Spinach Spaghetti with garlic crumbs
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This flavorful spinach spaghetti tossed with crispy garlic breadcrumbs, lemon, and parmesan cheese makes an amazing midweek meal ready in 15 minutes. Another dinner, another easy pasta recipe for you!
Published in Nov 2023/Updated in May 2025
I’ve always been a big fan of spaghetti for a quick family meal. It’s one of the best pantry staples for making delicious 1-pot creamy spaghetti, fried egg spaghetti, and garlic olive oil spaghetti, and it’s perfect for these scrumptious sauce recipes.
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Today I’m sharing again one of my favorite spaghetti recipes that uses fresh ingredients and pantry staples, and it’s so simple, fresh, and flavorful.
We are not making a spinach sauce here as we don’t use any cream cheese or heavy cream, but the spaghetti is simply combined with sautéed spinach and crispy breadcrumbs flavored with garlic, lemon, and parmesan cheese. And you’ll love the simplicity and big flavors!
You may not expect to use toasted breadcrumbs as a condiment for your spaghetti recipe, but you’ll be surprised at how their nutty flavor and crunchy texture elevate this super simple pasta dish.
Popular for many Southern Italian pasta dishes, basic breadcrumbs (pangrattato in Italian, literally ‘grated bread’) are toasted in a skillet with olive oil until golden. This simple, economical ingredient adds another dimension to the dish.
Just don’t forget a squeeze of bright lemon juice and lemon zest to finish out the dish and extra Parmesan cheese that goes right on top for serving.
You’ll love swirling your noodles, soft spinach, and crispy crumbs around a fork.
With this simple and flavorful spinach spaghetti, pasta night just got better!
List of the ingredients
- Spaghetti
- Spinach
- Breadcrumbs
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic
- Chilli flakes (optional)
- Parmesan cheese
- Lemon
- Salt & pepper
How to make spinach spaghetti
(Note: this is a quick description; the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet, stir in garlic, chilli flakes, and breadcrumbs.
- Toast until golden and fragrant, then turn the heat off.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese, and transfer the mixture to a bowl.
- Using the same skillet, saute garlic in olive oil until fragrant.
- Add pasta water and spinach, cook until wilted, and season to taste.
- Stir in the drained spaghetti, breadcrumb mixture, lemon juice and zest.
- Toss until combined, adjust the seasoning if needed, and serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Recipe Notes
Spinach spaghetti ingredients
Spaghetti: I love spaghetti, but something long like bucatini, linguine, or fettuccine will also work. My favorite brands are Garofalo and Rummo.
Extra virgin olive oil: I always recommend using extra virgin olive oil for my pasta recipes for the best flavor and nutrition, but it can be substituted with butter if you wish.
Breadcrumbs: Either ordinary breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs are fine. You can also ground stale sandwich bread.
Spinach: Fresh baby spinach works best in this pasta recipe, but you can also use frozen spinach that has been thawed and squeezed to remove excess water. Feel free to throw in some extra spinach to get your greens in for the day.
Garlic: I recommend using fresh garlic, not garlic powder, for this spinach pasta recipe.
Parmesan cheese: With its nutty flavor, aged Parmesan cheese is the best, but pecorino cheese works just fine. You’re welcome to skip the cheese and keep the recipe vegan.
Lemon: Freshly squeezed lemon juice and some lemon zest provide the bright and zesty acidity that enhances the flavors and maximises your iron absorption and nutrients from the spinach.
Salt and pepper: Season to taste before serving. To add some heat, add a touch of chilli flakes (aka red pepper flakes).
Add-ins are welcome
This spinach spaghetti is quick, easy, but it’s also flexible and great to customise and make a scrumptious spaghetti with spinach and your favorite veggies. Try to stir in juicy cherry tomatoes, sautéed asparagus or broccoli, diced roasted vegetables like zucchini, peppers, or eggplant. Other delicious add-ins are olives, capers, and sun-dried tomatoes for a flavorful, Mediterranean twist.
Serving suggestions
- What about a fresh side like this cabbage salad or cucumber salad?
- For more plant-based protein, a white bean salad or lentil salad would be the perfect side dish for a balanced, meatless meal.
- For a perfect carb moment instead, you’ll love some black pepper focaccia or pesto garlic bread on the side.
Storage Tips
Spinach spaghetti leftovers keep well covered in the fridge for about 3 days.
To reheat, do so in a microwave-safe dish with olive oil. My favorite method is reheating the leftovers in a pan using olive oil to make spaghetti slightly crispy.
More spinach recipes to try
Do you love the superfood spinach? Check out this round of terrific spinach recipes featuring salad, egg frittata, pesto, pizza, soup, and scrumptious pasta dishes like spinach pasta, feta spinach pasta, and more!
Pasta recipes you’ll love!
More pasta dishes? I’ve got you covered! Check out these collections, including 13 Super Quick Pasta Recipes, one-pot pasta recipes, vegan pastas, Italian pasta recipes, penne pasta recipes, 30+ Meatless pasta ideas, and even dreamy pasta dishes! I’m sure you’ll find your favorite ones here!
Below are my favorite quick pasta recipes to inspire you!
- Pasta with artichokes
- Ricotta Spaghetti
- Tomato basil pasta
- Healthy spaghetti
- Creamy tomato pasta
- Mushroom ricotta pasta
- Penne arrabbiata
- Penne with pesto
- Creamy spaghetti
- Lemon spaghetti
Lastly, I hope you’ll love this spinach spaghetti as much as we do. And if you have any questions, let me know! Leave a comment, send me a message, or rate it. I would love to hear from you!
Spinach Spaghetti with Garlic Crumbs
Ingredients
Spaghetti
- 8 oz (220 grams) Spaghetti (or any other long pasta cut)
Spinach with garlic crumbs
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons garlic cloves, divided
- 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- ½ lb (220 grams) baby spinach
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more to taste
- ½ lemon zest
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt, and cook the spaghetti until al dente (follow the package instructions). Reserve ½ cups of hot pasta water before draining the pasta.
- Toast the breadcrumbs: Heat ½ tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 garlic clove, breadcrumb, and chili flakes and cook, stirring often, until golden—about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the parmesan, transfer to a small bowl, and set aside.
- Cook the spinach: Place the skillet back on the stove, add the rest of the olive oil and 1 minced garlic clove, and cook over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon of pasta cooking water and the spinach, a handful at a time, stirring until wilted. Turn the heat off, taste, and season accordingly.
- Assemble and serve: Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, drain, and add the spaghetti to the skillet. Add lemon juice, zest, and breadcrumb mixture, tossing until well combined. Taste to make sure you're happy with the overall flavor (you might prefer more salt or lemon juice), then serve immediately with more grated parmesan cheese, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for its fruity flavor, or chili flakes for some heat. Enjoy!
This is delicious! I made a pound of spaghetti and doubled recipe using a little more lemon juice and pasta water.
That’s great to hear! Thanks so much for your 5 star feedbak. : )