Goat Cheese Tomato Pasta with Chorizo and Spinach
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This tomato goat cheese pasta with chorizo and spinach is a weeknight winner — big flavor, minimal effort, and ready in just 25 minutes. The creamy tomato sauce comes together with simple pantry ingredients, and the chorizo adds so much savory depth that you don’t need much else. It’s cozy, bold, and exactly what busy nights call for.
This tomato goat cheese pasta with chorizo and spinach is the kind of weeknight dinner that feels almost too easy for how delicious it is. It comes together in just 25 minutes using kitchen staples, and every step builds big flavor with virtually no effort. The chorizo does most of the heavy lifting — as it cooks, it releases its rich, smoky spices into the pan, creating the base for a sauce that tastes slow-simmered even though it’s not.
Once the chorizo is browned, crushed tomatoes and creamy goat cheese melt together into a silky, tangy sauce that clings perfectly to short-shaped pasta. It’s the best kind of pantry magic: a handful of simple ingredients that turn into something bold, cozy, and incredibly satisfying. A few handfuls of spinach stirred in at the end add color and texture, rounding out the dish without adding extra steps.
Everything comes together in one pan, and the leftovers are just as irresistible. It’s quick, flavorful, and precisely what busy nights call for — a comforting bowl of pasta with just enough flair to make it feel special.
Variations to try
This pasta is wonderfully flexible, so feel free to make it your own. Swap the goat cheese for cream cheese or mascarpone for a milder, ultra-creamy sauce. If you’re not a fan of chorizo, Italian sausage works beautifully, or leave the meat out entirely and add extra spinach or a handful of sautéed mushrooms.
Short-shaped pasta is ideal, but any noodle you love will work — penne, rigatoni, rotini, or even orzo. And if you want a little heat, stir in a pinch of chili flakes or use hot chorizo for an extra kick. This recipe is endlessly adaptable and always delicious.
What to serve with this pasta
This pasta is full of big, cozy flavors, so it pairs well with something fresh and simple. A crisp green salad or my spring mix salad with lemon vinaigrette is a great contrast to the creamy sauce. I’ll often serve a pasta-heavy meal with some roasted broccoli or green beans to add some veggies to the table.
To make it dinner party-worthy, add a loaf of my garlic bread (or my garlic butter potato rolls) to the table; both are perfect for wiping up all the delicious sauce.
Goat Cheese Tomato Pasta with Chorizo and Spinach
Ingredients
- 8 ounces short-shaped pasta
- 4 fresh chorizo sausage links (see notes)
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 5 ounces goat cheese
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 3 ounces baby spinach leaves
- Parmesan cheese (to serve)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Before draining, remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.8 ounces short-shaped pasta
- While the water is heating, remove the sausage meat from the casing and add it to a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces, until it is no longer pink.4 fresh chorizo sausage links
- Add the garlic and and Italian seasoning and cook for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and goat cheese and bring to a simmer. Stir until the goat cheese melts into the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and then stir in the spinach.3 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 5 ounces goat cheese, Salt and pepper, 3 ounces baby spinach leaves
- Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir well. Add a little of the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce. Serve with some parmesan cheese over top.Parmesan cheese
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Easy to make and very delicious. I have never cooked with goat cheese, what a game changer!!
I’m so glad you loved it! 😊 Goat cheese really is a bit of a game changer — that creamy, tangy flavor adds so much. Thanks so much for giving it a try and for leaving a note!
Love this easy and super tasty pasta! So great for a weeknight also! I used a garlic herb flavored goat cheese and it worked perfectly!
I’m so glad you loved it! 😊 Garlic herb goat cheese sounds absolutely perfect in there — what a great idea. I love that it worked so well for a weeknight dinner, too. Thanks so much for sharing!
Loved the short ingredient list and how easy this was to make for a delicious weeknight dinner. I used Italian chicken sausage to lighten it up just a little bit, and it was a bonus I had half the ingredients already on hand. It’s a good switch from a standard spaghetti night! So good!
I’m so glad you loved it! 😊 Italian chicken sausage sounds like a great way to lighten it up a bit. And I’m always happy when a recipe uses things you already have on hand. Thanks so much for trying it and for the lovely note!
My family really enjoyed this meal. We used Italian sausage because we didn’t have the other meat on hand and it worked beautifully.
I’m so glad your family enjoyed it! 😊 Italian sausage sounds like a delicious swap — I love when a recipe works with what you have on hand. Thanks so much for sharing and for leaving a note!
This was very easy and very good! I’m not a fan of goat cheese so subbed in cream cheese, and it tasted great. The whole family enjoyed it! Thanks for another awesome recipe.
I’m so glad you loved it! 😊 Cream cheese is a great swap if goat cheese isn’t your thing — I’m happy to hear it still turned out delicious. And a full family win is the best kind! Thanks so much for the sweet note. 💛
Very good recipe – the result we got even looked like the picture – yeah. Bonus, pretty easy and very good, very enjoyable meal. cheers, Fred
I love hearing that it looked like the picture — that’s always such a win! 😊 So glad you found it easy and enjoyable, too. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a note, Fred!
Made this for dinner. We aren’t chorizo fans so I used ground turkey instead. This was delicious! Loved the flavor that the goat cheese made in the sauce.
I’m so glad you loved it! 😊 Ground turkey is a great swap, and I’m happy to hear the goat cheese still brought that creamy, tangy flavor to the sauce. Thanks so much for sharing your tweak and for leaving a note!
We loved this pasta! I substituted cream cheese and mushrooms, and added some spinach to amp up the veggies. It was fantastic, and didn’t last long!
I’m so glad you loved it! 😊 Cream cheese and mushrooms sound delicious in there, and I love the addition of spinach. Thanks so much for making it and sharing your tweaks — I’m happy to hear it disappeared quickly!
Loved how fast this recipe all came together! I ended up using spicy Italian sausage and it was just the right amount of heat.
I’m so glad you loved it! 😊 Spicy Italian sausage sounds like the perfect way to add a little kick. Thanks so much for trying it and for taking the time to leave a note!