Tomato Cream Sauce
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This creamy tomato sauce is pure comfort in a bowl—rich, velvety, and made for generously coating your favorite pasta. It’s simple to make, freezes beautifully, and once you try it homemade, jarred sauce won’t stand a chance.
To me, the only thing more comforting than a classic tomato sauce is a creamy tomato sauce. It’s rich, cozy, and the kind of thing you want to swirl generously over a big bowl of pasta for a meal that just feels good. Once you make this from scratch and start stashing portions in the freezer, pulling out a jar of store-bought sauce suddenly feels far less appealing.
The ingredients are humble, but they build incredible flavor. Butter and olive oil form the base, followed by finely minced onion and garlic that soften and sweeten as they cook. Crushed tomatoes bring a rich, concentrated tomato flavor, while Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper keep things classic. The heavy cream is what transforms it—turning the sauce silky and velvety—while Parmesan melted right into the pot adds savory richness that takes it from good to truly satisfying.
I love how flexible this sauce is. You can use any pasta shape you like, and it welcomes additions like cooked chicken, shrimp, sausage, or ground beef without fuss. Finished with fresh basil, extra parmesan, and maybe a crack of black pepper or pinch of chili flakes, it’s a simple, happy-making pasta night that I come back to again and again.
Serving ideas
Pasta is the obvious choice here—both long noodles like spaghetti and short shapes like penne work beautifully. Gnocchi is another lovely option. You can even use this sauce instead of marinara in baked pastas like my stuffed shells. For sides, I always like a classic Caesar salad and a slice of garlic bread.
Tomato Cream Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion (finely minced)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- ½ teaspoon EACH: Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving)
- Cooked pasta and fresh basil (to serve)
Instructions
- Melt the butter and olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it turns translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and saute for 2 more minutes.2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium onion, ½ teaspoon EACH: Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the tomatoes and cream to the pot and bring it to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 20 minutes to thicken the sauce, covering the pot halfway with a lid if needed to prevent splatters. Stir in the parmesan cheese and season the sauce with extra salt and pepper, if needed.28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 cup heavy cream, ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- OPTIONAL STEP: for a silky smooth sauce, blend the sauce using an immersion blender.
- Serve the sauce over your choice of pasta with extra parmesan and a little fresh basil on top.Cooked pasta and fresh basil
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Nutrition
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I did a few things different, I sauteed the onion and garlic and added the broth (I used chicken) and tomato and I cut up garden tomato, last of the season, but it was quick and a hit on my pumpkin raviolis.
Hi. I was wondering if there was something lighter you could use instead of heavy cream? Would Greek yogut work or something similar?
You could but it would definitely change the flavor and make it tangier. I have another recipe that is similar to this one but uses cashews as the cream instead. Maybe you’d prefer that one: https://www.theendlessmeal.com/dairy-free-tomato-cream-sauce/
Thank you so much Kristen for posting this and the prawn stock too!! I’ve been hunting for a good stock recipe to make use of the heads and shell leftovers from large tiger prawns as well as an idea for using the stock once I’ve made it. I shall now cook a prawn pasta dish with your delicious creamy tomato sauce for a special Valentines meal – can’t wait, thank you so much!!! Warmest wishes from England Oh I forgot to ask – what kind of cream do you use?
You’re so welcome! It’s my favourite way to make use of the leftover prawn heads and shells.
For the cream sauce, I use heavy cream, or whipping cream as we call it in Canada. If you call it something different it’s the kind of cream you can whip into whipped cream. Hope that helps!
Brilliant thanks Kristen, I think it would be our double cream in the Uk as that can be frozen without it separating. I’m off to the shops! Warmest wishes – Glenda
What a wonderful idea to use seafood stock in this! I often put a splash of fish sauce in almost anything savory I’m making–I can imagine that this gets similarly yummy umami results! Thank you for sharing such a great idea!