Creamy Spinach Pasta Recipe

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.

Ingredients for Creamy Spinach Pasta Recipe

Pasta: I used farfalle pasta. Feel free to use pasta of your choice, (like regular, whole wheat, or gluten-free). You can use pasta noodles like fettuccini, spaghetti, or linguine. For a low-carb meal, you can use zoodles 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, but butter also tastes great. 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 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 variety, such as penne, farfalle, macaroni, shell, and rotini, works great. This sauce also goes well with cheese-filled tortellini or ravioli. You can also use pasta noodles like spaghetti, fettuccini, or linguine. For kids, try using whole wheat, lentils, or veggie pasta. Protein: You can serve green sauce pasta with crispy tofu, paneer, or tempeh. You may also add boiled chickpeas or white beans to boost up plant-based protein. Veggies: You can also add boiled sweet corn, green peas, cherry tomatoes, sauteed or roasted 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: To enhance the flavor of the spinach sauce, you can blend a few fresh basil leaves, cilantro, or parsley with spinach.

Tips

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.