The Thirsty Feast

Cheesy Tomato Pasta Skillet

This 30-minute cheesy tomato pasta skillet is perfect for dinner. (Secret ingredient – arugula!) If you’re looking for game day recipes, this is the perfect dinner!

Cheesy Tomato Pasta Skillet | www.honeyandbirch.com | #dinner #sundaysupper

Well, we had a blizzard in Chicago. It snowed a lot, as it does when you have a blizzard. I shoveled a lot too.

I really wanted to finish putting this recipe up yesterday, but I got into a predicament. I kept seeing all of these people getting their car stuck in the snowy road (I do mean in and not on – there is a lot of snow.)

I wanted to ask them why they were out driving when it was obvious a plow hadn’t been by yet. But people always seem to have places to go.

Most of the stuck cars had only a driver in them. While not impossible, it is pretty difficult to get a car out of a snow filled ditch by yourself. So I went out shoveling a bunch of times before the storm got really bad and then a few times yesterday.

My version of a snow day I guess.

By the final time I went outside, I was beat. When I was done helping push my last car out of a ditch, I dragged my heels through the front door and collapsed on the couch. So instead of posting a late recipe, it’s getting published as a morning recipe. I hope you don’t mind.

Cheesy Tomato Pasta Skillet | www.honeyandbirch.com | #dinner #sundaysupper

Cheesy Tomato Pasta Skillet

One Pot Spicy Sausage Skillet

You may also like my one pot spicy sausage skillet!

The reason I told you that little story isn’t just because I didn’t get my recipe published yesterday as intended. Shoveling snow is tiring and the last thing I wanted to do was cook dinner when I was done. I needed a recipe that was quick, easy and good for any day of the week.It starts with ground beef but you can also use ground turkey. You really want to use the leanest meat possible – if there is a lot of grease in your skillet you should drain some of it out before adding the onions.

If you follow my instructions in the order that I write them, I believe you can make this entire dish from start to finish in under 30 minutes.

The key is multitasking. Your pasta should be cooking while your meat is browning.

The “cheesy” part of this title comes from a few ounces of cream cheese. It melts quickly and if you use low-fat cream cheese, you can keep the calories down. And if you use gluten-free pasta, this can be gluten-free too. So many options. 🙂

Cheesy Tomato Pasta Skillet | www.honeyandbirch.com | #dinner #sundaysupper

Cheesy Tomato Pasta Skillet

Cheesy Tomato Pasta Skillet

Yield: 6
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 16 ounce ziti
  • 28 ounce can of tomato sauce
  • 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 4 ounces of cream cheese
  • 1 cup fresh arugula
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, begin cooking the box of ziti according to the package directions until al dente. Then begin browning the ground beef.
  2. When the ground beef is almost browned, add the diced onion (7-8 minutes.) Stir and saute with the ground beef for one minute. Then add the tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. The pasta should be just about done cooking. When it is done, drain it and set aside.
  3. When the 10 minutes is up, add the cream cheese and stir until completely melted. Add the cooked pasta and toss in the sauce. Just before serving, add the arugula and mix.
© Jenny Bullistron

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

one-pot-affiliate-links

  1. Need a skillet?
  2. There can never be enough one-pot meals.
  3. Artisan dinner plates.

Cheesy Tomato Pasta Skillet | www.honeyandbirch.com | #dinner #sundaysupper

Looking for more easy, 30-minute meals? Try these burrito bowls.

Loaded Burrito Bowls | Honey and Birch

Or this 3-ingredient black bean soup!

3 Ingredient Black Bean Soup | honeyandbirch.com #easy

Cheesy Tomato Pasta Skillet | www.honeyandbirch.com | #dinner #sundaysupper #30minutemeal

Reader Interactions

Comments

  7. Janet Vinyard says

    This sounds so quick and easy yet comforting! I love adding cream cheese to anything – it just adds such richness to the dish! Thanks for sharing the recipe! Blessings, Janet

    Reply

  8. Ashlyn @ Belle of the Kitchen says

    This is a total comfort food dinner and I love skillet dinners! The addition of arugula is such a great idea, too!

    Reply

  9. Dini @ The Flavor Bender says

    I love EVERYTHING about this! It looks delicious and it’s perfect comfort food too 🙂
    Adding it to my must try recipe collection! 🙂

    Reply

  12. Jennifer A Stewart says

    This pasta dish brings me back to when my parents had the Italian restaurant and on days that we were not working (Sunday) we made quick skillets with pasta and a variety of meats so vary it. Thanks for a great reminder!

    Reply

  14. lisa@Lisa's Dinnertime Dish says

    Pasta is my go-to and this recipe sounds so delicious! I’m going to have to give it a try soon!

    Reply

  15. Sandra Shaffer says

    My favorite mid-week meals to make are skillet dishes, so I’m always on the hunt for more recipes! Perfect amount of cheese in this dish! I’ll be giving this a try!

    Reply

    • Jenny B says

      Ground turkey or chicken are great substitutes but I think if you left the meat out, it would still be flavorful. It will change the taste but I think it would still taste good. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  25. Kirsten says

    Jenny,
    Pasta is my default meal when I don’t have any ideas for dinner. I like how you’ve taken things I ordinarily have on hand (noodles, home-canned tomato sauce, cream cheese) and something I often have during the farm share greens season–arugula–and combined them into a meal my family would like to eat.
    Thank you!

    Reply

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