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?
Stay Updated
Receive new recipes & dinner ideas straight to your inbox!
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.
Ali says
We’re making this tonight! I am looking forward to it!
I just want to mention that neither parmesan nor romano cheese is vegetarian. There are vegetarian alternatives to those cheeses though.
We are just making it without the cheese. We might use a little nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor. Thanks for the recipe!
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi Ali, thank you for your comment, This recipe is good for vegetarian, just not vegans!
Flo says
Hi,
Just cooked your recipe. I added in some de-seeded, quartered cherry tomatoes, roasted pine nuts and few cubes of goat cheese. It was so simple and just awesome!
Thank you!
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi, Flo, That does sound delicious, think I’ll have to try that next time! I’m glad you enjoyed!
Jaja says
Bought too much spinach more than I needed. I don’t want to out it to waste. Good thing I stumbled with your site. I immediately tried your recipe and DANG it was so good!
Erren says
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing your input!
Cher says
Awesome!! My almost 3 year old just LOVES it! Thanks for sharing!
Erren says
So glad to hear it, Cher!
Janisse V. says
This recipe is just the best! I underestimated the results and my husband devoured his dish before I even sat down! Amazing recipe ! ❤️♥️
Erren says
That’s so awesome to hear! Thanks for the wonderful feedback! 🙂
Allie says
I happened upon this recipe a few months ago and I loved it. I actually couldn’t believe how awesome it tasted with how easy the sauce was to make. We are veggie addicts so I added a bunch of sauteed veggies to the pasta, too.
I completely forgot where I found the recipe so madly Googled until I hit the right one. So glad I found it again 🙂 Scanned the comments to see about freezing the sauce. I think I’ll make it next week and hopefully there will be some leftover sauce to try freezing.
Thanks for such a great recipe! 🙂
Erren says
Hi Allie, I’m so glad to hear it and glad you found your way back!
vartika says
Can I use onion in it
Erren says
Sure! They take a lot longer to cook so saute them first.
Pam says
I’m a huge spinach lover and this recipe is absolutely awesome!!!! I agree with the little boy who politely asked “what’s for dinner tonight…Can you make your green spinach”? On various occasions, I have added chopped nuts (toasted almonds, sliced pecans) as well as thin chicken cutlets sauteed and cut into small chicken strips. Once I even followed all your original ingredients except I switched out the pasta and used plain couscous. Your “green spinach” could easily create 100+ yummy dishes. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
Erren says
That all sounds great, Pam! Love that you make it your own! Thanks for such great feedback!
Angela says
This looks great! Would it work to use frozen spinach instead of fresh? And if so, how much? Thanks!
Erren says
Yes, it would. Just thaw the spinach and then squeeze out the excess liquid as much as possible before sauteing.
rhonda wenzel says
I am going to make this sauce tonight but I am putting it on shrimp& garlic ravioli. Hope the water from this works as well as I do not think there will be as much starch in it.
Callum says
Hey I’m 22 and was looking for simple recipes and stumbled onto this and it was truly delicious. I cooked one chicken breast and shredded it and mixed it into the sauce and pasta. I love spinach a lot and this was perfect, just curious what else you think this sauce would work with ?
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi Callum, I think it will work well with Chicken and most seafood! I’m glad you enjoyed!