This tomato spinach pasta is simple, cheap, and way better than it has any right to be. You build the sauce from pantry staples—canned tomatoes, cream cheese, and dried herbs—then fold in spinach for something that feels like a full meal. No soup, no jarred sauces, and no need to babysit anything. Just pasta, real ingredients, and big comfort.

Ingredients for Tomato Spinach Pasta

  • 6 cups water

  • 2 tbsp salt

  • 1 lb pasta (any shape you like)

  • 28 oz can diced tomatoes (drain and reserve juice)

  • 1 (8 oz) package frozen chopped spinach

  • 1 finely chopped white onion

  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • 1 tbsp garlic (jarred or fresh)

  • 4 oz cream cheese (half block)

  • ½ cup grated parmesan

  • 1 tbsp dried basil

  • 1 tsp dried thyme

  • 1–2 cups reserved pasta water, as needed

How to Make Tomato Spinach Pasta

  1. Boil the pasta
    Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add salt, then cook pasta until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1–2 cups of pasta water before draining.

  2. Caramelize the onion
    In a large skillet or saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely chopped white onion and cook low and slow for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply caramelized.

  3. Add tomatoes and sear
    Turn the heat up to high and stir in the drained diced tomatoes. Let them cook undisturbed for a couple of minutes to pick up some color and reduce slightly. Then lower the heat back to medium.

  4. Add garlic and herbs
    Add the garlic, basil, and thyme. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

  5. Add spinach and melt in cream cheese
    Stir in the frozen spinach and reserved tomato juice. Let it heat through until the spinach is fully broken up. Add the cream cheese and stir until it melts smoothly into the sauce.

  6. Finish the tomato spinach pasta
    Add the drained pasta to the pan. Stir in the parmesan, then gradually loosen with reserved pasta water until the sauce is creamy and clings to the pasta.

  7. Serve hot
    Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve warm with extra parmesan, if you like.

Recipe Notes for Tomato Spinach Pasta

Why we caramelize the onion

Caramelizing the onion for a full 30 minutes might feel like overkill, but it’s doing real work here. That deep sweetness balances out any bitterness from the spinach and rounds out the tang of the tomatoes. It smooths the whole thing out, making it surprisingly kid-friendly—even for picky eaters who usually won’t go near anything green.

Spend your budget on the parmesan

If there’s anywhere to deviate from the “budget-friendly” part of this recipe, it’s the parmesan cheese. Skip the powdery stuff in the green can. Real parm—freshly grated or even pre-shaved—makes a huge difference. The better the cheese, the better the final dish. Simple as that.

Don’t skip the pasta water

That starchy pasta water turns this from “pasta with sauce” into a real dish. It helps emulsify the tomato juice, melted cheese, and cream cheese into one smooth, clingy sauce. Skip it, and the whole thing feels flat.