This easy, vegetarian pasta recipe is perfect for a weekday dinner! It uses simple, healthy ingredients and it’s ready in 20 minutes!
I love a quick pasta recipe. When I’m busy or short on time, this spinach parmesan pasta recipe is my go-to meal. I love how the simple ingredients come together to create such a comforting taste!
Meg and I love our greens, so we experimented along the lines of a pesto pasta and used spinach instead. It turned out so good!
The spinach sauce has a smooth, creamy consistency and the cherry tomatoes add wonderful bursts of flavor to this dish! And the best part about this recipe? There is NO chopping involved! It is a vegetarian dish that needs just 5 ingredients! It’s crazy how these simple, fresh ingredients transform into this elegant, gourmet meal in just 20 minutes!
It’s perfect for surprising your partner with an impromptu date night! I assure you that they will be wowed by this hearty creation! Even if they are a total meat lover! If I have the time, I make some garlic bread as a side and pop open a bottle of wine. It’ll be sure to score you some brownie points! 😜
How to make the spinach parmesan pasta recipe?
Cook the pasta
Let’s get started by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Add in about a tablespoon of salt to the water. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add in the pasta. I used rigatoni for this recipe, but you may choose your favorite kind. Preferably something that can hold a good amount of sauce.
Cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente. Before you drain the pasta water, save about a cup of it and set aside. Then drain the pasta through a colander and run some cold water through it. This ensures that the pasta doesn’t “cook” further and doesn’t stick together.
Prepare the spinach parmesan sauce
Begin by adding olive to a large pan and set the heat to medium high. Peel and crush about 6 cloves of garlic and add it to the pan. Sauté the garlic until it turns slightly brown. Then, add in 4 packed cups of spinach and keep mixing it until the leaves wilt and turn dark green. Transfer this spinach mixture to a bowl and let it cool down to room temperature.
After the spinach mixture completely cools down, add it to a blender along with ½ cup of the pasta water you saved earlier. Blend this until you get a smooth puree. Transfer the puree back to the pan set to medium-low heat and season it with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Grate about ⅓ cup of parmesan and add that to the puree and mix it all together. That would be your spinach parmesan sauce.
Add in the cooked pasta and mix well until all the pasta is well coated with the sauce. Set aside the pan while we prepare the roasted cherry tomatoes!
Roast the cherry tomatoes and serve!
For the toppings, we will be using roasted cherry tomatoes! Bring a small pan to high heat along with some olive oil. Now, add in the cherry tomatoes and keep tossing them around.
Be careful, as there’s gonna be a lot of splattering and mini explosions! After about 2-3 minutes, once the tomatoes get a slight char, take the pan off the heat.
Serve the pasta into a plate/bowl and top it with the freshly roasted cherry tomatoes and shaved parmesan. You may also add some crushed red pepper.
Tips & substitutions
- If you are looking for a dairy-free or vegan pasta recipe, you could simply swap out the parmesan cheese with any vegan cheese. Alternatively, you could also try adding walnuts or pine nuts to the blender while making the spinach sauce.
- Love meat? Add some grilled chicken! Or you could experiment with different veggie toppings like roasted red peppers or mushrooms. Follow your cravings!
- Feel free to use any pasta of your choice. This works great with spaghetti too!
- Add a little pasta water to the sauce. It creates a creamy, smooth consistency and coats the pasta well!
Cherish this wonderfully tasty and healthy spinach parmesan pasta!
I hope you enjoy this spinach parmesan pasta recipe as much as we did! 
If you liked this recipe, please share it with your friends and family and do leave your rating and comments below. It’ll motivate me to keep creating and sharing my experiments in the kitchen with you guys!
When you try out this recipe, be sure to tag us on Instagram @Wholesome_goals!
See you next time!
Here are some other weeknight favorites that you don’t want to miss!
Spinach Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
- 1½ cups uncooked rigatoni pasta (or pasta style of your choice)
- 4 cups spinach (tightly packed)
- 10-15 cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan
- 1 tsp black pepper (freshly ground)
- salt (add to taste)
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional seasoning)
Instructions
- Add salt to a pot of boiling water. Add pasta and cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente.
- Add olive oil to a large pan on medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned. Then add spinach leaves and keep mixing until the leaves are wilted.
- Add the cooked spinach mixture to a blender along with ¼ cup of pasta water and puree until it's a creamy paste.
- Transfer the puree back into the pan on medium-low heat. Add another ¼ cup of pasta water if the puree is too thick. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the shredded parmesan and stir well. Finally, add the cooked pasta to the sauce and mix well.
- In another small pan on high heat, add olive oil. Toss in the cherry tomatoes. (Careful, it splatters!) Roast them for about 3-5 minutes.
- Serve the pasta with the roasted cherry tomatoes. Garnish with shaved parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes.
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