This spaghetti with spinach sauce recipe is a super simple pasta sauce that’s quick, healthy, and really flavorful. This vibrant sauce is made with grated cheese, giving it a creamy, delicious taste.
Serve with warm, Homemade Garlic Bread and a simple salad for an easy weeknight dinner.
Pasta With Spinach
If you’re after some hearty comfort food on a budget, this vegetarian pasta is just the thing.
Why This Recipe Works
- Using sliced fresh garlic instead of minced adds a punch of flavor without being overwhelmingly garlicky.
- Blending the sauce with the salted pasta water adds a silky texture as well as seasoning.
- Using fresh spinach instead of frozen packs this dish with extra nutrients you don’t get with frozen vegetables.
- Using fresh Parmesan cheese adds creaminess and depth of flavor.
A Versatile Spinach Pasta Recipe
This is also a very versatile dish. I’ve had readers report back that they’ve used anything from salmon to pistachios as variations. Don’t be afraid to add your own personal touch to this easily adaptable recipe.
This spaghetti with spinach sauce is not only delicious, but it’s really healthy too.
Spinach Buying Guide
- When buying fresh spinach, look for leaves that have a dark green color. Avoid any with yellowing color or wilting.
- Avoid spinach with slimy leaves or have a sour, musty odor.
The Health Benefits of Eating Spinach
Spinach has so many health benefits. It’s high in iron, as well as vitamins A and C. Spinach is loaded with not only nutrients, but it’s also rich in antioxidants.
It’s said that eating spinach can benefit eye health, reduce stress, help prevent cancer, and reduce blood pressure levels. So, I eat it often and this dish is one of my favorite ways to prepare it!
Cooking Perfect Spaghetti
- Don’t add oil to the cooking water. Adding oil to the water to keep it from sticking will cause the sauce to slip off the Spaghetti.
- Salt like you mean it. The cooking water should taste like the ocean. This is the only time you’re able to season pasta and keep it from tasting bland.
- Wait for a rapid boil. Starches in the spaghetti absorb water instantly and so you want the water as hot as possible to begin cooking properly. Adding the spaghetti too soon may cause it to cook improperly.
- Stir during cooking. Occasionally stirring the spaghetti while cooking will keep it from clumping together.
How To Make Spaghetti With Spinach Sauce
Start a pot of water for the pasta and cook the spaghetti until just undercooked.
Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and sauté.
Add the spinach to the pan.
Sauté with the garlic. Once wilted, season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
Before draining the pasta, reserve a cup of the pasta water.
Drain the pasta, and set aside.
Add the spinach and garlic mixture to a food processor ( or blender).
Add the cheese and half of the reserved pasta water.
Puree until it forms a sauce (adding more pasta water if needed).
Add the sauce back into the pan.
Add the par-cooked spaghetti.
Stir to combine and heat through, adding more pasta water if needed.
Once the spaghetti is cooked through, taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve sprinkled with extra grated cheese.
A Healthy Recipe For Kids
The lovely, leafy spinach in this spaghetti with spinach sauce recipe makes for a flavorful and intriguing bright green pasta that even kids will want to dive into!
Case in point:
Every time one of my son’s close friend comes over, he always asks me what we were having for dinner. Followed by ‘Can we please have that green spaghetti you make? That’s so good; I love it!’
How could I say no to that? Luckily, it’s so easy to make!
This recipe is the perfect example of how you can hide veggies in food to trick the kids into eating them because otherwise, he wouldn’t touch a bowl full of spinach!
Erren’s Top Tips
- Work fast with the garlic. Garlic burns easily, especially when chopped or sliced. If you’re worried it may burn, keep a little water handy and add a tablespoon or two before adding the spinach to the pan.
- To puree the sauce, I use a food processor, but a blender would also work if you add the pasta water in before blending.
- I use fresh spinach, but frozen would work too if it’s thawed and squeezed of excess water.
Other Great Pasta Dishes
Did you make this?
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Let’s Make Spaghetti with Spinach Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves sliced
- 16 oz fresh baby spinach washed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound spaghetti
- ½ cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese plus more for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook to soften, but not quite brown.
- Add the spinach and sauté with the garlic until wilted. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and set aside.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve a cup of the pasta water before draining. Drain, and set aside.
- Add the spinach and garlic mixture to a food processor or blender with the cheese and half of the pasta water. Puree until it forms a sauce (adding more pasta water if needed).
- Add the sauce back into the pan to combine and heat through, again adding more pasta water if needed.
- Once heated through, taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve sprinkled with extra grated cheese.
Tips + Notes
- Work fast with the garlic. Garlic burns easily, especially when chopped or sliced. If you’re worried it may burn, keep a little water handy and add a tablespoon or two before adding the spinach to the pan.
- To puree the sauce, I use a food processor, but a blender would also work if you add the pasta water in before blending.
- I use fresh spinach, but frozen would work too if it’s thawed and squeezed of excess water.
Nutrition Information:
Update Notes: This post was originally published in April of 2014, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and a video August of 2018.
Marci says
I made this for dinner tonight and I added fresh lemon juice and also the zest of the lemon for freshness. It was delicious.
Erren says
Hi Marci, Sounds like a great idea! So glad you liked it! 🙂
Kathy says
Hi. I made this to use up some extra Spinach. Perhaps I blended it too long? but it ended up being green sauce rather than looking like the picture, which looks more like pesto. Only used half of the cup of pasta water. It also seemed that I should have used a whole pound of pasta, perhaps to spread the sauce out? It tasted ok but I did not care for the texture of the side the way it came out. Did anyone else have this problem?
Alexandra says
Yes. It did not come out very good for me. Too much sauce for the amount of pasta. I didn’t add a ton of water because it was already so much sauce.
Erren says
This is good feedback. Thank you. I’ll see how I can re-word The instructions to add only sauce to the pasta according to taste.
Jessica says
I really enjoyed this sauce over spaghetti squash!
Erren says
Hi Jessica, That’s a great idea! So glad you liked it!
Arlene says
Can I freeze. The sauce? I have spinach I need to use
Erren says
Hi Arlene,
I’m not sure how it freezes, but if you try it, please let me know how it goes for you.
Annie says
Im not sure about freezing this but i know if ur making a pesto u can put it into ice cube trays and it will freeze that way n put it into zip lock bags after n it will keep.
Regina Minyard says
This method of freezing works wonders. Leave out the cheese and add it after it defrosts!
MaryAnn Coy says
Erred quick recipe you might like. I/2cup butter,¼ oil 3 cloves minced garlic, 2(8)ounce cans baby clams,reserve ½ liquid. 1/4cup parsley finely chopped1/4tsp basil1/4tsp oregano1/4 tsp salt 1dash black pepper, 1lb. Spaghetti. Melt buttr and oil in a heavy saucepan and heat through. Sauté garlic and clams in hot oil mixture for 2 – 3 minutes. Stir in all seasonings, simmer 10 minutes. Cook spaghetti to al dente, using package directions drain and rinse Return spaghetti to pan and add sauce, toss well. Serve with crusty bread and Parmesan cheese.Recipe double easily. It is call spaghetti ℅ Von
Erren says
Thanks MaryAnn! Spaghetti & Clam sauce is one of my all time fav things in the world! Sounds lovely! 🙂
MaryAnn Coy says
Erred, tried to leave you a message the other day but didn’t go through
Erren says
Hi Maryann, was there something you needed?
Erren says
Thank you, Debbie! Let me know how your recipe turns out!
Debbie of Who Moved My Coconut Oil says
This spinach pesto is fantastic!! I’m going to try it over spiralized zucchini noodles.
Debbie, of Who Moved My Coconut Oil
Laura Gavlinski-Hansen says
I love my spiral cutter! that is a great idea, to use zucchini!
Erren says
Hi Tracy, I hope he will! So gald you like it!
william says
I love it I will grate hard boiled egg and little paprika to it for more protein… thank you
Erren says
You’re quite welocome! I’m so glad you found a way to make it work for you!
Diana Leyva says
what’s an alternative for garlic?
Erren says
Hi Diana, Are you asking because you don’t like garlic or you just don’t have any?
Tracy @ Our Simple Life says
This is so simple and good! I have a bag of fresh spinach so I think I will make it for supper tonight and if your little friend liked it I bet my grandson will too!