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This creamy Spinach Pasta recipe makes the perfect meal for quick weeknight dinners and Meatless Monday. Ready in 15 minutes, this easy spinach pasta is a healthy and delicious dish that all the family will love.
If you are looking for fuss-free dinner ideas for the week, this speedy basil spinach pasta will be your weeknight hero. It comes together in just 15 minutes: prepare the creamed spinach sauce while the pasta is cooking, then combine everything together and serve. Believe me, it’s a real crowd please. Anyone in the family will love it, including your kids won’t complain about the hidden veggies.
Ingredients and substitutes
This spinach pasta recipe requires just a handful of simple healthy ingredients. Pasta, fresh spinach, tomatoes, I bet you already have everything in your kitchen. And don’t worry if something is missing, I included plenty of replacement options.
- Pasta. Choose short pasta noodles like fusilli, rotini, penne, farfalle, spaghetti, or fettuccine. For more fibers and nutrients, prefer wholegrain pasta. Or use gluten-free noodles for gluten-free spinach pasta.
- Spinach. I recommend fresh baby spinach. But you can also thaw and use frozen spinach, if fresh spinach is too expensive or unavailable.
- Tomatoes. Stir in the spinach noodles a handful of halved cherry tomatoes for more color, flavor and nutrients.
- Cream cheese. The cream cheese makes spinach pasta creamy and rich. I normally use fat-reduced cream cheese, but also the regular works. For vegan spinach pasta, replace with full-fat coconut milk.
- Parmesan cheese. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese adds a salty umami flavor and plenty of taste to the noodles. Swap it out for nutritional yeast, if you are vegan or can’t eat dairy.
- Olive oil. One tablespoon of olive oil enriches the flavors and prevent the pasta from sticking together.
- Herbs and seasonings. Fresh basil, garlic cloves, salt and ground black pepper are for the flavor. The basil is completely optional, but it truly makes the difference.
How to make spinach pasta
Here’s how to make a quick and easy spinach pasta for the family in under 15 minutes. As always, you can find complete directions in the recipe card down below.
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions, until al dente. Do not overcook pasta, or it will get too soft. Once cooked, drain, transfer to a large mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
- While the pasta is boiling, add to a blender spinach with cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, 2 tablespoons of pasta water, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Blend on high until smooth.
- Heat a large skillet, then add the blended spinach sauce. Cook on low-medium heat for a couple of minutes, until warm. Stir in cooked pasta, halved cherry tomatoes and then remove from the stove.
- Serve creamy spinach pasta with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil for a satisfying healthy dinner.
Recipe variations
- Make it vegan. Making vegan spinach pasta is so simple! Just replace cream cheese with full-fat coconut milk and use nutritional yeast as an alternative to Parmesan cheese. Quick, easy and oh so delicious.
- Add a protein. Put together a more balanced meal with the addition of a protein. My recommendations are chicken breast, shrimps, salmon, tuna and tofu.
- Make it gluten-free. Swap out regular noodles for gluten-free pasta. Or use garbanzo bean chickpea pasta for a boost of protein.
- Add more greens. You can blend the spinach with other vegetables such as kale, broccoli and zucchini.
- Make it cheesy. This pasta cream spinach recipe already contains cream cheese and Parmesan. But if you are a big fan of cheese, consider adding ricotta, feta cheese, fresh mozzarella or burrata.
Tips for the best spinach pasta
- Do not overcook the noodles because they will soften further when combined with the creamed spinach. I recommend draining it when the pasta is still slightly hard, so that your noodles won’t get soft and mushy.
- Don’t sleep on pasta water! It is just two tablespoons, but it improves the sauce significantly. Cooking pasta water contains starch, which works as a thickener without the need for cornstarch.
- Once it is ready, taste the basil spinach pasta. If you feel that it is lacking salt or pepper, add a bit more to your likings. I prefer not going overboard with salt, because the Parmesan is already pretty savory.
- Enjoy warm, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil on top. Homemade spinach pasta tastes better when the sauce is still warm from the pan. It tends to lose creaminess as it cools.
Storing leftovers
This creamy spinach pasta tastes best when it is served warm, immediately after you remove it from the skillet. But if you plan to make it ahead or if there are leftovers, it can also be saved for later. Here you have two options: either you store sauce and pasta separately (recommended), or you store the assembled dish.
- To store noodles and spinach cream. Cook the pasta, drizzle with olive oil and let it cool completely before placing it into an airtight container. In the meantime, prepare the spinach cream in a blender and transfer it to a separate food container with lid. Refrigerate pasta and sauce separately, they will last for up to 3 days in the fridge. Before serving, combine on a hot skillet creamed spinach with pasta and cook until warm.
- To store leftovers. Once cooled, transfer the creamy noodles to an airtight container and refrigerate for a maximum of 2 days.
- To freeze. Carefully pack leftovers in an airtight freezer safe container and freeze for up to a month. Before serving, allow the pasta to thaw and reheat in a pan with more olive oil.
Spinach pasta pairs well with a fresh salad, garlic bread, or a warm baguette. For added protein, enjoy with grilled chicken or shrimp. Roasted vegetables like air fryer Brussels sprouts and fire roasted tomatoes also make great sides.
Yes, frozen spinach can also be used. Before blending the sauce, you will need to let the frozen spinach thaw completely in the fridge. Once it has thawed, squeeze out all the excess water and pass to the blender with all other sauce ingredients.
Yes, this is a healthy spinach pasta with lots of benefits. It’s made with spinach, a great source of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and folate. Additionally, this recipe is made with wholegrain noodles for more fibers and nutrients. If you want a lighter dish, make the sauce with fat reduced cream cheese.
More easy dinner recipes
- Cottage cheese Alfredo
- Tuna pasta salad
- Caprese pasta salad
- Italian pasta salad
- Orzo salad
- Chicken pasta salad
- Chicken quesadillas
Spinach Pasta
Equipment
- blender or electric mixer
Ingredients
- 10 oz (280 g) uncooked pasta, fusilli, rotini or preferred shape
- 4 oz (115 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 oz (100 g) baby spinach, or thawed frozen spinach, see notes*
- ¾ cup (180 g) cream cheese, or full-fat coconut milk
- 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, or nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp pasta water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 to 6 fresh basil leaves, optional
- 2 garlic cloves
- ⅓ tsp kosher salt, or more to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions, until al dente. Do not overcook pasta, or it will get too soft.
- Once cooked, drain, transfer to a large mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
- While the pasta is boiling, add to a blender spinach with cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, 2 tablespoons of pasta water, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Blend on high until smooth.
- Heat a large skillet, then add blended spinach sauce. Cook on low-medium heat for a couple of minutes, until warm. Stir in the cooked pasta and the halved tomatoes, then remove from the stove.
- Serve creamy spinach pasta with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and drizzle of olive oil.
I loved this option spinach pasta, healthy!
Hey my dear Liza,
many many thanks for your lovely feedback. I am so glad you like this super creamy spinach and tomato pasta recipe 😉
Healthy, vegetarian and so satisfying.
Have a great day,
Matteo