spinach pasta recipe (2024)

Oct 16, 2023. by Bhavana Patil. 6 Comments | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This vegetarian Spinach Pasta recipe is an easy, healthy, and delicious pasta covered in a creamy spinach sauce that everyone will love. It is a favorite for kids and adults and an excellent option for gatherings or kids' lunch boxes.

Creamy Spinach Pasta is a quick, delicious pasta recipe with wholesome spinach added to it, along with heavy cream and cheese. This recipe is so easy to make, and you can use any other type of pasta, like macaroni or penne. You can serve this as a main course dish to go with any other Italian dish or eat it all by itself.

This recipe is the perfect example of hiding veggies in food to trick the kids into eating them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t touch a bowl full of spinach.

Health Benefits of Spinach

Spinach has so many health benefits.

• It’s loaded with nutrients and antioxidants.
• It is not only high in iron but rich in vitamins A and C.
• Eating spinach may benefit eye health, reduce oxidative stress, help prevent cancer, and reduce blood pressure levels. - Source Healthline

Why You'll Love This Creamy Spinach Pasta Recipe

• It can be made in less than 20 minutes.
• Made with a few ingredients
• Perfect for busy nights, quick to make.
• Healthy, creamy, and flavorful.
• Great for Kid's lunch box

Ingredients for Creamy Spinach Pasta Recipe

You will require a few ingredients to make this vegetarian pasta with spinach recipe.

• Pasta: I usedfarfalle pasta. Feel free to use pasta of your choice, (likeregular, whole wheat, or gluten-free). You can use pasta noodles like fettuccini, spaghetti, or linguine.For a low-carb meal, you can usezoodles or spaghetti squash instead.
• Spinach: I used fresh raw spinach to prepare the puree. You can also use frozen spinach (thawed with excess liquid removed). I did not blanch the spinach before pureeing.
• Garlic: use freshly minced garlic for the best flavor. You can also use garlic powder.
• Heavy cream(or whipping cream): I used heavy whipping cream. You may substitute heavy cream, with alfredo sauce, mayonnaise, or cream cheese to make the sauce.
• Cheese: Use mozzarella or any kind of cheese you have in hand. You may also use nutritional yeast for a nutty cheese-like umami flavor.
• Olive oil(or butter): I used olive oil in this recipe. The butter tastes great as well.
• Seasonings: dried oregano (or Italian Seasoning), freshly crushed black pepper, and salt.

How to Make Creamy Spinach Pasta

Cooking Pasta

• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Stir in the salt.
• Then, according to the package instructions, cook the pasta (about 10-12 minutes), occasionally stirring, until al dente or softer according to the desired texture. I used Farfalle, but you can use your favorite pasta.
• Once the pasta is cooked, drain the excess water and keep it aside. Note: Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta. The pasta water contains starches that will help the spinach sauce stick to the pasta and make the sauce extra creamy.

For Spinach Puree

Add 3-4 cups of raw fresh spinach in a high-speed blender (like Vitamix) or food processor, along with ½ cup of water. Blended to make a smooth puree.

For Making Spinach Pasta

Then, heat olive oil in a pan on medium flame. Add minced garlic and saute for a few seconds until fragrant.

Next, add prepared spinach puree & sauté it for about 2-3 minutes till the raw smell of the spinach goes away.

Add in the cream or homemade white sauce, seasonings like dried oregano, salt, and freshly crushed black pepper. Give a quick stir and cook for a minute.

Follow it by adding boiled Farfalle pasta. Add the reserved pasta water if needed, it adds silky richness and extra flavor to the sauce. Toss everything well and cook on high flame for another 1 minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning at this stage if necessary.

Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Mix well.

Serve on a plate and sprinkle some cheese over it for garnish.

What to serve with Creamy Spinach Pasta

You can enjoy this healthy Creamy Spinach Pasta and call it a meal, or add a side dish like Garlic Bread, Caprese Salad, or a bowl of hot Tomato Soup along with it.

Variations for Pasta with Spinach

• Spinach:If you don't have time to make spinach puree, you can finely chop the spinach and add them.
• Pasta:Any medium pasta varieties like penne, farfalle, macaroni, shell, and rotini work great. This sauce also goes well with cheese-filled tortellini or ravioli. You can also use pasta noodles like spaghetti, fettuccini, or linguine. Try using whole wheat, lentils, or veggie pasta for kids.
• Protein:You can serve green sauce pasta withcrispy tofu, paneer, or tempeh. You may also addboiled chickpeasor white beans to boost up plant-based protein.
• Veggies:You can also add boiled sweet corn, green peas, cherry tomatoes, sauteed orroasted mushroom,asparagus,broccoli, bell pepper,roasted mixed veggies, to make this a healthy spinach pasta. Make sure to pre-cook the veggies before mixing them with the pasta.
• Cream:You can substitute heavy cream with half and half, cream cheese, white alfredo sauce, mayonnaise, or even coconut cream.
• Low-Carb:You may use Zucchini noodles for a low-carb option.
• Fresh Herbs:You can blend a few fresh basil leaves, cilantro, or parsley along with spinach to enhance the flavor of the spinach sauce.

Tips to Make the Best Spinach Pasta

• Salting the Pasta water:Be sure to add salt while cooking pasta for the best flavor.
• Thick Pasta sauce:The green pasta sauce should not be too thick otherwise, after mixing the cooked pasta, the dish becomes very dry. You may add some reserved pasta water to thin it out.
• Thin Pasta sauce:If the sauce seems thin when you start to mix in the boiled pasta. Don’t worry, just keep tossing for another 1-2 minutes. The starches from the pasta will be mixed into the sauce to give a perfect consistency.
• Frozen Spinach:I prefer fresh spinach, but frozen would work, too, if it’s thawed and excess water squeezed.
• Cheese:You can also add cheese directly to the sauce. You may sprinkle fresh Parmesan cheese for extra depth of flavor.

Alsocheck myKids Lunch Box SeriesPosts

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Frequently Asked Questions

MoreSpinach Recipes

• Spinach Dal
• Indian Creamed Spinach
• Spinach Rice
• Palak Paneer
• Palak Paneer Paratha
• Palak Biryani

More Pasta Recipes

• White Sauce Pasta
• Avocado Pasta
• Creamy Tomato Pasta
• Mac and Cheese
• Taco Pasta
• Mayonnaise Veggie Pasta
• Butternut Squash Pasta

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