Garlic Spinach Pasta Sauce
This delicious garlic spinach pasta sauce is just three core ingredients, yet it still packs a punch of flavor! Serve with your favorite pasta shape and a sprinkling of vegan parmesan for the easiest, greenest, comforting pasta dish. This recipe is also a great vegan alternative to garlic butter spinach pasta.
Top Tips For Tasty Vegan Garlic Spinach Pasta
This super simple green pasta sauce is hard to mess up, but here are my pro tips for this olive oil garlic spinach pasta:
- As the sauce is creamy and soft, you don’t want to overcook the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the instructions, and don’t be tempted to overboil it as no one likes mushy pasta!
- Speaking of cooking your pasta, season the water with salt while you cook it. This will infuse the pasta with flavor and give you a better tasting dish overall.
- Don’t forget to save half a cup of pasta water to add to the sauce at the end. The starchy pasta water is far more flavorful and adds a more creamy texture than water alone.
Pasta Topping Ideas:
- Vegan parmesan cheese
- Red pepper flakes
- Fresh herbs such as parsley
- Zest or juice of a lemon
- Toasted sesame or pumpkin seeds
What Pasta Should I Serve With This Green Sauce
This spinach garlic pasta sauce goes exceptionally with any pasta shape so that you can choose your favorite form. Although, I do prefer this olive oil-based sauce with longer, thinner pasta shapes, such as spaghetti or linguine. These shapes allow the sauce to soak the full pasta so every bite packs a punch.
Garlic & Spinach Nutritional Info
Garlic is one of my favorite ingredients to include in my savory dishes for its taste and because its health properties. Garlic is an amazing ingredient to fight the common cold and reduce sickness. Spinach is another fabulous ingredient for packed in the nutrients. Not only does spinach add gorgeous color to this dish but it also provides high amounts of essential nutrients and fiber, such as vitamins A, C, K1, folic acid, iron, and calcium.
How To Store Leftovers
As this spinach pasta sauce recipe makes enough sauce for four decent size portions, you may find you have leftovers if you aren’t eating this with friends or family members. Not to worry, you can store the pasta (or just the sauce) in the fridge in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for about 2-3 days so it works great as an easy to reheat dinner or a cold ready-to-go packed lunch option. If you reheat the pasta or sauce you may find it has thickened whilst being in the fridge. Simply add a little more olive oil or pasta water to thin the sauce and add in some moisture.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 6 oz fresh baby spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1lb pasta noodles
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- ½ cup grated vegan Parmesan
METHOD
- Cook the pasta according to the package. Reserve a cup of the pasta water before draining. Drain, and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and spinach and sauté until the spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat, and set aside.
- Add the spinach and garlic mixture to a food processor or blender with the vegan cheese and half of the pasta water. Puree until the mixture is saucy (adding more pasta water if needed). Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Combine with pasta and serve topped with extra vegan grated cheese.
Easy Spinach & Garlic Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves sliced
- 6 oz fresh baby spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb pasta noodles
- 1/2 cup pasta water
- 1/2 cup grated vegan Parmesan
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package. Reserve a cup of the pasta water before draining. Drain, and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the garlic and spinach and sauté until the spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat, and set aside.
- Add the spinach and garlic mixture to a food processor or blender with the vegan cheese and half of the pasta water. Puree until the mixture is saucy (adding more pasta water if needed). Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Combine with pasta and serve topped with extra vegan grated cheese.
