Creamy Pasta in Spinach Sauce (without cream!)

Allergens free labels

This spinach pasta sauce does not have tomatoes and is free of:

• gluten
• grains
• soy

However, these labels may change depending on your pasta and pesto.

To make it a plant-based dish, simply swap the regular cheese for a plant-based option or use nutritional yeast.

If you add regular wheat pasta to the sauce, the dish will not be gluten- or grain-free. You can make this with gluten-free pasta, and it will still taste delicious!

Disclaimer: Our content aims to be informative and educational, but it should not replace professional medical advice. Since manufacturing processes can vary and cross-contamination is possible, it's essential to verify product labels and allergen information. Make sure all ingredients align with your specific allergies. As readers, you bear the responsibility for ensuring allergen safety when buying or consuming foods.

About My Recipe

This spinach sauce is smooth and creamy—without cream! And it has a gorgeous green color, just as a good spinach sauce should.

The trick to making the greenest, most beautiful pasta sauce is to blanch the spinach. Here, I let the spinach blanch in its own steam, so we avoid the extra hassle of using another pot and wasting the water in which the spinach has blanched.

The addition of scallions (spring onions), garlic, basil pesto, and cheese brings so many lovely flavors to the mild taste of spinach. I blend the spinach mixture with a hand blender, but you can use any blender or food processor you have on hand. Just make sure the sauce is free of lumps.

For creaminess and depth of flavor—and because I always have a block of it in my fridge —I've used cheddar cheese. Feel free to use any other dairy or non-dairy cheese you prefer.

I don’t recommend stringy cheeses like mozzarella though—it works great in an Alfredo sauce without heavy cream, but not for this dish. Since I’ve used pesto without cheese, on days when I want to make it a vegan dish, I simply swap out the cheddar for some nutritional yeast.

Do you cook spinach before putting it in pasta?

Yes, you do cook spinach before putting it in pasta. This helps retain its gorgeous green color.

However, you must be careful not to cook out its color and nutrients! I steam-cooked the spinach along with scallions and garlic for a few minutes until the spinach leaves collapsed but still retained their vibrant color.

Ingredients, Substitutions, Equipment

You require just 6 ingredients plus water to make this simple sauce. There are some optional extras that you can use which I have mentioned below.

See the recipe card for quantities and exact measurements.

• Spinach: I used baby spinach for this recipe. If using a larger bunch, leave the stems out. Wash them thoroughly. You can also use frozen spinach, just factor in the extra time needed for thawing and make sure to squeeze out the excess water.
• Pesto: I used basil pesto. Feel free to use any pesto you like. Keep in mind though that the flavor and allergen labels will change accordingly.
• Cheese: I used good old cheddar for this recipe. Feel free to use any other dairy or non-dairy cheese you prefer. Nutritional yeast, as a plant-based option, will work well. No mozzarella or other such stringy cheeses, please.
• Scallions and garlic: For their lovely flavor.
• Salt: Taste before adding salt, as the pasta, pesto, cheese, and olives (if used) all contain salt. I only needed a pinch of it.
• Water: To make the sauce you'll need a total of 1 ¼ cups of water. Plus keep an extra ¼ cup on hand, just in case you need more. If possible, use pasta water entirely—it adds loads more flavor. If not, use at least 1 cup of it.

Optional extras: Extra virgin olive oil, red pepper flakes, olives - black or green, some grated Parmesan (check if it is vegetarian), and a squeeze of lemon juice for extra oomph. Add all or any of these to finish the dish off.

Equipment: You’ll need a large pot to cook the pasta and a spider mesh ladle or any slotted spoon to scoop it out. You’ll also need a saucepan for making the sauce and a blender or food processor to ensure the sauce is smooth and lump-free.

If you have any questions regarding these ingredients, feel free to ask in the comments section below and I will try my best to answer them for you.

Instructions

I’m not kidding when I say that this is an easy-peasy sauce to make! It will come together in the time it takes for the pasta to cook. Just place the pasta pot on the hob and start making the sauce.

Prepare the ingredients: Peel and chop the garlic; Wash and chop the scallions; Wash and drain the spinach; Cut the cheese into bite-sized cubes; Measure out the remaining ingredients.

Boil the pasta. Place the pasta in the boiling salted water and cook for 2 minutes less than what the package recommends. Be sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Make the spinach sauce. While the pasta is cooking, place a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add ¼ cup of water, then toss in the garlic and scallions. Cover and let them cook for 2 minutes.

Remove the lid and add the spinach. Cover again and let the spinach steam for 3-4 minutes, or until it has collapsed but is still vibrantly green.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cheese and pesto.

Blend everything until smooth, and voilà—your spinach sauce for pasta is ready!

Combine the pasta with the sauce. Return the pan with the blended spinach pasta sauce to medium heat and add the reserved pasta water. Mix well and bring it to a gentle boil.

By now, the pasta should be ready. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the cooked pasta directly into the sauce.

Let it cook in the sauce for 2-3 minutes, allowing the pasta to absorb all the flavors as it finishes cooking. Check for salt and add some if required.

(Optional) Finish off with any or all of these: some olive oil, red pepper flakes, olives, grated Parmesan (check if it is vegetarian), and some lemon juice.

Enjoy your spinach sauce pasta warm with a side of your choice.

Notes and tips

This recipe gets made on repeat in our home, and the ingredients and quantities work best for us. However, you may want to tweak the amounts to suit your taste. For example, if you prefer a stronger flavor, feel free to add extra garlic cloves or more pesto.

If you’re not a fan of basil pesto, you can use any other pesto to flavor your spinach sauce. The same goes for the cheese—use whichever type you and your family love most.

The great thing about this spinach pasta sauce is that it’s a forgiving dish. You can easily adjust the quantities to make the recipe your own.

Expert Tips:

• Cooking spinach: Don’t cook the spinach for too long. Once the leaves have collapsed and are still brightly colored, that's your cue to stop.
• Sauce texture: Blend the sauce with a good blender. The highlight of this sauce is its silky smooth texture.
• Cooking pasta: Undercook the pasta by 2 minutes. It will finish cooking in the sauce, absorbing all the lovely flavors while the sauce clings to the pasta.
• Pasta water: Adds flavor and creaminess to the sauce. Keep some extra water aside to add later if needed.
• Cheese: Don’t use mozzarella. Stringy cheeses will ruin the smoothness of the sauce.
• Sauce consistency: When the pasta is in the sauce, it should be quite saucy. Once you take it off the heat, it will reach the perfect consistency.

Serving, Storage and Reheating

Serving: My younger daughter will happily settle on the sofa with a bowl of her pasta in spinach sauce, topped with frozen peas and carrots, while my older one prefers hers with caramelized onions and mushrooms. Let me know how you enjoy yours—I’d love to hear!

Storing: This pasta keeps well for 2-3 days. Let it cool completely, then store it in the fridge in a fridge-safe container.

Meal prep ahead: This sauce, just like my hearty marinara sauce and cream cheese tomato pasta sauce, is perfect for making ahead and tastes even better the next day. Let the sauce cool completely, then store it in a fridge-safe, preferably glass, container with an airtight lid. Store the cooked pasta separately. When ready to serve, add them to a saucepan along with some water, and heat gently.

Reheating: This pasta tastes best warm. When stored in the fridge, the sauce will thicken. To reheat, place the pasta in a pan and add some water to loosen up the sauce. Warm it over medium heat until the pasta and sauce are evenly heated.

Frequently Asked Questions