Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce | Slimming Eats Recipes (2024)

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Oh yes this really is a Slimming Eats friendly Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce, packed with vegetables and totally delicious!!

Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce | Slimming Eats Recipes (1)

If you love pasta, then you have to try this delicious Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce, it takes a basic Tomato Pasta sauce to a whole other level.

Double or even triple up the recipe and you will have plenty left for freezing too. Bonus!!

Years ago pasta for me would involve opening a jar of sauce and dumping the contents into the pan. I seriously can not remember the last time I used a jar sauce. I always make my own as it really is simple and pretty quick to do, plus it's so easy to sneak in some hidden vegetables if you have fussy ones in your house. It's a great sauce for adults and kids.

Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce | Slimming Eats Recipes (2)

This delicious Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce comes packed with speed vegetables like onions, tomatoes, zucchini (courgette) and eggplant (aubergine). I love eggplant, it is such an underrated vegetable but is amazing in sauces like this. It gives a lovely flavour to the sauce too.

Check out some of these yummy recipes using eggplant (aubergine):

  • Chicken and Eggplant Curry
  • Spicy Eggplant and Tomato Soup
  • Hoisin Eggplant and Edamame
  • Eggplant and Pork Timbale
  • Roasted Vegetable Gratin
  • Moussaka Meatballs
  • Mediterranean Layered Bake
  • Roasted Aubergine and Tomato Soup with Parmesan Croutons
  • Aubergine, Courgette, Sweet Potato and Lentil Curry

or you can also head on over to my FULL RECIPE INDEX with over 700+ delicious healthy Slimming Eats Recipes.

For the creaminess to the sauce I use low fat cream cheese (like Philadelphia).

Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce | Slimming Eats Recipes (3)

Serve this Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce over spiralled vegetables like zucchini (courgette) or butternut squash for an even more vegetable filled meal

The spiralizer I own is called a Paderno 4-Blade Spiralizer. It is one of the higher rated ones out there. I've had other ones that just didn't cut it, this is sturdy enough to spiral even the hardest of vegetables like sweet potato and swede (rutabaga).

There are small handheld ones you can get too, but they will only spial stick shaped vegetables like carrots or zucchini, so you are pretty limited to what vegetables you can make interesting. If you are going to invest in a spiralizer I do recommend one like this.

Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce | Slimming Eats Recipes (4)

This delicious Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce can also be kept gluten free by chosing a gluten free pasta and If you don't fancy pasta, this sauce is also great served with chicken and your choice of sides. I love it spooned over a grilled chicken breast, served with some rice or potatoes and vegetables - yum!!

HOW CAN I ADD A VEGETABLES TO THIS CREAMY TOMATO PASTA SAUCE?

There is already plenty of vegetables in this sauce, but you can increase them even further by pairing with a mixed side salad. I love baby greens, cucumber and beetroot or some additional side vegetables of your choice would also go really well with this sauce, especially if serving it over chicken.

Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce | Slimming Eats Recipes (5)

WHAT KITCHEN ITEMS DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS CREAMY TOMATO PASTA SAUCE?

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Recipe Card

Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce | Slimming Eats Recipes (7)

Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

This recipe is gluten free, vegetarian and Weight Watcher friendly

* Suitable for freezing

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 150g of zucchini (courgette), chopped
  • 300g of eggplant (aubergine), chopped
  • 200g of fresh tomatoes, peeled
  • 4 tbs of tomato paste (puree)
  • 1 cup (240ml) of chicken or vegetable stock
  • ½ tbs of mixed herbs
  • 6 tbs of low-fat cream cheese (like Philadelphia)
  • cooking oil spray
  • salt and black pepper
  • chopped fresh Italian parsley or basil

Instructions

  1. Place a non stick frying pan over a medium heat, spray with some cooking oil spray.
  2. Add, the onion and garlic and fry until softened. Approx 5 mins.
  3. Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes just till they start to break down into a sauce.Add the zucchini, eggplant, tomato paste, mixed herbs and the stock.
  4. Bring to the boil, reduce heat, then cover and simmer for 30 mins.Add to a blender and blend till smooth.
  5. Add back into the pan along with the cream cheese and stir until it melts into the sauce making it nice and creamy.
  6. If the sauce becomes too thick, you can add a little more stock or water.
  7. Season as needed with salt and black pepper.Perfect with cooked pasta, or spiralled veggies or even chicken.Serve topped with some fresh basil or Italian parsley

Notes

If you want to freeze some of this sauce, I recommend doubling or tripling up the recipe to make a larger quantity.

Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:

  • Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
  • WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.

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Nutrition Information

Yield 4Serving Size 1 serving
Amount Per ServingCalories 94Total Fat 1.2gSaturated Fat 0.7gCholesterol 7.5mgSodium 430mgCarbohydrates 16.1gFiber 4.2gSugar 8.2gProtein 5.8g

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Are you Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?

We are removing all Slimming World syn values from the website, you can read more about that here.

To ensure precise calculations, we recommend utilizing the official tools provided with your membership to specific plans, as they may undergo regular updates. Values can vary between different brands, so it's essential to calculate recipes using these tools to guarantee accuracy in any recipe you prepare.

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This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” Check Legal section, for Full Disclaimer, Disclosure and Privacy Policy.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    Hi, Just wondered if the laughing cow lights were your heA allowance would this still be 2,5 syns? thanks Liz

    Reply

    • Anonymous says

      The entire sauce serves 4 people, so it is only 1 HEa for the entire recipe, which means divided up it wouldn't be anywhere near 1 HEa allowance for one person, hence why I have synned the laughing cow in this recipe. However if you want the sauce syn free, then yes you can count the laughing cow as part of your HEa allowance, but you need to make sure you get the rest of your allowance into your day somewhere else. Healthy Extra's are a vital part of the plan.Hope that helps 🙂

      Reply

  2. Laura (happy_just_now) says

    So yummy! I didn't follow exactly as I had to work with what I had in...used extra courgette rather than aubergine, and a tin of tomatoes instead of fresh and passata but it tasted really creamy and indulgent and totally syn free! (used lighest philadelphia as my HexA). Thank you, I'll be back 🙂
    insta: happy_just_now

    Reply

  3. Barbara Ward says

    Why not use quark? Same as the low fat soft cheese and no syns. I use it in other similar type sauce dishes and it does the job just as well!

    • Shevy (Slimming Eats) says

      You can use quark if you prefer and want to keep this syn free, however it isn't exactly the same as cream cheese, quark has a slight sour tang to it, where as the cream cheese is more creamy.

      Reply

  4. Junebrown says

    Can you freeze this?

    Reply

    • Shevy (Slimming Eats) says

      Yes the sauce will freeze fine. You may need to a add a little stock when reheating if it is too thick.

      Reply

  5. Maisie says

    I would never have thought of putting aubergine in a tomato pasta sauce but this sauce is delicious. I have also made it without the cheese and it's lovely that way too. A super way to get extra vegetables into a meal

    Reply

  6. Rich Ellis says

    Great recipe - soon to become (another) favourite!

    Reply

  7. Ieva Neilande says

    Stupid question but did you peel the aubergine and the courgette before putting them on the pan?

    Reply

    • Shevy (Slimming Eats) says

      Hi Leva, I leave the skin on the aubergine and courgette 🙂

      Reply

  8. Paula Jowett says

    Another wonderful recipe. Thanks for all your inspiration your recipes are the best.

    Reply

  9. Pauline Graham says

    This was delicious. Can I make it and freeze it?

    Reply

    • Shevy (Slimming Eats) says

      Hi Pauline, I often freeze this and it’s fine. Enjoy!!

      Reply

  10. Carlie says

    Hi tried the sauce it's fantastic. How do I reheat from frozen, do I defrost the sauce in the fridge or heat it up from frozen? How long does it keep? Thanks

    Reply

    • Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says

      I defrost fully and then just warm up in a saucepan

      Reply

  11. Kate says

    Hi, love all your recipe inspo! As a bit of a cooking novice I was just wondering would this work throwing everything into a slow cooker? And if so how long? Thanks x

    Reply

    • Siobhan (Slimming Eats) says

      It should work but you will want to reduce the quantity of liquid as it will not reduce down like on the stove top in a slow cooker.

      Reply

  12. Pat says

    Lovely recipe did it in the instant pot and just used 200mls of stock made meal for 2 and 2 portions in freezer

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Creamy Tomato Pasta Sauce | Slimming Eats Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What does adding butter to tomato sauce do? ›

Similar to creamy sauces like Alfredo, or meaty sauces like ragu, tomato sauce is naturally low in fat, and as a result, sometimes becomes too thick and too starchy when it's been tossed with pasta. The addition of butter helps to loosen and emulsify the sauce, making it smooth and creamy.

How do you add cream to tomato sauce without curdling it? ›

Reduce the heat of the sauce to just below the simmer. Put the cream into a measuring cup. Stir some of the heated sauce by spoonfuls into the measuring cup, stirring well, to slowly get the cream heated up, then slowly pour the contents of the measuring cup back into the rest of the sauce, continuing to stir well.

How to make thick tomato pasta sauce? ›

Cornstarch: Make a slurry of half water, half cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Cornstarch is a powerful thickener, so start by whisking in no more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture per 2 cups of simmering sauce; stir and simmer for 2 minutes, check the thickness, and repeat with more slurry as needed.

What is the secret to good tomato sauce? ›

Starting with good quality tomatoes and crushing them by hand offers great flavor and texture later on. The combination of butter and oil releases fat-soluble aromatics and gives the sauce a creamy texture. Slowly cooking the sauce in the oven creates rich caramelization without burning.

What is the secret ingredient in tomato sauce? ›

Approximately three dashes or ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg is plenty for a jar of tomato sauce. If you are making a large batch, add a bit more for good measure. While the flavor should be subtle, you still want it to make the other ingredients shine, so feel free to play around with the quantity until you get it just right.

What makes tomato sauce taste better? ›

Toss in Olives or Capers. Briny ingredients like olives or capers are another way to brighten up your pasta sauce while also introducing texture and depth of flavor. Roughly chop a handful and stir them into your sauce while it's heating up on the stove.

What is the most important thing when making tomato sauce? ›

Roast the tomatoes first.

This one simple thing will completely change the dynamic of the sauce. Roasted tomatoes give a robust depth of flavor to an otherwise simple sauce. Heat equals flavor, folks.

Why add cream to tomato sauce? ›

Adding heavy cream to your jarred tomato sauce can transform it into a thicker, richer, creamy sauce that is velvety smooth. Your favorite premade sauce will not only become lighter in color, the cream will add a new depth of flavor to it.

How do you keep pasta sauce creamy? ›

You can add some cream, cheese and also a little boiled water in which the pasta was cooked. Adding all these elements will give your pasta sauce a thick and creamy structure.

What is creamy tomato pasta called? ›

This healthy & hearty pasta pomodoro will become your go-to weeknight dinner! The creamy sauce is bursting with tangy tomato flavor. dinner / vegan / pasta — Jump to recipe. Is there anything better than creamy pasta?

When should you add cream to pasta sauce? ›

Nothing should be browning so turn the heat to low if you need. Add the tomato paste and whisk to combine, cooking for a minute or two. With the heat still low - medium add the cream and whisk to combine evenly. The cream should only ever be at a VERY gentle simmer so adjust heat to low if you need.

Can you add milk to pasta sauce instead of cream? ›

Whole milk is an excellent substitute for heavy cream. It adds richness to your pasta sauce without the excess fat. Simply simmer your favourite pasta sauce with whole milk until it thickens to your desired consistency. The result is a velvety and indulgent sauce that pairs beautifully with pasta.

Can you thicken tomato sauce with cream? ›

Add Cream. Adding heavy cream will change the flavor of a tomato sauce, but it will also thicken it. Drizzle in the cream and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has your desired consistency.

Does tomato sauce get thicker the longer you cook it? ›

The longer you let homemade spaghetti sauce simmer, the thicker it will get. I've let sauce simmer on the stove for up to seven hours before, and it's turned out nice, thick, and delicious every single time.

What gives spaghetti sauce the best flavor? ›

Tossing in strips of basil, a sprig of thyme or some oregano can take your sauce to the next level. Although fresh herbs might pop a bit more, dried herbs and spices can work just as well. Sprinkling in some red pepper flakes, a pinch of parsley and a dash of salt and pepper can liven up your jarred pasta sauce.

How do you make spaghetti sauce even better? ›

A generous sprig or two of fresh herbs like basil, parsley, rosemary, or sage can all amp up the flavor of a jarred pasta sauce. Alternatively, some of those herbs, like parsley, sage, and rosemary, can be great minced up and gently fried into fresh olive oil before adding the sauce to the pot.

What gives spaghetti sauce depth of flavor? ›

Olives and capers add a punch of briny goodness and give tomato sauce some real personality. Toss in some chopped or whole, pitted olives and/or a handful of drained capers after heating the sauce for several minutes. Or, if you're adding garlic or sautéed vegetables, add to the sauté just before you pour in the sauce.

What is the secret to the best spaghetti? ›

For best flavor, use certified San Marzano tomatoes. Add Parmesan cheese into the sauce while cooking. Use no salt added tomatoes. Use ground beef to cut down on sodium content.

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