• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Food Lovin Family
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Cooking Tips
  • Appetizers
  • Breakfast
  • Drinks
  • Dinner
  • Lunch
  • Sweets
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Cooking Tips
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Cooking Tips
  • ×

    Home » Dinner

    Green Pasta Sauce

    Published: May 19, 2020 · Modified: Apr 29, 2022 by heather · This post may contain affiliate links

    • Facebook
    Jump to Recipe

    Green pasta sauce is a delicious alternative to marinara. Filled with nutrients from spinach with a touch of creaminess. This has quickly become a kid approved family favorite! 

    We like making this a full meal by serving with chicken pesto meatballs or sliced chicken breast.  

    Green Pasta Sauce in a bowl and fork

    Sometimes a simple bowl of pasta, like these buttered noodles, is the only thing my kids want for dinner. That’s why I love this fresh green sauce for pasta. Quick and easy to make, a great alternative to pesto, but most important, a meal my kids enjoy. 

    It’s one of those meals I don’t mind making often because it’s made with nutritious spinach so I know they are getting a good serving of vegetables without even realizing it.  

    Why this recipe works

    • Nutritious – This pasta dish is full of vitamins.
    • Ingredients – Just need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. 
    • Quick – This dinner can be whipped up in under 30 minutes. 
    • Versatile – Can be served with your favorite protein and vegetables. 
    • Leftovers – This makes amazing leftovers! 

    Ingredients needed

    Spinach – Adds lots of nutrients and the beautiful green color.

    Olive oil – Used to cook the garlic and spinach. 

    Garlic – Gives great flavor to this dish. 

    Parmesan cheese – Everything is better with cheese, right!? Parmesan adds a little saltiness to the sauce.  

    Cream cheese – Adds a touch of creaminess to the sauce. 

    Spaghetti – The conduit for the sauce of course. Most any pasta shape works well with this sauce. 

    Spinach Benefits

    Spinach is a wonderful, leafy vegetable full of vitamins with a mild taste that is easy to “hide” in food like these smoothies. This makes it great for picky eaters. 

    Spinach contains vitamins A, C, and K, folic acid, iron, calcium and more. It’s been shown to benefit blood pressure, eye health and even stress levels. 

    How to make green pasta sauce

    Scroll down for full printable recipe, ingredients and video.

    1. Saute: Saute garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Add spinach and saute until wilted. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
    2. Pasta: Cook pasta according to package directions and drain once cooked. 
    3. Blend: Add cooked spinach, garlic, Parmesan cheese, cream cheese and broth to a food processor and puree until a sauce is formed. 
    4. Combine: Add sauce back into pan along with cooked pasta. Add pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Cook another 2-3 minutes to heat through.
    5. Serve: Serve while still warm and sprinkle with extra cheese. 

    sauteed spinach, cream cheese spinach in a food processor, ingredients mixed

    How to store leftovers

    The best way to store this pasta is in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last 3-4 days. To reheat, I add it back into a skillet with a little extra vegetable or chicken broth and heat through. 

    How to cook spaghetti

    • Make sure to not add oil to the pasta water. This will make a barrier on the pasta, not allowing the sauce to stick. 
    • Salt the pasta water. Add a good amount of salt to the boiling water while pasta is cooking.
    • Be sure to occasionally stir the pasta while it is boiling. This helps the noodles not stick together. 

    Tips for this recipe

    • If you don’t have a food processor, mix the green sauce in a blender. 
    • Feel free to use frozen spinach if you don’t have fresh on hand. Make sure to thaw and squeeze any excess water from the spinach. 
    • If you like a little spice, add a pinch of red pepper flakes. 

    Variations

    • Protein: Try adding chicken, meatballs, tofu or seafood to make this a full meal. 
    • Vegetables: I love serving this with diced tomatoes on top or you could also try adding sauteed vegetables like asparagus, mushrooms, squash or even avocado. 
    • Pasta: This sauce goes well with most pasta shapes. I like making it with spaghetti or fettuccini, my kids like it with rotini and rigatoni. Green pasta in tongs

    More pasta recipes

    • Instant Pot chicken pesto pasta – Chicken pesto made in the pressure cooker. 
    • Chicken lasagna – Layers of lasagna pasta, shredded chicken and cheese. 
    • Baked ravioli – Super easy meal of sauce, ravioli and cheese baked to perfection.
    • Beef pasta bake – Ground beef, cheese and pasta baked into a delicious casserole. 
    • Pizza casserole – All your favorite supreme pizza toppings mix with pasta and cheese. 

    *** If you made this recipe, feel free to leave a comment and rating below. 

    Pasta in a bowl.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    5 from 10 votes

    Green Pasta Sauce

    Easy and delicious green pasta sauce.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time20 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: green pasta sauce
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 381kcal
    Author: Heather

    Ingredients

    • 1 10 oz bag spinach
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
    • 1/2 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock or water
    • 4 oz cream cheese
    • 1 lb spaghetti or other pasta
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Boil spaghetti according to package directions.
    • While pasta is cooking, add olive oil to large skillet over medium heat. Stir in minced garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add in spinach and cook until it wilts.
    • Add cooked spinach to a food processor or blender. Add in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, broth, salt and pepper. Blend until sauce is formed.
    • Add sauce and drained, cooked pasta back into skillet and toss.
    • Serve warm with extra grated Parmesan cheese.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 277mg | Potassium: 208mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 376IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Follow me @foodlovinfamily or tag #foodlovinfamily!

     

    More Dinner Recipes

    • Meatloaf With Brown Gravy
    • How Long To Boil Chicken Thighs
    • What To Serve With Pork Chops – 31 Recipes
    • What To Serve With Ribs – 32 Recipes
    • Facebook

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nora

      May 12, 2022 at 3:54 am

      Can frozen spinach be used instead of fresh spinach?

      Reply
      • heather

        May 12, 2022 at 5:07 pm

        I haven’t tried it with frozen but you could thaw the frozen spinach and make sure to squeeze out as much excess water before using.

        Reply
    2. byrnes

      April 29, 2022 at 5:08 pm

      how much olive oil?

      Reply
      • heather

        April 29, 2022 at 8:47 pm

        1 tablespoon of olive oil works great to sautee the spinach. Thanks!

        Reply
    3. Paula Hauer

      September 22, 2020 at 12:16 am

      5 stars
      my son made this for me. I didn’t have spinach but used kale, mint, cilantro and parsley and it came out delicious. also added chili flakes, fish sauce, ginger and soy sauce or Tamari. it’s a HIT!

      Reply
      • heather

        September 22, 2020 at 2:26 pm

        So glad you enjoyed!

        Reply
    4. Suzy

      May 19, 2020 at 4:56 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a great idea using spinach! Love all of the everyday ingredients in this too!

      Reply
    5. Matt Taylor

      May 19, 2020 at 4:03 pm

      5 stars
      Yummy, easy to make and delicious!! 🙂 Gotta love pasta!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hello and thank you for visiting Food Lovin’ Family! With 3 kids I know it can be hard getting food on the table. Here you will find easy and delicious recipes that the whole family will enjoy.

    More about me →

    Favorite Recipes

    • 28 Best Movie Snacks
    • 21 Best Loaded Fries Recipes
    • Chili Cheese Dip
    • How Long To Bake Chicken Wings
    • 31 Delicious Crescent Roll Recipes
    • 35 Best Party Dip Recipes

    Sweets

    27 Best Brownie Mix Recipes

    Chocolate cookies, brownie sundae, and brownies.

    Brownie Sundae

    28 Best Movie Snacks

    Candy, popcorn, chicken nuggets, and soft pretzel.

    31 Best Lemon Desserts

    Lemon cookies, lemon cake, lemon bars, and lemon sorbet.

    More Love →

    Drinks

    25 Delicious Breakfast Drinks

    Smoothie, hot chocolate, frappuccino, and mimosa.

    25 Delicious Apple Cider Cocktails

    Glass filled with ice and apple juice.

    25 Spooky Halloween Cocktails

    Orange martini, bloody mary, and green martini.

    30 Festive Christmas Cocktails

    Copper much with cranberries, blue drink, green drink, and a milky drink.

    More Love →

    Lunch

    30 Best Fall Soup Recipes

    Four bowls of soup.

    30 Tortilla Wrap Recipes

    Chicken tortilla wrap, hap and cheese wrap, and chicken wrap.

    25 Bagel Sandwich Recipes

    Four different bagel sandwiches

    50 Cold Lunch Ideas

    Chicken wrap, chicken salad, tortilla roll up, and stacked sandwich.

    More Love →

    Breakfast

    Strawberry Muffins

    25 Delicious Breakfast Drinks

    Smoothie, hot chocolate, frappuccino, and mimosa.

    McDonald’s Breakfast Sauce Recipe

    Bowl of yellow sauce and a spoon.

    27 Best Bisquick Recipes

    Breakfast casserole, chicken tenders, pizza, and piece of quiche on plate.

    More Love →

    Appetizers

    28 Best Movie Snacks

    Candy, popcorn, chicken nuggets, and soft pretzel.

    21 Best Loaded Fries Recipes

    Loaded cheese fries.

    Chili Cheese Dip

    Hand holding chip with cheese dip.

    How Long To Bake Chicken Wings

    Plate of chicken wings and bowl of sauce.

    More Love →

    Dinner

    Meatloaf With Brown Gravy

    Meatloaf with gravy and mashed potatoes on a plate.

    How Long To Boil Chicken Thighs

    Boiled chicken thighs on a plate.

    What To Serve With Pork Chops – 31 Recipes

    Spinach casserole, corn casserole, slaw, and fruit salad.

    What To Serve With Ribs – 32 Recipes

    Pea salad, slaw, mac and cheese, corn pudding.

    More Love →

    Footer

    Collage of logos.

    Copyright © 2022 foodlovinfamily.com. All rights reserved. PRIVACY POLICY.