Creamy Garlic Butter Pasta with Spinach
Oct 02, 2019, Updated May 25, 2024
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This Garlic Butter Pasta with Spinach recipe is made with fresh spinach and bow tie pasta tossed in a creamy garlic-butter sauce.
I told you once before that we eat pasta thrice a week. Some of our favorites include Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta, Cheesy Chicken Orzo, Baked Eggplant Penne Pasta… you get the point.
Pasta Recipe with Garlic Butter and Spinach
This is my favorite pasta recipe! It’s an easy recipe for garlicky and buttery pasta with fresh spinach, and it makes for a quick and easy meatless main or healthy side dish your family will love. Mine sure does!
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. 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!!
How To Make Pasta with Spinach
I’m tellin’ you, never underestimate the power of a good pasta meal. This pasta with spinach dish is a once-a-week deal. As I mentioned, my other half is obsessed with garlic and even more obsessed with pasta. The man can live on spaghetti… and chocolate CAKE!
- Cook the pasta. Boil the pasta according to the directions on the box. I use Whole Grain Bow Tie Pasta and it takes about 12 minutes of boil time to get that al dente cooked pasta.
- Make the garlic butter sauce. 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?
- Toss in the spinach. Add mounds of baby spinach and cook until wilted.
- Put it together. Stir in the cooked pasta, add the cream cheese and milk, and cook until creamy and hot. Then, serve!
Serving Suggestions
This 20-minute meal is completely foolproof. It’s 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! To make it even more satisfying, you can serve it with grilled chicken or toss in some salmon bites. For a dang good vegetarian dinner, serve these roasted artichokes on the side.
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!
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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.
Wonderful dish followed the recipe except added more garlic
Yummy, will prepare often thanks
That sounds delicious! I’m glad you enjoyed it and made it your own with extra garlic. Thank YOU! 🙂
This is a easy and delicious recipe.
Thank YOU! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Loved it it was an excellent side dish for us♥️
So glad to hear you loved it! It’s always wonderful to find a new favorite side dish. Thank YOU! 🙂
This pasta dish was easy, delicious and made with pantry staples. I added in a little rotisserie chicken and shrimp another time I made the recipe. Thank you.
I’m so glad to hear you found the pasta dish both easy and delicious, and that you were able to make it with items already in your pantry! Adding rotisserie chicken and shrimp sounds like a fantastic way to elevate the dish even further. Thank YOU! 🙂
Love this recipe. My go to because usually have all the ingredients on hand. Cream cheese gives it the special touch. Just delightful.
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 ☺️