One Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta with Spinach and Mushrooms is a quick, easy, and delicious dinner recipe that can be made in only 30 minutes!
Love Pasta? Me too! Check out this Spicy Peanut Noodles with Sesame Meatballs and these yummy Sour Cream and Onion Noodles with Brussels Sprouts!
Ya'll. This recipe is so darn good. And so easy too! One Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta ... with spinach AND mushrooms? Oh yeah, with parmesan cheese, herbs, red pepper, and fresh chopped garlic. What more do you need in life?! So, this recipe is super easy and comes together in 30 minutes. I made this One Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta last weekend on a whim. My husband took a bite and said "wow, this needs to go on the blog". Not only is this easy to make, but it's so darn good. Let's chat about it.
Also, if you're looking for another delicious and quick recipe, check out this Pasta Puttanesca with Green Olives and Chicken and also this Creamy Asparagus Lemon Pasta! Can't forget this creamy salmon pasta too!
This one pot tomato pasta comes together in 30 minutes!
So, last saturday, I was cooking all day. Developing recipes, taking photos, recording - the whole nine. I try to do as much as I can on the weekends so that I can be as stress-free as possible during the week. Am I successful at this? No. BUT! Sometimes I am. Those weekends where I can bang out like 3-4 recipes are such a success that it keeps me going back and trying and trying again. Every weekend. Anywho, 9 times out of 10, when I cook something that I know I will add to the blog, I don't eat it immediately.
So, I needed something to eat. I checked my pantry and literally whipped up this One Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta in like 25-30 minutes. I added a little spinach and mushrooms for health, of course. Then I made a bowl, sat down and enjoyed all the deliciousness. Oh! I can't forget. I also added some whipped ricotta on top. Totally optional, but HIGHLY recommended.
How do you make one pot pasta?
Like I mentioned above, super duper easy. You boil the pasta in a large pot, like normal. Cook the pasta as per the package instructions until the pasta is al dente. Al dente just means cook until the pasta is firm, not soft. We will continue cooking the pasta in the marinara sauce so don't worry!
After you drain the pasta water off, add chopped mushrooms and garlic, tomato paste, marinara, heavy cream, and herbs de provence. I love using Herbs de Provence because it's a bunch of spices all in one and you don't have to worry about having each individual spice. Plus, it makes this dish SO fragrant and aromatic! Let that cook over medium heat and bring to a light boil. Then add red pepper, salt, and Parmesan! I used San Joaquin Gold Parmesan from Fiscalini Farmstead and it was SO good! Stir together, top with more parmesan... and you're done!
Recipe substitutions?
Yes! I always get this question so I will begin adding recipe substitutions to as many recipes as I can! For this One Pot Cream Tomato Pasta, to make it gluten free, you can sub out pasta for gluten free pasta.
If you'd like to make this dairy free, you can leave out the cheese or use vegan cheese, or omit the cheese entirely. To substitute the heavy cream, you can use dairy free heavy cream or even unsweetened coconut cream. If you don't have either, that's fine too! It just won't be creamy, but will still be very delicious!
If you'd like to see any additional recipe substitutions to first your dietary needs, please let me know in the comments. I'm happy to research on your behalf how to make this recipe suit you!
What type of pasta should I use?
I used rigatoni in the pictures here, but this was the second time I made this One Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta. The first time I used penne pasta. I say this to say, you can use whatever pasta you like! However, the best pasta to use for this recipe, in my opinion, is rigatoni because of how it cups and holds the marinara sauce. But you can use spaghetti, macaroni, fusili - the choice is yours! You want every bite to be full of saucy cheesy goodness and these shapes of pasta are excellent for that!
What type of marinara should I use for this creamy one pot pasta?
I used Amy's Marinara but you can use whatever you have on hand! The marinara flavor that I used from Amy's is the family marinara sauce. (not sponsored, just a fan of their products) But really, you can use whatever flavor/brand that you like. I really like Rao's Homemade Marinara and Prego has a good Marinara too! That's the fun part of this recipe. No matter what brand or flavor you use, it's delicious either way!
Can I meal prep this one pot creamy tomato pasta?
Yes! Absolutely! This recipe will keep all week long! About up to 5-6 days. After that I would trash it. But absolutely, this is One Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta is great meal prep recipe because it's quick, easy, and keeps exceptionally well. Make sure to store this in the refrigerator in an airtight container and you're all good! Also, if you decide to top this with whipped ricotta, I wouldn't add the whipped ricotta until you're about to eat it. You want the ricotta to be fresh when you eat it so don't add that to the meal prep containers. It also doesn't microwave well, so be sure to keep that in mind when reheating. If you do these things, all should be good!
Want to see how this recipe is made? Watch the video below!
More Recipes!
Want more delicious and beautiful recipes? Subscribe to my newsletter, where you'll hear about new recipes FIRST and get tantalizing and exclusive perks!
Let's stay connected on social media and continue to cook together! Also, if you decide to make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and leave a comment below! Tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can see your creations! I hope that you love this recipe as much as we do!
One Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta with Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 Package Pasta
- 15 Mushrooms, sliced
- 6 cloves Garlic, diced
- 1 25.5 oz container Marinara
- 3 tbsps Tomato Paste
- 2 ½ tbsps Herbs De Provence
- ½ cup Heavy Cream
- 4 cups Spinach
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 cups Grated Parmesan
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Ricotta cheese, optional
Directions
- Bring pot of water to a boil and cook pasta as per package instructions until al dente.
- Drain water from the pot. Add in sliced mushrooms, diced garlic, marinara sauce, tomato paste, herbs de provence, and heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir together and cook over medium heat until sauce comes to a light boil, stirring occasionally, about 3-5 minutes. Add in Spinach and stir in and allow spinach to soften, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add red pepper flakes and parmesan and simmer for about 8-10 minutes.
- If using ricotta cheese, whip ricotta in a food processor for about 30 seconds and garnish on top of the pasta.
Made this tonight and it was so dry that I was concerned about scalding the pot. I watched the video to see where I went wrong and I noticed 2 things - 1. I had lots more pasta than featured in the video, and 2. I drained all the water from the pot whereas the video looks like just pouring off the majority of the water but still retaining some. To make the written recipe more errorproof, you could add a quantity for the pasta package and change "drain the water" to ""pour off the excess water". Thanks!
Thanks for your feedback!
I used kale instead of spinach and only a cup of parmesan. So good!!!! Everyone enjoyed it.
Such an easy, delicious weeknight meal! I withheld the ricotta this time but will definitely make again with it next time although it was great without still!
Aww thanks so much for your review! I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed this dish!
Made this tonight. Quick and delicious, perfect comfort food!