serve it as is, or use it as a base for your own add-ins. Try tossing through some shredded leftover Roast Chicken or Poached Chicken, or adding a handful of spinach.
Creamy tomato sauce for pasta
Is it pink? Or orange?
It doesn’t sound nearly as fun to chat to you about an orange pasta sauce.
I’m sticking with pink.
Pink tomato cream sauce!
“This pasta with tomato cream sauce is a less guilty way to get your creamy pasta fix!”
Tomato cream sauce – a healthier creamy pasta!
This is the first recipe I’ve made for my website after being away for almost a month, firstly on the annual RecipeTin Family trip to Japan, followed shortly thereafter by a trip with friends to New Zealand.
You would think that she who sulked so mightily when she found her jeans were just as snug post-trek as they were pre-trek would be inspired to be share some bright, fresh salads, “goddess cleansing bowls”, be converted to zoodles or cauliflower crust pizza.
But alas, no. She craves creamy pasta. 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
Well, at least this is a less guilty creamy pasta! There’s a generous amount of tomato cream sauce in this pasta (you’ll see in the video) but it’s mostly tomato and milk.
And actually, this can even be made without cream. Cream isn’t a pantry staple for me so I sometimes make the Creamy Tomato Pasta sauce just using milk and adding an extra dollop of butter to add richness.
I’ve provided the recipe plain which is how I usually have it, because it’s so lovely and saucy it deserves to be twirled and slurped just as it is. However, add-ins are entirely possible and I’ve provided some tips in the recipe for how to do so.
Try this with a fresh garden salad with a Balsamic dressing, French or Italian dressing on the side. If you feel like going all out, add a side of Better-Than-Dominos Garlic Bread or Cheesy Garlic Bread. Enjoy! – Nagi x
More ways to get your creamy pasta fix!
Fettucine Alfredo – also try this One Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Baked Mac and Cheese – and try the Shrimp version!
Browse all pasta recipes
Pasta with tomato cream sauce
Watch how to make it
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Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 300g/10 oz spaghetti
- 2 tbsp / 30g unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- ½ onion , finely chopped
- 1 cup / 250 ml tomato passata / tomato puree (Note 1)
- 3/4 cup / 185 ml heavy / thickened cream (Note 2 for subs)
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml milk , low fat
- 3/4 cup / 30g parmesan , finely freshly grated (Note 3)
- 1 tsp dried basil, or other herb of choice
- 1 tsp chicken or vegetable stock powder , or 1 bouillon cube, crumbled (Note 4)
- Finely ground pepper + salt
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a big pot of boiling water for time per packet MINUS 2 minutes. Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of pasta cooking water.
- Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, cook until translucent – about 2 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients. Stir until parmesan is melted. Turn heat up slightly and simmer for 2 minutes. Adjust salt to taste.
- Add pasta. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and is clinging to pasta instead of swimming on the base of the skillet (video shows this well). Use reserved pasta cooking water if required to thin the sauce out if it gets too thick.
- Serve immediately, garnished with more parmesan and parsley if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Just like his Mama, he needs a creamy pasta fix every now and then too….
….. though I am happy to say his Mama doesn’t have this problem (Food Catching Chest Hair).
I made this pasta this evening and is was AMAAAAAZING! My son kept saying “WOW……WOW….” 🙂 Thank you for posting this easy and delicious recipe xo
I love hearing that! Tell your son he has GREAT TASTE! 😜 N xx
This recipe was perfectly timed. I had everything on hand except the passata, so it was quick & easy to put together. The simplicity is deceptive ~ the flavors are rich & delicious. Fresh herbs (I used parsley) sent it over the top. YUM! My husband & our cat Comet loved it as much as Dozer. 😉
We’re such fans. “Thank you, Nagi!” is a regular blessing at our pad. 😀
Cheers!
You just made my day. THANK YOU FIONA! N xx
Hey you
Why didn’t you emulsify the sauce in this recipe by adding the pasta cooking water??khol
Hi Khola! GREAT QUESTION!!! The reason is because for this one, we start with loads of sauce then toss the pasta for a whole 2 minutes and during this phase, the sauce emulsifies with the starch that comes off the pasta 🙂 My other pasta recipes don’t usually have that much liquid when the pasta is added. 🙂 N xx
This looks amazing, Nagi! My husband and I just went back on Atkins Diet and are in induction so this will have to wait. I will save this for later and serve it with zucchini spirals in place of the pasta. Love the Dozer pics! I bet he was wondering where in the heck his snack landed! LOL.
I would love to know what you think of this with zoodles!!! You should have seen him trying to get that pasta of his chest 😂
Poor Dozer! LOL! (I really don’t feel very sorry for your boy! HeeHee!) I promise, once I get out of induction, I will let you know how it goes. (No tomatoes right now. Sigh) I really don’t have much experience with zoodles but because I much prefer PASTA! Enjoy your day, Nagi!
How about a splash of vodka as an add-in? It’s somewhat similar to a simple Vodka sauce. I’d actually prefer it as written, but a drunken pasta may appeal to some.
AHHH YES! How could I have forgotten, thanks Wynn! 🙂 N xx
I made this tonight for dinner and it’s sooooooooo good. A light comfort food that’s low effort to make!
I used the milk instead of heavy cream substitution, and it tasted fantastic with a great texture.
(Also the dried basil is fine)
That’s so great to hear Janine! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it! N x
Never mind pasta, always wait and Love Dozers photos! Welcome back.
Dozer’s head just grew even bigger
Love your recipes. So glad I found you. Absolutely love Dozer.
I’m so glad you found me too! (And that you love Dozer!!!) N xx
This looks yummy, I’m a big pasta lover. I’m mostly gluten free, it it is almost impossible to find a nice gluten free pasta, so this is for my cheat nights😋. I love these pic’s of Dozer!
This is for my cheat nights too Cathy!!! 🙂 N xx
the red pasta sound and looks good
Red? Pink? Orange? 😜 N x
Hi Nagi – this looks delicious and so easy! Will be on my list of “To Make from Nagi”!
I am making your Chinese Fried Rice today, for tomorrow, as you recommend. Then your Asian Chili Garlic Prawns and the Beef and Broccoli.
Sounds as though you had a wonderful holiday. It is another day of snow for us. Love the pictures of Dozer!
Regards……Judi
Wow, what a line up of cooking! I LOVE IT!!! N xx
Nagi
I’d like to say at the outset that this is not a criticism, I love the recipes you post and I do understand the concept of using dried herbs for convenience, and while most of them are fine and infact some like dried oregano add something different from the fresh,I find dried basil invariably awful,it bears no relation to fresh and can impair flavour.Ive never found any dried basil that’s worth using.
I put some fresh in a slightly oiled bag in the freezer and it retains most of its quality when you use it.
What do think?
Roberto
Hi Roberto! Not offended at all, I totally agree 🙂 I don’t use dried basil in this as a sub for fresh, not at all! I completely agree, there are some herbs where dried bears no resemblance to fresh and basil and parsley are among those. I use it for the earthiness AND convenience because this pasta is definitely one I tend to make out of the pantry rather than going out and buying ingredients, which would include fresh basil in my world because for the life of me, I can’t grow it in the salty air environment in which I live. 🙂 N xx
Just a quick note…in note 1 i believe you meant to say Paste instead of pasta…?
of course I could be wrong ..i’m canadian 🙂
😂 Even Aussies say “tomato paste”!!! Thanks for that Steve!!!
LOL Must be Canadian..catch a mistake & apologize for finding it, eh? 🇨🇦 🤣 🇨🇦 Looking forward to trying this one too Nagi!
SO TRUE. You Canadians. Too polite! 🤣
I, too, have food catching chest hair. I see nothing wrong with it and am happy to see Dozer’s working well. Little surprises for later.
I made the mistake of taking a swig of green smoothie just before I read this, almost choked laughing!!!😂
Add-in suggestion: Bacon or pancetta!
Dozer is SO adorable.
YIKES! How on earth did I forgot THOSE??!! 🙀
Hi Nagi, we love pasta with tomato the Canadian Italians call your sauce “MARIA ROSA and it’s always yummy.
This was the cutest picture of DOZER to date!
FYI we had friends over for dinner Tuesday night march13, and I made your red curry paste😋 plus I also used your Thai meatball recipe and made Thai chicken meatball curry using the paste it was a HOME run so thank you and keep those recipes coming Gillian x
I agree! There are a lot of great photos of Dozer, but I’d thought that was the best I’ve seen so far, too. It’s very special. There needs to be a big, framed print of that one.
And, that pasta is right up my alley too! I will make that just for myself sometime when my husband is out of town–he can’t understand pasta without meat. He’s too old to re-train, so he’ll just be deprived of that pleasure! 🙂
Hi Nagi..yes I love your recipes alongwith the personal chit chat and updates on our favourite Pets..cheers have a great week Gillian xo.and Woof woof from Luca to Dozer 🐕👍
I didn’t even know there was a real name for it!!! 😂 I just thought this was something I made up! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU MADE SO MANY OF MY RECIPES FOR YOUR FRIENDS, I’m so touched. Hugs to Luca! N x