Looking for easy weeknight dinner ideas? Quick skillet pasta dishes like this Tomato and Spinach Pasta are perfect when you need a quick meal on the table. The tomato and spinach sauce is done in 10 minutes while the pasta is cooking, and the whole dish takes less than 25 minutes to assemble from start to finish. We like using chunky pasta so we can chew on it, and we totally forget this recipe is meat-free. Enjoy!
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Check our other vegetarian pasta recipes if you want more options for your weekly rotation (Psst, we have a free online meal planner for this!)
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Tomato and Spinach Pasta
Pasta dinners don’t have to be super fancy to be delicious. What we’re looking at here is pure and simple comfort food! We make the spinach and tomato pasta with simple ingredients, and it still packs serious flavor. We use ready-made marinara sauce as a base for the recipe, but you can make the sauce from scratch–count 15 more minutes. In any case, this is the kind of meal that even picky eaters will gobble up without any protest!
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Key ingredients for the tomato spinach pasta recipe
- Pasta: We like rigatoni because it holds the sauce very well. You can also use rotini or penne.
- Olive oil: We recommend extra virgin olive oil, cold-pressed whenever possible. The taste is fantastic.
- Unsalted butter: Butter gives the sauce a smooth, silky touch. That’s our “secret” ingredient here!
- Yellow onion: Speed it key here! Slice the onion finely so it cooks and caramelizes faster.
- Marinara sauce: We like Rao’s, but any brand of sauce will do the trick. Make sure it’s moderate in sodium.
- Parmesan: We prefer grating Parmesan from the block. Avoid dry and overly salty Parmesan from plastic shakers.
- Fresh spinach: A good rinse doesn’t hurt. Pat dry thoroughly to avoid adding unnecessary water to the sauce.
- Fresh basil leaves: The finishing touch for a fresh Mediterranean flavor.
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How to make the tomato spinach pasta
- Cook the pasta – Boil in salted water until al dente, drain, and set aside.
- Make the sauce – Sauté onion in butter and oil, add marinara, reduce, melt in parmesan, wilt spinach, and season.
- Combine & serve – Toss pasta with sauce, top with parmesan, and serve hot.
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Pro Tips
- Do not overcook the pasta because it will absorb some of the sauce when reheating later. Just al dente is enough.
- Want some proteins? Throw sliced Italian sausage in the mix! Slice and cook the sausage on the side, then add it to the sauce before the spinach.
- You can make this pasta recipe gluten-free using gluten-free pasta alternatives.
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More pasta recipes you might like
- Beef Pasta in Tomato Sauce
- Tomato Spinach Sausage Pasta Recipe
- Parmesan Spinach Mushroom Pasta Skillet
- Sausage Pasta Skillet
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Tomato and Spinach Pasta
by eatwell101
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Our Tomato and Spinach Pasta is perfect when you need a quick dinner on the table. Try it tonight!
Ingredients
- 4 cups pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup parmesan, grated
- 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, shredded
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- In the meantime, melt one tablespoon of butter with one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the minced onion and stir-fry until translucent.
- Add the marinara sauce, and allow the sauce to reduce slightly.
- Add the grated parmesan and let it melt into the sauce, stirring gently.
- Add the spinach and allow it to wilt in the sauce. Allow the sauce to simmer for a further minute, and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Add the drained pasta back to the sauce, mix well to combine.
- Sprinkle grated parmesan and basil on top and serve immediately. Enjoy!
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