Creamy Spinach Pasta Delight (Printable)

Tender spinach combined with pasta in a smooth, garlicky cream sauce for a comforting dish.

# Ingredient List:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or fettuccine
02 - Salt, for boiling water

→ Sauce

03 - 2 tbsp olive oil
04 - 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
05 - 7 oz fresh spinach, roughly chopped
06 - 1 cup heavy cream
07 - ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
08 - ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
09 - ¼ tsp black pepper
10 - Salt, to taste

→ Garnish

11 - Extra grated Parmesan, to serve
12 - Freshly ground black pepper

# Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain.
02 - While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
03 - Add the chopped spinach to the skillet and cook while stirring until wilted, about 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Reduce heat to low. Pour in heavy cream and stir to combine. Let the mixture simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes.
05 - Stir in grated Parmesan, ground nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. Allow the sauce to thicken slightly over 2 to 3 minutes.
06 - Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat evenly. If sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water gradually until desired consistency is achieved.
07 - Plate the pasta and garnish with extra grated Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

# Tips from the Pros:

01 -
  • It tastes restaurant-quality but comes together faster than ordering takeout.
  • The sauce is naturally silky without any cream cheese or shortcuts—just real cream and Parmesan doing their thing.
  • You probably have most of these ingredients already, which means dinner is literally minutes away.
02 -
  • The pasta water isn't just a backup plan—that starch is what helps the cream cling to each strand, so don't skip saving it.
  • If your Parmesan cheese has been in the fridge a while and tastes sharp or salty, you might need less of it than the recipe calls for.
  • Overheating cream makes it separate and look greasy, so keep the temperature medium-low once it's in the pan.
03 -
  • The reserved pasta water is your secret weapon—add it slowly and taste between additions to get the sauce exactly how you want it.
  • Room-temperature ingredients (especially the cream) incorporate more smoothly into the sauce than cold ones straight from the fridge.
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