Pasta with Spinach, easy & quick!
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This simple pasta with spinach sauce is fast, easy and delicious. It’s ready in less than 15 minutes and makes a weeknight meal the whole family will love.
This is one of those easy pasta dishes or one-pot pasta recipes perfect when you just need to get dinner on the table in no time. And if you loved my cream cheese pasta or white bean pasta, you’re sure to love this quick spinach sauce packed with nutrient-dense leafy greens.
It’s a winner because while the pasta is cooking, you just need to saute’ the fresh spinach in olive oil and plenty of fragrant garlic. And if the amount of spinach looks overwhelming, I assure you it will quickly wilt in matter of minutes.
Then add cream cheese, parmesan and a generous grating of nutmeg, which works so well with both spinach sauce and parmesan. The result is savory, creamy, with hints of nutmeg, and delicious bright spinach. Toss pasta with the sauce, serve with grated parmesan cheese, black pepper… and DEVOUR!
Watch how to make it
What ingredients you need
The ingredients you need for this pasta with spinach sauce are:
- Pasta
- Baby spinach
- Cream cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Nutmeg (ground or freshly grated)
- Salt & pepper
How to make it
(Note: full recipe and ingredients are at the bottom of the page)
- Cook pasta until al dente
- Saute’ the garlic in olive oil until fragrant
- Add baby spinach, season with salt, and toss until wilted
- Add cream cheese and pasta cooking water to the skillet
- Stir in parmesan and grated nutmeg
- Toss pasta with sauce until combined, and serve!
Recipe notes & tips
1. How to wilt spinach
Start heating olive oil and fresh garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. A large skillet works well since the wide surface area helps expose as much of the spinach to heat as possible, allowing it to wilt evenly.
When the garlic is fragrant, add spinach. The volume looks huge at first, but it will wilt quickly becoming more manegeable. Add the spinach a handful at a time, season with salt and stir until wilted. The whole thing takes minutes.
2. Cheese
I haven’t added tons of cheese or heavy cream to this spinach pasta. I used both pasta cooking water and cream cheese more to create the sauce, rather than making a really cheesy pasta or pasta that swims in cream.
But please, don’t skip the essential touch of freshly grated parmesan cheese, it makes the difference.
3. Pasta with spinach sauce variations
This is such a versatile pasta recipe, you can add more vegetables or protein of your choice, here are a few ideas that work perfectly with this spinach sauce:
- Vegetables: raw cherry tomatoes, cooked peas and grilled vegetables.
- Meat: grilled chicken breast, bacon or sausages. Another delicious add-on is shredded ham or Parma ham; you don’t need to cook it separately, but you can throw it in the sauce while you stir in pasta.
- Fish: grilled or steamed salmon or cooked prawns, you can skip the nutmeg in this case.
Looking for more spinach recipes?
I’m a big fan of spinach, they’re so versatile, convenient and full of nutrients:
- Lemon ricotta pasta with spinach
- Creamy spinach soup (vegan)
- Baked frittata with spinach
- Spinach pizza with feta
If you make this quick pasta with spinach sauce, leave a comment, rate it, or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram.
I would love to hear from you!
Pasta with Spinach Sauce
Ingredients
Pasta
- 8oz (225 grams) pasta (penne, rigatoni, spaghetti…)
Spinach sauce
- 1 Tbsp olive oil or extra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
- 2-3 garlic cloves, finely sliced or minced
- 9oz (250 grams) baby spinach, washed
- ¼ tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
- 5oz (140 grams) cream cheese
- 1oz (30 grams) freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, or ⅓ of freshly grated nutmeg, or according to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook your pasta until al dente following the package directions. Before draining, reserve at least 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add garlic and cook for about 1 or 2 minutes until fragrant (make sure you don't burn it).
- Add part of the spinach and season with salt. Stir until wilted adding handful of spinach at a time.
- When the spinach are wilted but still bright green, stir in cream cheese and 1/3 cup of pasta cooking water (don't add all the reserved water straight away, but save the rest in case you need to loosen the sauce when you add pasta to the skillet).
- Then add grated parmesan cheese and nutmet to the sauce and give a good stir. The sauce will be ready in a couple of minutes.
- Drain pasta, add to the skillet and toss to combine. Serve immediately ¼with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, black pepper and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy.
This was amazing! I loved it, but more importantly, my husband did too! I almost always have the ingredients on hand and love that it came together in less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Thanks so much for sharing.
You’re very welcome, Mimi!! : )
I’m so pleased to hear that, thank you! x
While making this recipe, I realized I had very little cream cheese and no Parmesan. I ended up using 1-2 oz of cream cheese and subbed cottage cheese for the rest. I also used aged cheddar instead of the parm. The pasta came out delicious and was a big hit with my family. Thank you!
That’s great, you managed to make a few adjustments and the recipe turned out delicious anyway!
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, Shana. x
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I added peas and grape tomatoes, however, I left out the nutmeg. I also topped it with roasted broccoli. Next time I am going to add a little spice.
Thanks so much for sharing, Emily… I love all your add-ins. : )
Have a nice weekend. x
Wow! Made this for the 1st time tonight exactly as written and just WOW! It was a hit with my family. My 4 year old asked for 3rds! We paired it with grilled garlic chicken legs from Costco and a nice crusty bread. Thank you so much for this great recipe!
You’re so welcome, Andrea! What a lovely feedback, thank you. xx
Delicious recipe! I wanted to use up some spinach, and this recipe was perfect. I had run out of cream cheese (which I’m certain will make this recipe even better!), so I subbed goat cheese, which was fine. I also added in some leftover chicken meatballs I had on hand. I can tell this recipe would be awesome just as written! Thank you!
That’s great to hear, thanks so much for sharing, Joyce! : )
Have a lovely weekend. x
I made this last night. It’s was very good. I used angel hair
pasta and added baby bella mushrooms. Thank you!
Quick, easy, and delicious
Great! Thanks so much for sharing, Audra. : )
So delish! Made it for the first time tonight. While sautéing the spinach I threw in scallops…. OMG
Delish indeed! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, Tina. x
Thank you so much, Mimi! x
Made this for lunch for my son. Added chicken for him and shrimp for the hubby. Great easy and yummy!!
I’m very pleased! Thanks so much for sharing, I appreciate that. : )
My son doesn’t like whole spinach so I blended up the spinach and he practically cleared his plate!
That’s fantastic! So glad he loved it, thanks so much for sharing, Em. : )
Have a nice weekend. x
Love this recipe. Noticed the calorie count but how much is a single serving? TIA!
Just made (and ate) this, but used Ricotta instead of Cream Cheese and added a splash of Sriracha sauce when serving. It was yummy and I am looking forward to the leftovers! I will try adding shrimps and some chilli flakes next time, after I have tried some of your other recipes.
Awesome, I love your feedback! : )
Thanks so much for sharing, Charles. Have a great Sunday! x
Can frozen spinach be used if fresh is not available? if so, how do I incorporate into the recipe?
Hi Siobian! You can use about 11/2 or 2 cup of thawed and squeezed spinach instead of fresh. x
This is a great recipe! I made it for dinner tonight and it was really easy and quick to make. I didn’t have any spinach so I used some frozen spinach and it worked just as well. Thanks for sharing!
That’s brilliant, thanks so much for sharing!
Have a great weekend and happy 2023. x
This was a hit with the family even for my teenage son who doesn’t like to try anything new. I was pleasantly surprised that he liked it and wanted more. I added some sauteed shrimp to it.
That’s great, I’m so pleased everyone loved this pasta recipe! : )
Thanks for sharing and happy 2023. xx
How many tablespoons is the parmeson?
Use about 2-3 tablespoons. : )
Would I be able to substitute frozen spinach instead?
Hi Carol! Yes, you can use about 11/2 or 2 cup of thawed and squeezed spinach instead of fresh. x
Tasty and quick! We enjoyed it. Going into my recipe book.
The count of carbs and cholesterol and sodium are not so good but the potassium, calcium and Vit A amounts are great!!
Hahah, let’s focus on the flavor and Vitamin content only! : )
I’m so glad you loved this recipe and thanks so much for sharing, Rebecca. xx
Loved this recipe! Your recipe was easy to follow and it turned out great. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you loved it : )
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Sage!
Cheers x
This was delicious and a big hit, even for my 4 and 6 year old! I added some andouille sausage for extra flavor. Will be making this again, thank you!
Hey Elizabeth, I’m so pleased to hear the kids loved it too! 🙂 what a lovely feedback, thanks so much for sharing. X
A super easy meal that my kid enjoyed too (thank god) – I thought nutmeg would be a little strange, but it turned out to be exactly what was necessary.
I’m so happy to hear that, Dori! Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback. Cheers x
I tried it and it actually tastes so good. it’s also super quick. I had never had spinach and pasta, but it actually tasted great.
Fantastic! I’m very glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for sharing. : )
This WasDelicious, worthy of a first course at a good restaurant. As simple as described 🙏 Added fresh basil for the finish.
That’s great, Joe! I’m super happy it turned out so delicious.
Thank you for taking the time to share your fantastic feedback.
Have a lovely weekend. x
This was delicious! I made this recipe as is, but added extra garlic, and was amazed, so simple and so yummy!
Making it again tomorrow!
I’m so happy it turned out so delicious, Patti! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your lovely feedback. : )
Have a great weekend too! x