THE TOMATO CREAM SAUCE

December 26, 2013

This sauce was first forged for my one pan, 20 minute, sausage tortellini, which is an excellent weeknight dinner, by the way. Try it if you have not already. But in making that meal, I got so much more than just one dinner. I got the sauce, as it is now referred to by David. Anytime pasta is being made, he eagerly asks, “will it have the sauce?” It gets put in so many dishes. It’s basic and fast and yet, just right. Use this on pasta.

Any pasta at all. You will love it.

The Tomato Cream Sauce
Makes about two cups

1 cup vegetable broth
24 ounces (about 2 and 1/2 cups) tomato pasta sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake

Stir together vegetable broth, tomato pasta sauce, heavy cream, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flake.

4.8 from 6 reviews
THE TOMATO CREAM SAUCE
 
Author:
Ingredients
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 24 ounces (about 2 and ½ cups) tomato pasta sauce
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flake
Instructions
  1. Stir together vegetable broth, tomato pasta sauce, heavy cream, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flake.

Adapted from Kevin and Amanda.

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Comments

  • Sandra Prucka

    This has become our family’s favorite sauce. Thanks so much for this recipe!!

  • Karissa Sjaarda

    This is such a winner. I cooked my tortellini in the red sauce. Mmm. Sooooo good. Thank you for this recipe, Rachel!

    (posting again,a year or so later)

    • Rachel Schultz

      Thanks Karissa!

  • Tena

    By tomato paste sauce do you mean tomato paste, tomato sauce or like a spaghetti or marinara sauce? Thanks!!

    • Rachel Schultz

      Like a spaghetti sauce.

    • Sharon

      I use tomato sauce. I Like it better than the spaghetti sauce.

  • Sharon

    When you say tomato pasta sauce, are you meaning canned tomato sauce, or tomato spaghetti sauce?

    • Rachel Schultz

      Tomato spaghetti sauce

      • Judy G

        do you mean Ragu or Prego or some such?

  • Oh, baby. I’ve made this sauce two nights in a row, now. Divine!

  • So simple and so delicious!! Great sauce recipe! Thank you! :)

  • made this last night for my boyfriend and some friends and it was a huge hit! Cant believe how simple and delicious it is! Will definitely be making again, thanks for sharing.

  • shanna

    Made this last night and it was delicious my boyfriend loved it…I added shrimp and red pepper flakes to add some heat to the sauce

  • Karen Battista

    Have none of you people ever cooked? Tomato pasta sauce is just that, pasta sauce made from tomatoes, not pesto, not Alfredo, tomato. Ragu, prego, hunts, or homemade. Heavy cream is labeled “heavy cream” and sold in all grocery stores. Heavy whipping cream is the same. You can find this in the milk, half &half section in the dairy. Vegetable broth is sold in cans and paper cartons in or near the canned soups and also is widely available. Why do you have to.make a very simple, straight forward recipe so difficult?

    • Anonymous

      Wow Karen, really living up to your name there, eh? No need to be nasty.

  • Anonymous

    I just used 2 cans tomato sauce and thickened it with a can of tomato paste. Used the same amount of cream and broth as the directions said. Added Italian season to it, let it simmer while my noodles cooked. It was delicious! My family loved. It Will be a quick go to for sure!

  • Heather Corn

    This looks delicious and I will be making it next week. I was also confused by the wording regarding the spaghetti sauce, until i read all i the comments. I would think after so many comments that the original poster would have changed the recipe by now. You use spaghetti/pasta sauce, NOT tomato sauce. She should take that word completely off of the recipe….

    • Rachel Schultz

      There are many, many kinds of pasta sauce – Alfredo, Bolognese, Acciughe – so saying only “pasta sauce” would not be enough information.

  • Kayla

    Really glad I read the comments. The wording behind “tomato pasta sauce” is a little ambiguous. There’s tomato sauce in a can that you generally pick up in the canned food section, and there’s jars of spaghetti sauce which is generally located in the pasta section. Similar names but very different in taste. I am so glad I read the comments. In your directions, perhaps link a picture of the sauce you use to avoid confusion?

    Anyway, I’ll be making this tonight with sausage tortellini! I’m excited!

  • GIna

    very good, we added grated Parmesan cheese which was yummy too

  • Paula

    There is a difference between spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce…which do you use? The spaghetti sauce is seasoned, the tomato sauce is just that, plain tomatoes made into a sauce.

  • Beverly

    We’ve dubbed this “crack pasta” in my house. We cannot eat this enough…..at least once a month. Simply amazing!!!!

  • Risa

    I see so many recipes calling for “heavy cream” and yet I CANNOT find it!! I have been told it is actually heavy whipping cream. Is this true? Is this what you use? If not, where do you find your heavy cream??

    • Rachel Schultz

      Yep, same thing!

    • Rita Welch

      There is a difference in heavy cream and whipping cream. It is in the fat content. Almost everyone uses whipping cream. I will try making this using evaporated milk. You can whip it when you chill it.

  • joleene salas

    Try adding two tablespoons of pesto to this. Yummo!

  • joleene salas

    Try adding two tablespoons of pesto to this. Yummy!

  • Nicole

    When you say “tomato pasta sauce” are you talking about regular tomato sauce or should I be looking for something else??

  • audra

    first you say tom sauce then you say tom pasta sauce….which is it?

  • Nicole

    could you use low fat or fat free sour cream?

  • […] And two recipes I can’t wait to try: Basic Wedge Salad and Tomato Cream Sauce. […]

  • Rachelle Hewson

    Quick question – do you have to use tomato pasta sauce or just tomato sauce?

  • […] the author’s husband. And it really is awesome, no joke. This is the where you can find the original recipe but I have also included it below.  I have used chicken stock or vegetable stock, whichever I have […]

  • barbara

    what do you mean by tomato pasta sauce?

  • Made this the other night and my husband and I LOVED it! It did upset our tummies quite a bit, however. We loved it so much that we’re going to try it again in a week or so and see if it upsets our tummies again. It’s worth it though because it’s SO GOOD! Thanks for sharing!

  • christen

    you had me at heavy cream!

  • This looks soo good! I can’t resist tomato cream sauce. Making tomorrow night will be perfect for a work day(super easy). I’m going to serve it over mini spinach and cheese ravioli. So looking forward to trying this!

  • Alyssa

    This is almost a bare bones recipe for Chicken Riggies mostly found in Central New York. Always a hit around here.

  • My Italian husband liked this a lot and so did I. We had it over spaghetti squash and it was a big hit.

  • […] Recipe and Photo credit: rachelschultz.com […]

  • […] Tonight’s meal is brought to you by my tried and true, absolutely love, Italian melt-in-your-mouth meatballs by Kittencal on Food.com and a new untried tomato cream sauce recipe found on Pinterest by Rachel Schultz on rachelschultz.com […]

  • Emily

    I made this with broccoli and chicken sausage for a guy I just started seeing. It was a hit!

  • pmkenz

    My family & I loved the tomato cream sauce but I found it was too runny, so I would like to maybe add something to thicken sauce or cut some of the liquids. Otherwise very tasty!!

  • Ruthie

    Made this with ground meat, peppers, onions & mushrooms. BIG WOW! The sauce is a keeper

  • Bear

    A good substitute for heavy cream is
    Soya milk
    All the flavor and non the fat

  • Stacy

    I don’t know what vegetable broth is but I saw in the comments that someone mentioned chicken broth. Can you clarify? I’m also confused as to whether I use spaghetti sauce or tomato sauce?

    • Liz L

      You can buy Swanson’s vegetable broth next to beef and chicken broth. Available in other name brands also. Can also make own homemade vegetable broth. Just do search on pinterest. Am also confused about tomato pasta sauce, but in reading comments, she is referring to seasoned spaghetti sauce- mid or trader joes spaghetti sauce. Can not get those brands here, so will use a different brand. Can add sausage, onions, red or yellow peppers strips.

  • Rachel

    Made it tonight and loved it!!! I added a little more vegetable broth so I had a little more sauce and it was delicious!! I love meals like this! :)

  • I just took this meal to a friend the other day who just had a baby and she LOVED IT. And I loved it. Definitely a keeper and I am glad to have finally found my go to “you just had a baby,here’s some food” dish. Thanks for posting!

    • Rachel Schultz

      I love that! What a great friend. Thanks, Ashley.

  • Stacey

    This was really good. I would make it again. It has a light, yet tasty flavor that would lend itself to other ingredients one might light to add (like cheese, sausage, red pepper flakes). And bonus, very easy to make.

  • raven

    what would be a good side dish?

    • becky

      Becky :/salad

  • […] Recipe: The Tomato Cream Sauce […]

  • You’re right, this is THE sauce. I make pasta about once a year, but I wanted my boyfriend to eat a meal with me, so I decided to make this. The only thing I changed was instead of cream I used tzatziki, but hooooly cow, amaziiiiing.

    • Rachel Schultz

      Great, Samantha! Thank you.

  • Christi

    This sounds so good, but could you please clarify what you mean by tomato/pasta sauce? Sometimes you say tomato sauce and sometimes you say pasta sauce. Tomato sauce is plain, unseasoned creamed up tomatoes in a can. Pasta sauce is seasoned creamed tomatoes, usually in a glass jar, like Prego, Ragu, etc… Which one are you referring to please? Thanks!

    • Rachel Schultz

      The second one you described.

  • Suzanne

    What kind of tomato sauce do you use? Thanks

    • Rachel Schultz

      I like Mid’s and Trader Joe’s brand.

  • Mark

    I noticed one of the comments said chicken broth, is that right ? if i read the recipe right is called for vegetable broth?

  • Stacy

    Familiar with “tomato pasta s

    • Rachel Schultz

      It’s red spaghetti sauce.

  • Stacy

    I want to make this. But I’m not f

  • jim

    looks good

  • Anonymous

    I hope I like

    • Rachel Schultz

      Me too!

  • […] tortellini with tomato cream sauce […]

  • Beth

    Do have a favorite brand if tomato sauce that use?

    • Rachel Schultz

      I love Mid’s or Trader Joe’s!

  • Oh! I love the addition of chicken broth. Never thought to use it for a cream sauce, but it makes so much sense and it probably very flavorful. Thanks for that tip!

    • Rachel Schultz

      You’re welcome!

      • Marie

        Seemed all confusion was cleared up when you explained you meant red pasta sauce (not plain tomato sauce). Someone asked about the whipping cream, and was given advice. You informed someone where to find vegetable broth (as recipe states) but then Dancing Branflake said said what a great idea to use chicken broth and you told her Thank You. Did I miss something? The recipe calls for veg broth. I don’t even see a comment where you advocated subbing in chicken broth. It’s such an easy, straightforward recipe. But the comments are sure full of confusion! Thanks if you can answer the broth debate.

  • rhona hodgson

    Hi there, just wondering what you mean by tomatoe sauce!!! is it like a passata or is it actually ketchup, thanks. Rhona

    • Rachel Schultz

      Yes, red pasta sauce.

      • Anonymous

        What is red pasta sauce? Is this different from tomato sauce?

        • Rachel Schultz

          Same thing!

  • Esa Schultz

    Good blog.

    • Lauren

      Oops. I wish I would have read the comments first. I used regular plain tomato sauce. Hope it turns out okay :*(

      • Hannah Cisewski

        Wish I would have read this first also! Used tomato paste! I am trying to add more broth and cream to fix it. Hope it works!

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