Creamy Tomato Pasta
A creamy tomato pasta sauce with garlic, herbs, and a touch of cream. Restaurant-quality vodka-style sauce without the vodka (or with it — your choice). The cream tames the acidity of the tomatoes into something silky and rich.
Prep Time
13 min
Cook Time
26 min
Servings
6
Calories
228 cal
🛠 Interactive Recipe Tools — Use them right here on this page
Smart Servings Scaler
- Pasta300 g
- Tomato3 medium
- Cream¾ cup
- Olive Oil3 tbsp
- Garlic4 ½ cloves
- Parmesan Cheese¾ cup
- Basil1 ½
- Black Pepper¾ tsp
- Salt1 ½ tsp
All quantities scaled automatically from 6 servings.
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings · Use the Servings Scaler above to adjust
- Pasta300 g
- Tomato3 medium
- Cream0.75 cup
- Olive Oil3 tbsp
- Garlic4.5 cloves
- Parmesan Cheese0.75 cup
- Basil1.5
- Black Pepper0.75 tsp
- Salt1.5 tsp
Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook 1 lb of penne or rigatoni for 1 minute less than the package time. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- 2
While the pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 5 minced garlic cloves and ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute — garlic should be pale gold, not brown.
- 3
Add 1 can (28 oz) of crushed tomatoes (San Marzano if you can find them). Add 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon dried oregano. Simmer 10-15 minutes — sauce should thicken and the raw tomato taste should cook out.
- 4
Stir in ½ cup of heavy cream and ¼ cup of grated Parmesan. Cook 2 more minutes until smooth and slightly thickened.
- 5
Add the drained pasta directly to the sauce. Toss to coat. Add pasta water by the splash if needed to loosen — the sauce should cling, not pool.
- 6
Finish with a generous handful of torn fresh basil, more Parmesan, and a drizzle of good olive oil. Serve immediately on warm plates.
Watch how to make Creamy Tomato Pasta
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💡 Expert Tips
- 1.Simmer the tomatoes long enough. 10-15 minutes minimum to cook out the raw tomato taste. Rushing this gives you metallic-tasting sauce.
- 2.Cream tames acidity. The dairy fat neutralizes the bright acid of tomatoes, creating a balanced creamy sauce.
- 3.Pasta water for clinging. The starchy water emulsifies the fat with the tomato to create a sauce that coats every strand.
- 4.Fresh basil at the end. Adding basil during cooking destroys its flavor. Sprinkle on at the finish.
🔬 Why It Works
Creamy tomato sauce balances two opposing flavors — acidic tomato and rich cream — into a harmonious whole. The simmering time is crucial: short-simmered sauces taste raw and metallic; properly simmered sauces taste cooked and complex. Adding cream tames the acid; Parmesan adds salt and umami; basil at the end adds the herbal note that lifts everything. Pasta water turns this from sauce-on-pasta to pasta-coated-in-sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Nutrition Facts
Per serving (recipe makes 6 servings)
* Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Values are estimates.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (recipe makes 6 servings)
* Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Values are estimates.
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