Creamy Pomodoro Sauce Recipe

This creamy and delicious pomodoro sauce is easy to make with a few simple and flavorful ingredients. Have dinner on the table in about 20 minutes!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total 20 minutes
white bowl of creamy pomodoro sauce with penne pasta and a black fork.

This Pomodoro Sauce Recipe is deliciously creamy and zesty. Made in under 20 minutes, you can have a homemade pasta sauce ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta. It is incredibly tasty and satisfying!

two white bowls filled with pasta and creamy pomodoro sauce.

Olive & Artichoke may earn a commission for purchases made after clicking links on this page. View our disclosure policy for details. This post has been updated from its original publish date of September 22, 2019 to provide better images, additional information, and step by step instructions.

What you’ll love about this recipe:


  • READER FAVORITE – This has been a reader favorite for many years and one commenter on social media even compared it to her favorite Italian restaurant!
  • EASY – Skip the jarred pasta sauce! This pomodoro sauce recipe is simple to make. And it is so much better when homemade!
  • DELICIOUS – This version is one of my favorite easy to make pasta sauces. Cooked with real ingredients and made creamy with a bit of heavy cream and fresh shredded parmigiano cheese.
closeup image of the creamy pomodoro sauce over penne pasta.

What is the Difference Between Pomodoro vs Marinara?

The main differences are in the texture of the sauce. A pomodoro sauce is usually thicker and a bit smoother.

And a marinara is thinner, a bit more runny, and chunkier.

The texture of this pomodoro sauce is creamy and smooth. Almost velvety. The tomatoes are cooked whole so there is a bit of a chunky element to the sauce.

Ingredients

  • olive oil extra virgin – use a good quality option if you can.
  • fresh garlic cloves
  • onion
  • tomato paste
  • salt
  • Italian seasoning 
  • mini heirloom tomatoes – can substitute with cherry or grape tomatoes depending on availability.
  • parmesan cheese – freshly shredded
  • heavy cream
  • pasta – choose your favorite. Penne, spaghetti, bucatini are a few of our favorites for this dish!
ingredients for the creamy pomodoro sauce in small glass bowls.

Instructions

With a few simple ingredients, dinner can be on the table in about 20 minutes!

Here’s the quick step by the step to making this recipe. See below for the complete recipe.

Start with sautéing the onion and garlic in heated olive oil.

Cook until translucent.

Mix in the tomato paste.

Add the salt & Italian seasoning.

Add the fresh mini tomatoes (whole). Cook until soft.

olive oil and chopped onions in a saute pan.
tomato paste added to the sauté pan with the onions and olive oil.
cherry tomatoes added to the saute pan.

Serve over your favorite pasta.

Stir in the freshly grated parmigiano cheese & heavy cream.

parmesan cheese added to the saute pan
cream sauce with the tomatoes and cheese added.
heavy cream added to the pomodoro sauce pan.
Tips
  • This sauce comes together pretty quickly. I recommend prepping all ingredients so they’re ready to go.

Want more recipes?

Check out the recipe index where you can discover more homemade recipes from my homestead kitchen!

white bowl of creamy pomodoro sauce with penne pasta and a black fork.

Creamy Pomodoro Sauce Recipe

Mary Beth
This creamy and delicious pomodoro sauce is easy to make with a few simple and flavorful ingredients. Have dinner on the table in about 20 minutes!
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 20 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6
Calories 562 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup olive oil extra virgin
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning see note
  • 2 cups mini heirloom tomatoes see note
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly shredded
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 pound cooked & drained pasta

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, bring pasta water to a boil and cook according to package instructions. Don’t forget to salt the water.
  • In a large skillet, heat up the olive oil over medium heat. Chop up the garlic and onion, finely and evenly. Add to the olive oil and cook until soft and translucent
  • When the onions are cooked, stir in the tomato paste, salt, and Amore seasoning. Combine the tomato paste well. However, it is normal for it to look like it is separated from the oil.
  • Add the whole mini tomatoes and cook until they become soft. Once soft, use the back of a wooden spoon and gently press on the tomatoes.
  • Stir in the parmigiano cheese to slightly melt. Then stir in the heavy cream.
  • Allow all of the ingredients to simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
  • Serve over cooked pasta. I used penne for this recipe but any works well.

Notes

Note about the seasoning. I love the flavor of the Primal Palate Italian seasoning "Amore". If you don’t have access to it, replace it with your preferred Italian seasoning.
For the tomatoes, I used a variety that is called "midget". They are slightly smaller than a cherry tomato. Cherry tomatoes will also work well for this sauce. It is preferred to use heirloom or organic tomatoes that are full of flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 562kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 14gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 383mgPotassium: 400mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 855IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 144mgIron: 2mg
Keyword italian pomodoro sauce, pomodoro sauce, pomodoro sauce recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Get our free recipe guide

When you join our newsletter

Hey friend! What can I help you find?

Search our entire site!

Similar Posts

4 Comments

  1. Made this with a few tweaks just for lack of available ingredients in my pantry at the time.. but, still turned out to be SO GOOD. I just didn’t have the Amore seasoning (just threw together a DIY Italian seasoning) and all I had was grape tomatoes.

  2. This was AMAZING! Made it exactly as called for except I just used the Italian seasoning I had on hand.. but SO good, my house smelled like an Italian restaurant!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating