Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
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A gorgeous tomato cream sauce for a quick weeknight meal, this comes together quickly and tastes amazing. Add chicken for a protein boost!
If you want a creamy sauce with chicken that feels restaurant-y without the effort, try Marry Me Chicken Pasta.
Step by step photos and instructions below!
This is a quick, easy and super tasty tomato cream sauce, and you can rustle this one up in under really fast.
If your evenings are a time crunch, you’re in the right place. This pasta sauce works any time you need a meal fast, and you want it to be awesome!
I love dinners that are less than 30 minute meals that the whole family actually deigns to eat. Add some diced, cooked chicken to bump up the protein. It will be a hit!
This tomato cream sauce is smooth and creamy, and really hard to mess up. I mix it up by using different kinds of pasta, and switching up the seasonings. While Italian Seasoning will always have a place in my heart, Herbs de Provence or Tuscan Seasoning also tastes amazing!
If you love 30 minute meals, you’ll enjoy my Honey Soy Beef & Broccoli, my Oven Baked Fish or my Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta too!
Why you’ll love this
- Quick & Easy to make. Under 30 minutes. Boom.
- Pantry ingredients. No need for a run to the store.
Step-by-step photos and tips and tricks are below. Jump to the full recipe card instead
Key Recipe Ingredients
Note: This highlights some ingredients. Full list is in the recipe card.
- Fettuccine. See notes box for alternatives
- Olive oil. You can use butter if you prefer!
- Onion. Dice this up finely.
- Garlic. Mince it!
- Tomato sauce. This is similar to passata or tomato puree (not paste, and not tomato ketchup).
- Italian seasoning. Grab it from the store, or use my Italian Seasoning Recipe.
- Sugar. Totally optional. I use this if the canned tomatoes happen to be more acidic than usual. Taste test before adding in.
- Salt and pepper. Adjust to your tastes.
- Heavy cream. Also known as heavy whipping cream. Half and half can be used, but the sauce will not be as thick
- Parmesan cheese. Freshly grated, as always.
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How to make this recipe
This is a step-by-step photo guide. Full ingredients and instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
JumpGet prepped. Boil water in a large pot, and cooke the pasta until al dente. Dice the onions, mince the garlic, open the can of tomato sauce and measure out your heavy cream.
Make the sauce. Add olive oil to a large skillet, heat to a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until soft. Add the tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil then turn heat down to a simmer until the sauce reduces down a little. Remove from heat and stir in the cream and parmesan.
Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss until the pasta is well coated. The sauce should cling to the pasta.
Divide up into bowls, and grate parmesan over the top. Devour.
Kylee’s Notes
When you drain the pasta save a little of the cooking water to thin your sauce out if needed.
Garnish with fresh basil if you’re feeling fancy!
Substitutions/Additions
Adding a pinch of red pepper flakes is awesome in this pasta sauce.
You can use diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes instead of pureed, your sauce will be a little chunkier though.
You can use any type of cooked pasta! I suggest Ditalini (little round tubes), Penne, Spaghetti, Fettuccine, Cappellini or Cavatappi.
What to serve with pasta?
I love garlic knots, an arugula salad or some steamed vegetables.
More recipes to love
Want more Easy Pasta Recipes?
- Chili Mac with Turkey. We’re bringing childhood back! Lightened-up with turkey vs beef, and made in one pan – this one is a family favorite!
- Skillet Mac & Cheese. Comfort food at its finest, this skillet mac & cheese is so easy! Just the skillet and a pasta pot, the and a quick broil, and this is ready FAST!
- Florentine Chicken Lasagna Rolls Spinach, garlic, and cheese are all winners for this weeknight dinner! Delicious homemade Alfredo sauce is the key to these!
- Ham Tetrazzini. A super-fast weeknight dinner, this Ham Tetrazzini is a spin on the traditional version and is sure to please the whole family.
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Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound fettuccine
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
- 1/2 cup cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
Instructions
- Begin by cooking 1 pound fettuccine til al dente.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet, heat to a medium-high heat.
- Add 1 cup diced onion and 2 cloves minced garlic, and cook until soft.
- Add 15 ounces tomato sauce, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon cracked pepper.
- Bring to a boil then turn heat down to a simmer until the sauce reduces down a little.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss for a few minutes. The sauce should cling to the pasta.
- Divide up into bowls, and grate parmesan over the top.
- Devour.
Notes
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Did you make this recipe?
Make sure to follow @kyleecooks on Instagram for more and tag me #kyleecooks so I can see!Update: This recipe was originally published in July of 2013. It was republished with updated photos in March of 2021.
About Kylee Ayotte
I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee
Anyone know how I could change it up to be dairy free? And still taste good?
Land O Lakes makes a lactose free half and half. There is also lactose free evaporated milk, Carnation I think. And there is even lactose free sweetened condensed milk.