Free recipe · The $50 Week
One-pot creamy tomato pasta
Penne cooked right in a creamy tomato sauce with chicken and spinach. One pot, nothing to drain, 25 minutes, feeds 4.
serves 425 min1 big pot
Ingredients
- 16 oz penne
- ¾ lb chicken thighs
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 4 oz cream cheese (half the block)
- 6 oz baby spinach
- ½ yellow onion
- 3 garlic cloves
From the pantry: 1 tbsp oil, salt, pepper
Method
- Dice the chicken and onion; mince the garlic.
- Brown the chicken in the oil in a big pot, 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic for 2 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, 3 cups of water, the penne and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil.
- Simmer 12–14 minutes, stirring often, until the pasta is tender.
- Stir in the cream cheese until melted, then the spinach until it wilts. Pepper to taste.
One pot, one washThe pasta cooks in the sauce, so there is nothing to drain and only one pot to clean.
Night 2 of The $50 Week: all 5 dinners came to $49.13 at Walmart (prices checked Oct 26, 2026). Prices vary by store and date.