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.
Julianne says
My partner and I made a vegan version of this 🙂 This is an easy recipe and the result tastes very nice!
Erren's Kitchen says
That’s great, I’m glad you were able to adapt it 🙂
Carla says
My kids love this !!!!!!! Thank you !!!!! This is great for when dr Seuss week is going on at school he wants to eat everything green “ green eggs and ham” lol
Erren Hart says
LOL so glad to help! 🙂
Babs says
Good basic recipe but it needs jazzing up, it’s rather bland as is. We doubled the garlic to 6 cloves, added hot pepper flakes and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Basil is another option.
The consistency is good.
Erren Hart says
Hi Babs, I’m glad you found a way to make it work for you. Thanks so much for the feedback!
RM says
Very nice, I added green peppercorns
Erren Hart says
That sounds great! Glad you enjoyed it!
Phoebe says
Amazing! I replaced the Parmesan with equivalent amount of nutritional yeast to make it dairy free and it tasted phenomenal!!! I will definitely be keeping this in my repertoire; so simple and comes together quick!
Erren's Kitchen says
It’s good to know you can make it dairy free and delicious too! Glad you liked it 🙂
Anne says
Just tried this, adding a big handful of fresh basil and some roasted pine nuts, as I had some at hand for once. Delicious! I feel this will become a staple and favourite, thank you!
Erren's Kitchen says
That sounds amazing! I’m glad you enjoyed it Anne 🙂
Shifa says
Loved this pasta soo much. So easy to make too
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you 🙂
Many thanks says
Wow Erren!! Bless you. I’m suffering from awful morning sickness at the moment and nothing sounded appetizing today, until I revisited your recipe. I only had cavatelli, frozen spinach on hand, used a pinch of powdered garlic due to heartburn, and used a nutribullet which whipped the spinach mixture into a smooth sauce. Even with the adjustments it was wonderful, and my husband who hates veggies thought it was delicious!
Erren's Kitchen says
I’m so pleased you found something you can eat with morning sickness, thank you for your lovely comment 🙂
John Doe says
I loved this recipe so much!
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you!
Altitudemama says
Quick, clean, delicious. I had spinach to use up, and was in the mood for pasta, so this was a perfect fit. The only thing I did differently was add lots of fresh flat leaf parsley to the food processor before pureeing because I had lots of it to use up, too 😉 Next time, I would add some EVOO to the finished sauce so it doesn’t clump, as mine did.
Erren's Kitchen says
That all sounds good, so pleased you liked it 🙂