Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta

I tried this recipe once last week and we've had it twice since then, adapted to what we have on hand! It's that good! It's really pretty basic, but it's a little bit different than a regular red spaghetti sauce in that it's a little bit creamier. You can use whatever pasta you have on hand, and other than some chopping, it whips up really quick for a weeknight dinner! I found it on Inspired Dreamer.  Oh, and, it's a one-pot dish pretty much, so you can make and serve without dirtying up your whole kitchen!

Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

*(ground beef, if desired; I tried it both ways and both were fantastic)

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes (I used about a pound of fresh tomatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces)

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

a pinch (or more, depending on your preferred level of spiciness) of red pepper flakes

pepper to taste

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 oz cream cheese (I used a dollop of heavy cream instead one time, because that's all I had)

1/4 C grated Parmesan (I used asiago once, a little less than called for)

1/2 lb penne (again, twice I also used regular spaghetti and added the sauce to it on the plates)

1/2 9-oz bag fresh spinach (optional)

1. Cook onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat in a skillet until transparent and softened (about 5 minutes). I used a cast-iron skillet.

2. Add tomatoes (with juices), oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, pepper, and salt. Stir to combine and cook on low until tomatoes are slightly smashable with wooden spoon and mixture is juicy.

3. Add tomato paste and 1/2 C water to skillet and stir until paste is incorporated into sauce.

4. Turn heat to low. Cut cream cheese into a few pieces and add to skillet, stirring with whisk until cream cheese has melted in (alternately, pour in a dollop of heavy cream and whisk in; you don't need much, just a tbsp or two).

5. Add Parmesan (or asiago) and whisk in until melted.

6. Add spinach and gently stir into sauce until wilted (about 3-5 minutes). Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.

7. Add pasta, cooked al dente. Stir and serve. (Or pour over any other al dente pasta you choose and serve.

*You can make this sauce with ground beef as well. If you choose to, just brown some with the onions and garlic at the beginning and continue as described above.

Really, you can be very creative with this basic recipe as well. I still want to try the sauce with mushrooms and other veggies to see how it is!

This sauce was also amazing leftover. I just made new pasta, reheated the sauce, mixed the two together in a large bowl, and served with some cheese on top. Goes great with a salad and a glass of wine! Enjoy!