This insanely comforting Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta is rich and aromatic with subtle spicy flavor. This quick and easy vegan pasta recipe is perfect for comforting weeknight dinners!
Pasta with tomato sauce is my all-time favorite food in the world. It was my go-to meal growing up, especially on weeknights after cross-country or track practice when I was super hungry! Now, I seem to crave it all the time. But what I love even more is creamy tomato sauce.
The sauce in this Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta is unbelievably comforting and flavorful, and I love the hint of spice. The texture is rich and delicious!
Fresh spinach adds a lovely serving of greens, as well as varying texture. Add this to your menu this week—in fact, it may be on weekly rotation! 😉
Key Ingredients
- Pasta: I used penne, but you can use rotini, cavatappi, linguini, or your favorite type of hearty pasta!
- Yellow onion: Essential for adding aromatic depth of flavor. Shallots work well here too.
- Garlic: A must-have for making this sauce rich and savory.
- Spices: Red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, freshly ground black pepper
- Tomato paste: Thickens the sauce and enhances the savory tomato flavor.
- Maple syrup: The sweetness balances the spice from the red pepper flakes and helps bring out the other flavors. You can also use brown sugar, cane sugar, or agave.
- Crushed tomatoes: I like to use fire-roasted!
- Coconut milk: Be sure to buy full fat. This really helps create a thick, creamy sauce!
- Nutritional yeast: Makes the sauce just a touch cheesy!
- Fresh spinach: Adds greens to the pasta, providing more texture. I like spinach with this recipe, but you could swap it for kale too.
How to Make Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta
Dice the onion and peel and mince the garlic cloves.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions, using a pot of salted water. When done, drain and toss with olive oil in the pot.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once warm, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to medium low and add the garlic, along with the spices (red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper). Cook for 5 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and the maple syrup to the pan and mix well. Cook for 3 minutes.
Add the diced tomatoes and bring the pan to a bubble, turning the heat up to medium. Once bubbling, reduce to a steady simmer for 12-15 minutes.
Transfer half of the sauce to a blender. Add the coconut milk and nutritional yeast to the blender. Blend on high until smooth. Pour the sauce back into the pan.
Add the spinach, and cook over low heat until it is wilted.
Then turn off the heat, add the pasta, stirring to combine well.
Serve immediately! Garnish with cracked black pepper and freshly sliced basil.
What to Serve with Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta
I love eating this pasta with my Sourdough Garlic Bread. The garlic goes great with this tomato sauce!
A salad would also make a great starter with this pasta recipe. Try my Grilled Romaine with Vegan Caesar Dressing, Heirloom Tomato Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette, or Kale Pomegranate Salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of pasta should I use?
I used penne, but other hearty shapes like rotini, cavatappi, and linguini are great choices too. Thinner or smaller shapes like spaghetti or macaroni won't work well because they don't hold onto the thick and creamy sauce. Gnocchi would also be amazing in this recipe!
Can I use frozen spinach?
I prefer to use fresh spinach in this recipe, but you could use frozen spinach if you let it thaw and then squeeze out the excess moisture.
Is this recipe spicy?
As written, this dish has a bit of heat. You can decrease the amount of red pepper flakes or omit them entirely if you prefer zero spice!
Storage & Reheating
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3 days in an airtight container. This recipe tastes best when reheated on the stovetop. Simply warm a little oil in a pan and heat the pasta back up over medium low heat until warm all the way through.
More Pasta Recipes!
- 15-Minute Creamy Lemon Pasta
- Creamy Tomato Gnocchi
- Grilled Zucchini Pesto Pasta
- Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
- Summer Pasta Salad
📖 Recipe
Creamy Tomato & Spinach Pasta
Equipment
- High speed blender
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta penne, rotini, cavatappi, linguini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- ½ yellow onion
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes I like to use fire-roasted
- ½ cup coconut milk full fat
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 cups spinach fresh
Instructions
- Dice the onion and peel and mince the garlic cloves.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions, using a pot of salted water. When done, drain and toss with olive oil in the pot.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once warm, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat to medium low and add the garlic, along with the spices (red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper). Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and the maple syrup to the pan and mix well. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes and bring the pan to a bubble, turning the heat up to medium. Once bubbling, reduce to a steady simmer for 12-15 minutes.
- Transfer half of the sauce to a blender. It's easiest to use a large silicone spoon or spatula to transfer from the pan to the blender. I don't recommend pouring the pan into the blender unless you want a mess!
- Add the coconut milk and nutritional yeast to the blender. Blend on high until smooth. Pour the sauce back into the pan, add the spinach, and cook over low heat until it is wilted.
- Then turn off the heat, add the pasta, stirring to combine well, and serve immediately!
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