Quick Green Spinach Pasta Sauce (10 Minutes!)
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Vibrantly green, packed with so much flavor and only requires 10 minutes of your time! You need to make this healthy and delicious spinach pasta sauce – it’s loaded with nutrients from the fresh spinach and also is a lighter dish without cream. Ideal for a weeknight meal.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Super healthy: Spinach is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, folate, and potassium, which is a great reason to base your pasta sauce around it.
- Packed with flavor: There is something magical about the combination of extra virgin olive oil, garlic, spinach and parmesan. It’s
- Super Fast: These ingredients are so rich in flavor, allowing the spinach sauce to be cooked up in just 10 minutes!
- Hidden Veggies: If you struggle to get your kids to eat their greens, this green pasta sauce is a great way to sneak in some hidden nutrients.
Looking for more healthy meals to make this week? Then you’re going to love my: Crispy Soy Tofu, Aubergine & Rice, Baked Chicken and Cauliflower, Grilled Aubergine Curry
Ingredients
The ingredients that make this Spinach Pasta Sauce recipe fantastic are the following:
Spinach
I opt for fresh spinach in this recipe to make the dish super speedy. You could use frozen spinach though if you prefer/have it on hand, it will just slightly increase the cook time.
Onion & garlic
Foundational ingredients for all great pasta sauces.
Spaghetti
I love a long thin pasta shape for this recipe as I love the way it clings to the sauce. Linguine would also work amazingly. If you want to use a shorter pasta shape- something like orecchiette would be great for this pasta with spinach sauce.
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
Make it Vegan: to make this spinach sauce pasta vegetarian, use vegetarian parmesan. To make it vegan, substitute with 3 tbsp nutritional yeast instead of the parmesan. Or a vegan parmesan alternative.
Add Some Spice: I looove to add some chilli flakes/ red pepper flakes to this dish for a little kick. If you love fresh chilli you can also finely chop a few chillies and add into the garlic/onion mix to gently fry for this spinach pasta recipe.
How to make Spinach Pasta Sauce
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the oil, onion, and garlic and sauté for around 6 minutes or until they have softened. Season with salt and pepper (Image 1).
- While you are sauteing the onions and garlic, add your spaghetti noodles to a large pot of salted boiling water and cook for two minutes less than the package says (Image 2).
3. Once the garlic and onions have cooked, add the spinach and dried parsley to the pan and add a ladle of salty pasta water (around 200 ml) (Image 3).
4. After about 2 minutes, the spinach will begin to wilt. Add the contents of the frying pan to a blender and blend until smooth (Image 4).
5. Add the blended spinach pasta sauce back into the pan and reduce the heat to low. Add the al dente spaghetti into the pan and add two thirds of the parmesan (Image 5).
6. Stir until well combined adding a few ladles and pasta water to loosen. Serve topped with parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of chili flakes. (Image 6).
Consider making these other delightful Pasta dishes during the week: High Protein Cottage Cheese Pasta (Alfredo Style), The Easiest Marmite Pasta (3 ingredients!), Simple Spaghetti al Limone (Lemon Pasta)
Tips for the best result
- Blend until smooth to achieve the glossiest sauce.
- To get the best green sauce pasta, don’t overcook the spinach. You just want it to wilt before blending to ensure you keep the vibrant green colour.
- Season in stages to ensure everything is well seasoned. Generously salt the pasta water in particular!
Make Ahead Instructions
Meal Prep: There are two ways to meal prep this. You can simply prepare the green pasta sauce recipe by cooking and following the recipe, and then pouring the sauce into ice cube trays or muffin tins. This allows you to individually defrost servings when you feel like it.
Or if you want to serve portion controlled servings, you can divide into meal prep containers and store in the fridge. Eat within 4 days. As you can see with my meal prep, I paired this spinach pasta sauce recipe with mozzarella & some pan-fried chicken breast.
Serving Suggestions
For added protein I like to add one of the following to this pasta dish:
- The Best Garlic Prawns
- Garlic Butter Chicken
- Tender Thin Sliced Chicken Breast in Oven
- Cook Frozen Salmon in the Air Fryer
There are plenty of items you can eat as a side with this green pasta sauce with spaghetti including:
- Frozen Garlic Bread in Air Fryer
- Cavolo Nero with Garlic & Lemon
- Healthy Caesar Salad Dressing without Anchovies (Low Calorie!)
But I also love this sauce so much that I use it on other things besides spaghetti like in lasagna, on pizza, and as a dip for my garlic bread! It is so versatile!
Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Freezer: As mentioned earlier, you can store the spinach sauce recipe in the freezer in ice cube trays or muffin tins for individual servings. Or if you know that you’re going to reheat a whole batch, you can freeze in one container for up to 3 months. You caaan freeze the final dish (incorporated with the pasta too) but I prefer to avoid freezing the pasta for the best texture.
Reheat: Add 1 tbsp of water onto your spinach pasta sauce and place in the microwave for 2 minutes, stirring once halfway. Cook until piping hot and enjoy!
FAQs
You definitely can! This would make an amazingly vibrant green layer in a white based lasagna or you could use it in any other pasta bake dish. I would sub the spaghetti for a shorter shape of pasta though like spirali, penne etc!
Yes! The best flavor combo I believe is onion, garlic, spinach and parmesan- simple and delicious!
Yes! You can store the spinach sauce recipe in the freezer in ice cube trays or muffin tins for individual servings. Or if you know that you’re going to reheat a whole batch, you can freeze in one container for up to 3 months.
If you tried this , it would mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Quick Spinach Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced (£0.33)
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced (£0.39)
- 180 g fresh spinach (£1.29)
- 80 g parmesan, finely grated (£1.35)
- 280 g spaghetti (£0.30)
Cupboard Essentials
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- Optional Chilli flakes
Method
- To a large frying pan, add the oil, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and fry over a medium/low heat.
- Meanwhile, add the spaghetti into heavily salted boiling water. Set your timer to the packet time minus 2 minutes.
- Once the onion and garlic have softened, after around 6 minutes, add the spinach, dried parsley and 200ml of salty pasta water.
- After around 2 minutes, add the contents of the frying pan into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the spinach sauce back into the pan, reducing heat to low. Transfer the al dente spaghetti into the pan and add two thirds of the parmesan. Stir until well combined, adding a few ladles of pasta water to loosen.
- Serve and top with the remaining parmesan, an extra crack of black pepper or optional chilli flakes. Dive in!
Notes
- For the best green sauce pasta, avoid overcooking the spinach. Let it wilt briefly before blending to preserve its bright green color.
- Season gradually throughout the process to ensure even flavor distribution. Be sure to add plenty of salt to the pasta water!
- Blend the sauce until it’s completely smooth for the silkiest, glossiest finish.
Nutrition
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