The Spinach Pasta recipe is an easy, healthy, and delicious pasta covered in a creamy spinach sauce everyone will love. A favorite for both kids and adults and an excellent option for gatherings or kids lunch box.
Creamy Spinach Pasta is a quick, delicious pasta recipe with wholesome spinach added to it along with fresh 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 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.
Health Benefits of Spinach
Spinach has so many health benefits. It’s loaded with nutrients and antioxidants. It is not only high in iron but rich in vitamins A and C. Eating spinach may benefit eye health, reduce oxidative stress, help prevent cancer, and reduce blood pressure levels. - Source Healthline
This recipe is perfect for?
- Kids lunch box or when making a lunch or dinner in a hurry.
- The dish is packed full of vitamins and other nutrients.
- Using few ingredients it is an economical meal
Also check my Kids Lunch Box Series Posts
Creamy Spinach Pasta + Caramel Makhana + Raspberries
Ingredients for Creamy Spinach Pasta Recipe
- Pasta: Use any kind of pasta like penne, spaghetti, or farfalle.
- Spinach puree: I have prepared the puree by blending raw spinach in the blender. I did not blanch the spinach.
- Garlic: minced, or you can also use garlic powder.
- Fresh cream (or whipping cream): you can use fresh or whipping cream. If you don't have cream, use alfredo sauce, mayonnaise, or cream cheese tastes good.
- Cheese: Use mozzarella or any processed cheese.
- Olive oil (or butter): I have used olive oil in this recipe.
- Seasonings: oregano, black pepper powder, and salt.
How to Make Creamy Spinach Pasta
Firstly, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Then, according to the package instructions, add some salt to the water and cook the pasta. I used Farfalle, but you can use your favorite pasta. Other good pasta options are penne, spaghetti, or even tortellini!
While the pasta is cooking, make the spinach puree. I took 3-4 cups of raw spinach in a blender along with ½ cup of water. Blended to make a puree.
Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta. The pasta water contains starches that will help the spinach stick to the pasta and makes the spinach sauce extra creamy.
Then, heat olive oil in a pan on medium flame. Add minced garlic and saute for 30 secs.
Next, add spinach puree & sauté it for about 2-3 minutes till the raw smell of the spinach goes away.
Add in the cream or homemade white sauce, salt, black pepper powder & oregano. Give a quick stir and cook for a minute.
Follow it by adding boiled Farfalle pasta. Give it a quick mix and stir fry on high flame for another 1 minute, and pasta in spinach sauce is ready.
Serve on a plate and sprinkle some cheese over it for garnish.
What to serve with Creamy Spinach Pasta
You can enjoy a big bowl of healthy Creamy Spinach Pasta and call it a meal, but if you want to go all out, the following foods go great with spinach pasta!
Caprese Salad
Variations
- If you don’t have olive oil, you can either use butter or regular cooking oil.
- You can use any kind of pasta or even Zucchini noodles for a low-carb option.
- Try using whole wheat, lentils, or veggie pasta for kids.
- If you don’t have cream at home, you can replace it with the same amount of mayonnaise or full-fat milk, or Alfredo white sauce.
- You can also add sweet corn for this healthy spinach pasta, which goes well with spinach.
- If you dont have time to prepare spinach puree, you can just use finely chopped spinach.
Tips to make the Best Spinach Pasta
- You can also add cheese to the Pasta while cooking.
- Pasta sauce should not be too thick else. After mixing pasta, they become dry when eaten later.
- The sauce will seem thin when you start to mix in the pasta. Don’t worry, just keep tossing. The starches from the pasta will mix into the sauce to give a perfect consistency.
More Spinach Recipes
More Pasta Recipes
- Avocado Pasta
- Creamy Tomato Pasta
- Mac and Cheese
- Taco Pasta
- Mayonnaise Veggie Pasta
- Butternut Squash Pasta
Creamy Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
measuring cup used ,1 cup = 250ml
- 1.5 cup boiled whole wheat or multi grain Farfalle Pasta (1 Cup raw farfalle pasta)
- 1 cup spinach puree (made from 3-4 cups of raw spinach (i dint blanch spinach in this recipe))
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoon fresh cream or whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons processed cheese grated, (i used amul brand)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- salt to taste
Instructions
Stovetop Pan Method:
- Firstly, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Then, according to the package instructions, add some salt to the water and cook the pasta. I used Farfalle, but you can use your favorite pasta. Other good pasta options are penne, spaghetti, or even tortellini!
- While the pasta is cooking, make the spinach puree. I took 3-4 cups of raw spinach in a blender along with ½ cup of water. Blended to make a puree.
- Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta. The pasta water contains starches that will help the spinach stick to the pasta and makes the spinach sauce extra creamy.
- Then, heat olive oil in a pan on medium flame. Add minced garlic and saute for 30 secs.
- Next, add spinach puree & sauté it for about 2-3 minutes till the raw smell of the spinach goes away.
- Add in the cream or homemade white sauce, salt, black pepper powder & oregano. Give a quick stir and cook for a minute.
- Follow it by adding boiled Farfalle Pasta. Give it a quick mix and stir fry on high flame for another 1 minute, and pasta in spinach sauce is ready.
- Serve on a plate and sprinkle some cheese over it for garnish.
Video
Notes
Variations
- If you don’t have olive oil, you can either use butter or regular cooking oil.
- You can use any kind of pasta or even Zucchini noodles for a low-carb option.
- Try using Whole wheat, Lentils, or Veggie pasta for kids.
- If you don’t have cream at home you can replace it with the same amount of mayonnaise or full-fat milk or Alfredo white sauce.
- You can also add sweet corn for this healthy spinach pasta, which goes well with spinach.
- If you dont have time to prepare spinach puree, you can just use finely chopped spinach.
Tips
- You can also add cheese to the Pasta while cooking.
- Pasta sauce should not be too thick else after mixing pasta they become dry when eaten later.
- The sauce will seem thin when you start to mix in the pasta. Don’t worry, just keep tossing. The starches from the pasta will mix into the sauce to give a perfect consistency.
Nutrition
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Geri says
Hi! I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but can’t wait to try it. I’m excited about using less ingredients and into hiding veggies in my kids foods especially my toddler. I had a question. If I have some leftover sauce would it freeze well and for how long? Thank you!
Bhavana Patil says
Hey Geri ,I havent tried freezing the sauce though.But if you want to do so i would recommend freezing without adding cream and it should be good for atleast a month.I have tried refrigerating the sauce for 2 days.Hope this helps.If you give a try let me know how it turned out.Another Pasta that i would recommend is Avocado spinach pasta https://www.indianveggiedelight.com/creamy-avocado-pasta/
Bliss says
This is a great recipe I will use again! My kids had no idea their “pesto” was actually spinach. I did add basil and next time I will add more garlic and more cheese. Definitely a keeper!
Bhavana Patil says
Yayyyy, thank you Bliss 🙂 I am super glad to hear that your kids loved it, Have a great day 🙂
Jennifer Vazquez says
You mention to reserve a quarter cup of pasta water, but don't mention when to add.
Bhavana Patil says
Hi Jennifer, will update the post soon. In case you feel pasta dry, you can some reserved pasta water while mixing the spinach puree into the cooked pasta. Makes it more saucy.