This Garlic Butter Pasta with Spinach recipe is made with fresh spinach and bow tie pasta tossed in a creamy garlic-butter sauce.
My Favorite Pasta Recipe with Garlic Butter and Spinach
Easy recipe for garlicky and buttery pasta with fresh spinach. A quick and easy meatless main or healthy side dish your family will love!
One of the meals I’ve made for Goce every week for the last several years is this Garlic Butter Pasta. He is my pasta-obsessed husband, and even though he’s mainly low-carb, sometimes a boy’s gotta eat what he wants to eat. 😃
I add whatever leafy greens I can find – kale, spinach, chard – and suddenly it looks healthier and a lot more inviting.
What sets this pasta apart from other pasta dinners is that it’s without a heavy sauce, like alfredo. We are only dealing with butter and garlic, plus a pinch of cream cheese and milk.
I’m tellin’ you, never underestimate the power of a good pasta dish. No… a GREAT pasta dish! This Garlic-Butter Spinach and Pasta recipe is seriously amazing.
I told you once before that we do pasta thrice a week; Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta, Cheesy Chicken Orzo, Baked Eggplant Penne Pasta… you get the point.
How To Make Pasta with Spinach
This pasta with spinach dish is a once-a-week deal. My other half is obsessed with garlic. Even more obsessed with pasta. The man can live on spaghetti… and chocolate CAKE!
- Boil the pasta according to the directions on the box. I use Whole Grain or Whole Wheat Bow Tie Pasta and it takes about 12 minutes of boil time to get that al dente cooked pasta.
- Melt butter in a skillet; add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. (I actually just wait for the pasta to be done, then I drain it and use the same pot to melt the butter and create the sauce. Who needs another pot or skillet to wash, ya know whadda mean? 😉)
- Add mounds of baby spinach and cook until wilted.
- Stir in cooked pasta; add cream cheese and milk; cook until creamy and hot.
- Serve!
Clearly, in order to enjoy this, you really need to love garlic. And butter. Cream cheese, too. Did I hear a ‘HELL YEAH!’?! Of course I did!!
This is a 20-minute meal that’s completely fool-proof and a perfect quick dish for weeknights that will please even picky eaters. And it is the fastest Olive-Garden-Chef’s-Special type of food you’ll ever make!
How To Store Pasta Leftovers
Transfer cooked pasta to an airtight container; add a drizzle of olive oil and stir through. Cover and keep refrigerated for 3 to 5 days.
ENJOY!
Garlic-Butter Spinach and Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bow tie pasta
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 8 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings, for garnish
- 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- Prepare pasta following the directions on the package.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet or dutch oven.
- Add garlic and continue to stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add spinach; season with salt, pepper, and basil, and cook until spinach is wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Depending on the size of your skillet, you might have to cook the spinach down in batches.
- Drain the cooked pasta and add it to the spinach mixture; add the cream cheese and milk.
- Mix and stir until everything is well incorporated, and the cream cheese is melted.
- Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
- Top with fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
absolutely will make this again. We loved it!!
Made this as directed but added some cubed chicken breast I had left over. It was fantastic!
Oh my goodness this was so good! It is a keeper. The only thing I changed was the cheese. I didn’t have any so i used fresh grated parmesan. I tasted the spinach as it was cooking and I had to walk away or I was going to eat all of it lol. Thank you for passing this along.
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Delicious! I added shrimp right before cooking the spinach. Boyfriend raved over it!
That’s great! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This is super tasty! My husband loved it!
Thank YOU! I am very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Can’t wait to make this tonight. Always trying to find meatless recipes. This sounds delicious and I have all the ingredients ☺️