Creamy Garlic and Herb Tomato Spinach Pasta

This Creamy Garlic and Herb Tomato Spinach Pasta is the kind of easy oven dinner that feels perfect for when you do not have the energy to stand at the stove. Everything gets dumped into one dish and baked until the pasta is tender and the sauce turns rich, and full of cozy flavor. With garlic, herbs, juicy tomatoes, and spinach in every bite, it is a simple hands-off meal that tastes like so much more than the effort it takes to make it.

One of the first things I started to do when I was put on stress leave from my job was try to make food that was as easy and low effort as possible. Well actually, it started off as like toast, eggs, and ramen. Then I started getting into foods I could make in the slow cooker, and one pot / one pan recipes. And then I started wondering if I could start making some of those recipes into like dump and bake recipes. I wanted to be able to dump all the ingredients into the dish, put it in the oven, and just pull it out and have it ready. All of this without having to like meal prep and create freezer meals, or use multiple dishes to like precook the pasta.

So this is one of the first recipes that I created. I hope you enjoy it.

Make this Creamy Garlic and Herb Tomato Spinach Pasta when…

• you want something you can throw together and walk away from without having to babysit something on the stove.
• you have no energy, or are unable to stand for long periods of time
• you want something super easy that people that don’t normally cook can’t mess up

Ingredient notes…

Here is what you’ll need to make this Creamy Garlic and Herb Tomato Spinach Pasta recipe. Please be sure to check the recipe card for the exact ingredients and measurements.

• Boursin cheese: a deliciously creamy type of cream cheese. My favorite is the garlic and fine herbs one, and that’s what I used for this recipe. You could always use another type, or even just a block of plain cream cheese if needed. I would add a little bit more garlic and herb seasoning or something if I did that.
• Uncooked Pasta: I used Cavatappi for this, but you can use any kind that you want. I haven’t experimented with all kinds of pastas with this yet, but keep in mind maybe something thicker like penne might need a little bit more cooking time, or even more liquid, but if you try it with a different type of pasta let me know in the comments how it went. You could also use already cooked pasta, but it may get mushy and overcooked.
• Uncooked Chicken: I used chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces. You could use chicken breasts as well or raw beef (like steak) although it may overcook. I probably wouldn’t use something like ground beef without searing it first. And something like shrimp may overcook as well.
• Garlic: Adds flavor to the dish. Omit it if needed.
• Tomatoes: I sliced up some cherry tomatoes because it’s what I had on hand, but you can use any kind of tomatoes you want, or even canned if you wish.
• Spinach: I threw in some spinach to add more veggies, but you can always omit if you want. Frozen spinach would work fine as well, or you could even substitute for another kind of veggie.
• Chicken broth: Used to add flavor and soften the ingredients. I used chicken broth because I used chicken in the recipe, but you could always use another kind if needed.
• Heavy Cream: To thicken at the end and add a bit more creaminess. You could always use half and half, milk, coconut milk, or omit it if needed, but be aware it may change the consistency and taste of the recipe.
• Garlic Powder: To add flavoring. Use any kind of seasoning you prefer.
• Italian Seasoning: To add flavor. Use any kind of seasoning you prefer.
• Cheese: To top if you would like.

Equipment I swear by…

• A long shaped baking dish. I used a 8.9 Inch by 13.2 Inch – 3 Qt Pyrex one

While the Creamy Garlic and Herb Tomato Spinach Pasta simmers…

• Do a face mask
• Play with your animals or kids
• Put on your favorite music or podcast

How to make it…

1. Place the circle of Boursin cheese in the middle of the baking dish. Pour in the chicken around it. Add the pasta, tomatoes, garlic, spinach, seasonings, and chicken broth.
2. Put in oven and bake. Then add the heavy cream and mix.
3. Let sit for several minutes to thicken, and then serve.

My tips and tricks to make this recipe…

To make sure everything is cooked properly: Make sure the chicken and pasta go on the bottom of the pan and try to flatten them out a bit if possible. You want them fully submerged in the chicken broth so they cook properly.

Increase the veggies: You can always substitute veggies if you don’t like or have spinach and tomatoes. Just make sure things are chopped into smaller pieces to help cook faster. Something like peas or mushrooms would be a great addition to this.

To thicken the sauce: When I’ve made this recipe in the past I didn’t add the tomatoes. I think they were a great addition, but I noticed that the sauce didn’t thicken as much at the end because they added some extra liquid. This wasn’t a problem for me as it still tasted great, and was great leftover in the fridge as well because I didn’t have to add more liquid to thin out the sauce. But if you are someone who likes a thick and super creamy sauce, you can always mix in some cheese, some more cream cheese, or a cornstarch slurry to thicken it up a bit.

Storage notes:

Refrigerate: This dish tastes even better the next day. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 to 4 days.

Freeze: If find that pasta and dairy doesn’t freeze and reheat very well, because it changes the consistency of the ingredients, so I wouldn’t recommend it personally. If you do decide to try it, let me know how it went in the comments below.

Are you struggling right now?

• Use jarred minced garlic
• Use canned tomatoes and frozen spinach or other canned or frozen veggies like mushrooms or corn
• As the dish is baking, do any kitchen cleanup so that you have less to do later

Thank your for stopping by Comfort In a Bowl. If you create this recipe or any other from our site, we would greatly appreciate you taking the time to share, comment and rate the recipe! Take care of yourself.

What to serve with the Creamy Garlic and Herb Tomato and Spinach Pasta

• Garlic Bread
• Soup
• Bread sticks

My burnout situation…

My husband and I took a little road trip this last weekend because he had bought tickets to a comedian he loves like nine months ago, and then we kind of forgot about them. I was super excited for myself to get out of town, because I love to travel and explore, but I was especially excited for my husband to be able to get out of town.

He is extremely hard working as well, and he owns his own business so he really struggles with trying to find a good work life balance and take the proper care of himself as well. Other than going out of town for a funeral, he hasn’t been out of our city for a “vacation” or “fun trip” for like four years. That’s crazy to think about or even say because at the beginning of our relationship that’s one big thing we both realized we absolutely love to do together — travel.

We spend the first like 12 years of our time together being pretty codependent. Like as in hadn’t even spent a night apart except for when he was in the hospital and I went home to get a few hours of sleep before returning. But then he started traveling a little bit for work, and when I was starting to struggle with what I now know is burnout, he would urge me to get out of town with friends and family, even when he couldn’t get away.

In fact, one time he surprised me by flying me to go stay with my best friend who now lives in another country for a week. I had the best time.

But anyways, I was excited for the two of us to get away together, and honestly, I feel like this really made the most difference in my burnout recovery so far. This trip felt like it really repaired a tiny peace of my soul or something. We had a great time.

Conclusion….

I hope you try to find things that fit into your life and that add something positive to it.

It could be as simple as deciding to make a dump and bake recipe that frees up a few minutes so you can spend some precious minutes on yourself, or deciding to take the leap and go on a trip when you know you need a get away.

Life is short, and life is precious.

Take care of yourself.

-Caitlin