Spinach Tomato Pasta
on May 26, 2026
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Ready in 20 minutes, this spinach tomato pasta is an easy vegetarian dinner. Whole cherry tomatoes quickly cook down into a chunky sauce while the penne simmers. Then I combine everything with baby spinach and grated parmesan. This is a great weeknight pasta recipe during summer and tomato season.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This tomato pasta recipe is quick & easy from prepping to cooking. The best part is that I don’t cut or peel the tomatoes. They soften and burst as they cook, and then I gently mash them into a rustic sauce.
Adding spinach is a simple way to include greens. The warmth of the sauce and the pasta is enough to cook the baby spinach.
You can make the tomato sauce in advance, either refrigerating or freezing it. This is very helpful for meal planning and for having something stashed away for those nights when you think you don’t have anything for dinner.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
- Cherry tomatoes are best because they are small and cook quickly. I don’t peel them. The sauce turns out a little bit chunky with bites that have skins and seeds. I take the same approach with my burst tomato pasta recipe.
- Pasta: Here I prefer short pasta shapes. Penne is my first choice followed by orecchiette and fusilli.
- Baby spinach: Like the tomatoes, you don’t have to chop the spinach. The heat in the pan will quickly wilt the leaves. At first, it will seem like a lot in the skillet.
- Garlic: Lately, I’ve been grating garlic cloves with my microplane or the small holes of a grater because it becomes a paste.
- Parmesan: I stir grated Parmesan cheese into the hot pasta and it melts right away, giving each bite good umami flavor.
- Olive oil, red pepper flakes, kosher salt & black pepper: These are the pantry ingredients for the sauce.
- Fresh herbs: I garnish the pasta with whatever herbs I have in my kitchen such as chopped basil or parsley.
How To Make This Spinach Tomato Pasta
1. Cook the pasta and the tomatoes at the same time. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and simmer the pasta 2 minutes less than the recommended cook time on the package. Warm oil in a large skillet and sauté the tomatoes. After a few minutes, the tomatoes will start to split. Mash them with the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to encourage them to break down. Stir in the garlic and seasonings and simmer for a few minutes.
2. Transfer the pasta from the pot to the sauce. I do this with a slotted spoon or a spider. Then just enough of that starchy cooking water clings to the penne.
3. Add the spinach to the pasta. The greens will wilt and soften in just a few minutes.
4. Stir in the grated parmesan. I always add more when I serve the pasta along with chopped basil or parsley.
Serving
Enjoy this spinach tomato pasta with a salad on the side like this lemon arugula salad, this classic better-than-a-restaurant house salad or this Italian chopped salad.
Also, check out my guide to easy pasta recipes for every season featuring vegetarian ideas for spring, summer, fall and winter.
Spinach Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- Chopped basil or parsley for serving
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Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water 2 minutes less than the recommended cook time on the package for al dente pasta.
- Make the sauce at the same time as the pasta. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and stir them around frequently. After 3-4 minutes, the skin of some of the tomatoes will start to split. Use the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to carefully press them down, helping them burst.
- Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the skillet, and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes become a chunky sauce.
- Use a slotted spoon or a spider to transfer the pasta from the pot to the tomatoes. Stirring everything together.
- Fold in the spinach, letting the greens wilt. Then stir in the parmesan.
- Divide onto serving plates or into bowls and top with chopped fresh herbs.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
