How to make spinach pasta with creamy red sauce. This quick and easy recipe uses fresh spinach, spaghetti sauce, cheese, butter, and garlic to make the best simple dinner! Healthy homemade vegetarian noodle meal, but you could add chicken for a heartier version. Cheesy one pot meal.
We have a refrigerator full of fresh spinach. Our CSA is harvesting spring greens at a ridiculously fast pace, and they are passing the greens along to us. And then, of course, our backyard garden is producing more lettuce and spinach than I think we can ever eat. Who planned what we would plant?!
I hate masses of green mush otherwise known as cooked spinach, and I've already grown tired of cold salads, so we had to find a new way to eat the dark green leaves in our fridge.
Fortunately, the CSA passed this recipe along with one of our boxes. We made it tonight and loved it.
What you'll need to make creamy spinach pasta
Ingredients:
- Corkscrew pasta - Any shape and variety will work.
- Butter - I prefer unsalted.
- Fresh spinach
- Fresh, whole garlic - You'll press this. Freshly pressed garlic tastes 100% different from jarred or powder. It matters in this recipe.
- Spring onions
- Half and half or whole milk
- Carrots
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Cheddar cheese - You could use any kind of shredded cheese, like mozzarella or monterey jack.
- Spaghetti sauce - The best is my Granny's homemade spaghetti sauce, but use whatever you have.
How to make creamy spinach pasta
- Cook and drain the fusilli pasta. Leave in the colander for now.
- In the same pot, melt the butter, press the garlic, and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes on low. Add the carrots and stir frequently.
- Add the spinach and cook on high heat until just wilted. Add salt and pepper.
- Toss the pasta back into the pot and reduce heat to the lowest possible.
- Add half and half, cheese, and pasta sauce, and stir until warm.
Try these other healthy pasta dishes while you're here:
- Quick and Easy Salsa Chicken Pasta
- Cucumber Pasta Salad - A Healthy Alternative to Creamy Pasta Salad
- Cheesy Shrimp Pasta
- Quick & Easy Vegetarian Pesto Pasta Primavera
Creamy Spinach Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pounds fusilli pasta
- ¼ cups butter
- 1 large bunch fresh spinach chopped into matchstick-sized pieces
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- 5 spring onions diced
- 1 cups half and half or substitute whole milk
- ¼ cups carrot grated
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper freshly ground
- 1 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 cups spaghetti sauce
Instructions
- Cook and drain the fusilli pasta. In the same pot, melt butter, add the garlic and onion and cook for five minutes on low. Add the carrots and stir often.
- Add spinach and cook on high heat until just wilted. Add salt and pepper.
- Toss pasta back into the pot and reduce heat to very low.
- Add half and half or milk, cheese, and pasta sauce and stir until warm.
Dawn (Painter Mommy) says
Wow! Great recipe! I love spinach.
Dawn (Painter Mommy)'s last blog post..Is my Baby Pooping Too Much?
bj says
We love spinach so I am sure we'd love this...
bj says
We love spinach so I am sure we'd love this...
Joyce says
I know my grands would love this and it is a great way to get a veg into their diets.
Joyce
Joyce says
I know my grands would love this and it is a great way to get a veg into their diets.
Joyce
Mary says
What a wonderful simple recipe for summer. Thanks for sharing it with us. Have a wonderful day.
Mary's last blog post..Key Lime and White Chocolate Cake Squares and Foodie Friday
Mary says
What a wonderful simple recipe for summer. Thanks for sharing it with us. Have a wonderful day.
Mary's last blog post..Key Lime and White Chocolate Cake Squares and Foodie Friday
Robyn says
A great way for my family to "eat there greens". This sounds simply delicious. This recipe is a keeper. ~ Robyn
Robyn's last blog post..Foodie & Fertilizer Friday!
Robyn says
A great way for my family to "eat there greens". This sounds simply delicious. This recipe is a keeper. ~ Robyn
Robyn's last blog post..Foodie & Fertilizer Friday!
Susan says
I love spinach...any kind of pinach...this sounds good! Happy Foodie Friday! Have a great weekend ~ Susan
Susan says
I love spinach...any kind of pinach...this sounds good! Happy Foodie Friday! Have a great weekend ~ Susan
Gollum says
I'm enjoying your blog. What a great recipe for spinach. It sounds delicious.
Gollum says
I'm enjoying your blog. What a great recipe for spinach. It sounds delicious.
Nicole Feliciano says
Thanks for linking up. Hope you'll stop by next Friday too.
Nicole Feliciano's last blog post..The Mud Bug's Top Bedtime Stories
Nicole Feliciano says
Thanks for linking up. Hope you'll stop by next Friday too.
Nicole Feliciano's last blog post..The Mud Bug's Top Bedtime Stories
angie says
very creative and sounds delicious
.-= angie´s last blog ..Deep Dish Pizza Casserole =-.
angie says
very creative and sounds delicious
.-= angie´s last blog ..Deep Dish Pizza Casserole =-.
holly says
This sounds great! I look forward to trying it.
Do you make this with red pasta sauce, or a white alfredo sauce? The recipe doesn't specify. Thanks!
Feels Like Home Blog┞¢ says
I intentionally left it out. 🙂 We've used both red and white, and both are marvelous.