This easy one-pot creamy spinach pasta recipe is a pasta and veggie lovers dream. Think: a homemade, blush cream sauce, tossed with sautéed spinach and spiral pasta, this is guaranteed to be a repeat recipe on your dinner menu.
Pasta recipes are my favorite ways to get more vegetables infused into my meals, such as my three cheese macaroni and cheese with spinach, my pasta primavera, or a deliciously easy orzo pasta salad.
TL; DR Recipe Summary
- 👩🏼🍳 Cook Level: Easy/ Beginner
- ⏱️ Cook Time: 30 minutes
- 😋 Taste: Creamy, savory, salty.
- 🍽️ Best Served With: Crusty herby garlic bread, oven baked juicy honey mustard chicken, or honey lime shrimp skewers all pair nicely with this pasta dish.
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Tips and Key Reminders
- Remember to cook the pasta al dente so that it does not fall apart as you stir it and combine with the sauce and spinach.
- Use the same pot for everything! You don't have use two separate pans for the sauce and the pasta. Boil the pasta first, strain, then set aside, and then build the sauce in the same pot the pasta cooked.
- Choose a short tubular pasta for this sauce instead of a long, smoother pasta. The sauce is thin enough so you want the pasta to catch the sauce as it mixes together.
- To thicken the sauce a little bit, use 1 teaspoon of flour or throw in fresh grated Parmesan cheese at the end.
The Main Ingredients
- Short, spiral pasta: I love using short, spiral pastas in this type of recipe as the grooves hold onto the sauce really well. I highly recommend fusilli, radiatore, or from Trader Joe's their Bucati Corti (Featured in this recipe)
- Spinach: I use fresh baby spinach leaves and wilt using some butter on a medium flame.
- Shallot: Shallot brings a delicious flavor to a sauce and overall to a dish. It's aromatic, fragrant, and tastes amazing in sauce.
- Garlic: Similar to shallot, 3 cloves minced works great in this recipe. Just enough for flavor, not overpowering.
- Tomato paste: This is the tomato aspect of the recipe, and when combined with the onions, garlic, chicken stock, and half and half, it creates a gorgeous blush color.
- Chicken stock: The addition of chicken stock gives the sauce depth and also is an essential building block of making the blush cream sauce.
- Heavy Cream: The ingredient that brings it all together. Just half a cup gives the sauce the most beautiful blush color, and adds such rich flavor, without being too powerful.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Simple Swaps and Substitutions
- Dairy - Switch out the heavy cream for some almond milk or coconut milk. The dairy alternatives will likely change the overall taste of the pasta, but not too much!
- Vegetables - Throw in roasted broccoli or cauliflower. I love adding roasted vegetables to pasta dishes, like my vegetable pasta bake. It gives a great charred flavor, and holds the sauce very well.
- Protein - A pan seared chicken breast, ground sausage, or sautéed shrimp, would be so good in this creamy pasta dish.
How to make a one pot creamy spinach pasta
Step 1: Start by adding a tablespoon of butter to a medium frying pan over a medium heat. Add the spinach and sauté the spinach in the melted butter. Sprinkle a little garlic powder and set aside
Step 2: To the same pan, add in the minced garlic and onion, sauté in olive oil until fragrant. Add in the teaspoon of tomato paste and stir to combine.
Step 3: Pour in the chicken stock and let the mixture simmer for a minute or so. Then, pour in the heavy cream and stir.
Step 4: Let simmer on low for 10-15 minutes or until the cream sauce begins to thicken. Add back the sautéed spinach and mix to combine.
Step 5: Meanwhile, boil your favorite pasta, strain, and add directly to the sauce. Stir to coat the pasta and combine the spinach.
Step 6: Serve with a generous sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Creamy Spinach Pasta FAQs
Add any leftover pasta to an air-tight container and place in the fridge for up to five days.
To add this recipe to the freezer, pour the pasta into a freezer-safe container or dish and place in the freezer for up to two months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge and warm in a skillet over medium heat. Add ¼ water to the pasta and a touch of parmesan cheese get it thick and creamy again.
You can, but you'll need to use a lot more chicken stock and the cooking time/method will change. See my instructions for a one pot broccoli pasta but substitute the sauce with this recipe, and spinach.
Looking for other pasta recipes? You've got to try these out!
Did you love this recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you're just as in love with this recipe as I am, please share a comment below and rate it! Better yet, share this recipe with family and friends!! Thank you!
Easy Creamy Spinach Pasta
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 strainer
- 1 frying pan
- 1 wooden spoon
- measuring cups
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large shallot minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Add a tablespoon of butter to a medium frying pan on medium heat.
- Add the spinach and sauté the spinach in the melted butter. Sprinkle a little garlic powder and set aside.
- To the same pan, add in the minced garlic and onion, sauté in olive oil until fragrant.
- Add in the tablespoon of tomato paste and stir to combine.
- Pour in the chicken stock and let the mixture simmer for a minute or so. Then, pour in the heavy cream and stir.
- Cover and let simmer on low for 5-7 minutes or until the cream sauce begins to thicken and will coat the back of a spoon.
- Meanwhile, boil your favorite pasta, strain, and add directly to the sauce. Add back the sautéed spinach and mix to combine.
- Serve with sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Sue says
I just made this recipe for my family last night and they all raved about how delicious this sauce is. The spinach added in is just a bonus. Even my pickiest son liked it! Will be adding this to my rotation for sure. Thank you.