Easy Tomato Cream Sauce

This simple tomato cream sauce recipe features tomato paste, which adds a deep, robust flavor. It’s ready in just minutes, making perfect when you’re in the mood for a quick, comforting meal.

Rich, creamy, and incredibly easy to make, this tomato cream sauce is one of my all-time favorites. Just like my pasta sauce recipe, it’s packed with flavor. I usually serve it with rigatoni. There’s something about those hearty noodles that pairs perfectly with this sauce. But, really, it goes great with any pasta shape.

Although this sauce would be perfect for Sunday supper, I often whip it up on busy weeknights. I cook the sauce while I wait for the pasta water to boil. For an even quicker meal, prepare the sauce the night before. When you’re ready to eat, cook the pasta, reheat the sauce, and enjoy!

Ingredients

• Tomato Paste. Gives the sauce a deep, rich flavor. Since this recipe uses ½ cup, it’s cheaper to buy a small can, instead of a tube. 
• Onion. You want the onion diced very fine. If you’ve got a food processor, use it to dice the onion. 
• Garlic. Just like the onion, you want to finely mince the garlic or put it through a garlic press.
• Chicken Broth. A little chicken broth deglazes the pan after cooking the onions and tomato paste. Since you only need a half cup, you can use a little bouillon stirred into hot water. Or, if you don’t have broth or bouillon in the house, use water. 
• Heavy Cream. The creaminess comes from a full cup of heavy cream. Sometimes I use half and half. The sauce isn’t as creamy but it’s still tasty. Milk usually curdles when added to the sauce. I don’t recommend it for this recipe. 
• Parmesan Cheese. Stir in the Parmesan right before tossing the sauce with the pasta. This keeps it from clumping.
• Red Pepper Flakes. Optional. A pinch adds a little spicy note to the sauce.

How to make this simple tomato cream sauce.

1. Cook the onions and garlic in hot olive oil and butter until they’re soft. This takes about four minutes. 
2. Stir in the tomato paste. At first it will be very thick. Keep stirring. It’s fine if it sticks to the bottom of the pan a little. 
3. Add the chicken broth. When you do, scrape the cooked onion bits and any tomato sauce off the bottom of the pan. 
4. Stir in the heavy cream. You want to stir until there are no lumps of tomato paste dotting the sauce.

5. Right before tossing the sauce with pasta, stir the parmesan cheese.
6. Toss the sauce with your favorite cooked pasta. If it’s too thick, add a splash of pasta cooking water.

Serving and Storage Tips

• Upgraded Chicken Parmesan. Use the sauce on air fryer chicken parmesan for an added flavor boost.
• Serve it with a large salad. It’s great with my creamy Italian dressing.
• Want some garlic bread? How about quick garlic biscuit bites!

How to Store Leftovers

This sauce keeps in the refrigerator for up to three days. To warm it, place it in a small pan and heat over low-medium heat.

Note: this sauce doesn’t freeze well. The heavy cream usually separates from the sauce.

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Easy Tomato Cream Sauce

This creamy pasta sauce gets its deep flavor from the tomato paste and it's creaminess from heavy cream and parmesan cheese.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, very finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• pinch red pepper flakes, optional
• ½ cup tomato paste or one 6 ounce can
• ½ cup chicken broth, see note
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup grated Parmesan
• 12 ounce rigatoni pasta

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot with water. Cover it and heat over high heat. While you wait for it to reach a boil, begin the sauce.

2. Heat butter and oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Once butter begins to bubble and oil is hot, add the onions. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the onions start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.

3. Add tomato paste. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, for about three minutes. The tomato paste will be thick.

4. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the ½ cup chicken broth. Gently scrape any onions or tomato paste off the bottom of the pan. Cook until almost all the chicken broth evaporates.

5. Add the heavy cream. Break up any lumps of tomato paste. Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to gently simmer while you cook the pasta. Remember to stir the sauce occasionally.

6. When the water for pasta reaches a boil, generously salt the water and add the pasta. Stir the pasta. Cook until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.

7. Carefully reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta.

8. Add the parmesan cheese to the sauce. Stir to combine.

9. Toss the pasta with the sauce. If the sauce is thick, add the pasta cooking water, ¼ cup at a time. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

10. Serve and enjoy. Cover leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Recipe Notes

Chicken Broth

Since the recipe only needs a ½ cup of chicken broth, I usually whisk some chicken bouillon into hot water and use that.