Tomato and Mascarpone Pasta
This one-pot tomato and mascarpone pasta dish is so easy to make it’s sure to become a staple on your favorites list. Featuring fresh spinach in a velvety sauce bursting with rich tomato flavor, it offers minimal cleanup with maximum taste, making a perfect for a well rounded, weeknight meal.

Why you’ll love this tomato and mascarpone pasta
This recipe is so straightforward—just a handful of ingredients and one pot. Adding a few handfuls of spinach leaves not only enhances its nutritional value but also contributes to its thickness and creaminess. As the crushed tomatoes simmer with the pasta, they soak into the pasta leaving it with a deeper, more intense flavor. And with a simple stirring, adding the mascarpone cheese makes the sauce even more flavorful and luxurious, seriously we bet you’ll love it.
If you like this one-pot recipe, you have to try this one pot pasta puttanesca, and our french onion pasta and this spicy sausage pasta. All of these are spectacular one pot pasta recipes!
Searching for more tomato based pasta recipes? Recommend pizzaiolo pasta is another one pot dish loaded with classic Italian flavors. This roasted tomato and pumpkin pasta is also an easy to make rich tomato sauce, while this roasted tomato pasta and bruschetta pasta both highlight the flavors of a fresh garden tomatoes.

Ingredients & substitutions
- Mascarpone cheese – This velvety Italian cheese is a wonder, it’s the base of the sweet stuffing you find in the center of a cannoli. This cheese is so versatile, it can be sweet or savory and pairs very well the sweetness of tomatoes.
- Crushed tomatoes
- Fresh spinach
- Shallot
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.

The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make this one pot pasta with mascarpone and tomato sauce
Saute. In a large dutch oven, sauté the shallot and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. When the garlic and shallots are aromatic, stir in the crushed tomatoes, salt and seasonings and simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the water and submerge the pasta.
Simmer. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, occasionally stirring to prevent the pasta from sticking the to bottom of the pot. The cook time may be slightly different if you choose a different pasta shape, the cooking time for our pasta was labeled for 9-11 minutes. Check the texture of the pasta as you stir occasionally.
Stir in mascarpone and spinach. When the pasta is tender, stir in the mascarpone and spinach. Stir until the spinach is wilted and everything is coated well in sauce. Adjust to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

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Tomato Mascarpone Pasta
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This one-pot tomato and mascarpone pasta dish is so easy to make it’s sure to become a staple on your favorites list. Featuring fresh spinach in a velvety sauce bursting with rich tomato flavor, it offers minimal cleanup with maximum taste, making a perfect for a well rounded, weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 1 ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 8 ounces cavatappi pasta
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 2 cups spinach leaves
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté shallot, garlic and crushed red peppers flakes until aromatic.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, salt and seasonings. Simmer for a few minutes.
- Add water and pasta, submerging pasta.
- Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender or about 20 minutes.
- Add mascarpone cheese and spinach leaves, stirring until spinach leaves are wilted and cheese is incorporated into the sauce.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Cavatappi
- Method: Stovetop
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 393
- Sugar: 4.5 g
- Sodium: 1311.4 mg
- Fat: 17.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 49 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 11.1 g
- Cholesterol: 36 mg

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