A vegetarian meal in a hurry! This 20-Minute Spinach Ricotta Pasta is a creamy dreamy pasta that is packed full of healthy spinach and a ricotta parmesan cheese sauce for an easy weeknight pasta!
We have a lot of recipes that are ready in 20 minutes or less, because well, let's be honest, life is busy. That's why we love pasta recipes like this 20 Minute Spinach Ricotta Pasta that's easy delicious, nutritious dinner on the table in no time!
You'll love it not only because it's so fast to make, but the creamy cheesy pasta is packed full of flavor and bright acidic lemon!
Ingredients Needed
- Spaghetti- We've made this recipe with a few different kinds of pasta, including the thicker tubed rigatoni, and it's delicious with all forms, but we find this creamy sauce is best with the classic spaghetti.
- Baby Spinach - We love to add spinach wherever we can, and this creamy ricotta pasta is the perfect place for it!
- Ricotta - Have you made your own, yet? This is one of the easiest cheeses to make and it is delicious in this dish - although homemade ricotta does not melt as nicely as store-bought. It's delicious, but the sauce is creamy from the Parmesan and pasta water and the ricotta will remain a little grainier. For the creamiest sauce, the Galbani brand whole milk ricotta is our choice.
- Parmesan Cheese - This hard nutty cheese is the perfect complement to creamy homemade ricotta. Romano or Asiago are great substitutes, too.
- Butter and Garlic - The base of most great recipes, right?
- Lemon - Lemon juice and zest to add some perfect sweet acidity.
- Ground Mustard, Onion Powder, Salt, and Pepper - Just a touch of the right flavor enhancers to make this dish pop.
- Fresh Parsley - To garnish!
Ready In Minutes
Cook Pasta and Butter and Garlic
The first step for this spinach and ricotta pasta is to cook your pasta to al dente and then saute up your butter and garlic. Is there anything better than the smell of butter and garlic cooking?
Add Pasta, Pasta Water, and Spinach
Always add a little bit of that pasta water to your pasta recipes because that starchy water will help thicken and bind your sauce to your pasta. Let the spinach wilt in the hot pasta and pasta water.
Add Cheese and Spices
Now it's time for the sauce! Add the cheeses, lemon, and spices, and give a good mix to let it all melt into a creamy dreamy sauce!
20 Minute Spinach and Ricotta Pasta, done! So creamy. So dreamy. And ready in no time. Serve it with some of our Easy Dinner Rolls From Scratch or our Easy Crusty French Baguette for the perfect meatless Monday meal that still "sneaks" in some healthy greens!
Recipe Tips
This is what makes this pasta dish ready in just 20 minutes. Put that salted pot of at least 8 cups of water on to boil and then get everything ready and in place, because once you start, it all goes pretty quickly to be done in just 20 mins.
Always be sure to save that pasta water because it's got the good stuff, the good starchy stuff that adds flavor, binds the pasta and sauce, and thickens the sauce.
While spinach is one of our favorites, you can also use others like kale (although it will take a bit longer to wilt) or arugula for a peppery kick, or even some sweet peas!
No shame in just cutting 'em out entirely and just making this a creamy dreamy cheesy pasta! Just cut the pasta water to 1/2 a cup and add the cheese and spices right after the pasta.
To be sure to avoid mushy pasta, we always like to let our pasta finish cooking in the sauce for that perfect al dente texture. Just cook the pasta 1 minute less than instructed on the box (or only a couple if using fresh pasta) and then let it finish cooking that final minute in your sauce.
This is a good general rule for all of your dishes that call for shredded cheese if you want the ultimate melty texture. Pre-shredded cheeses have additives to prevent them from clumping and sticking together in the package. Those additives will of course keep the cheese from melting as much as freshly grated in your dish, too. So bust out that cheese grater and shred your own, Parm!
Add some leftover grilled chicken or tofu to add some protein or add in any other veggies you'd like! We love to add some leftover (or make to serve with!) Grilled Mediterranean Chicken, 15 Minute Butter Garlic Chicken, or Lemon Pepper Chicken.
A meatless Monday creamy comforting cheesy pasta that our kids are always excited to have - just as excited I am for them to get that spinach in!
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
If you want to see more, be sure to sign up for my 5 Easy Ways to Start Cooking From Scratch!
20 Minute Spinach Ricotta Pasta
Equipment
- Large skillet at least 3 qt.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb spaghetti or other pasta
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach 2.5 oz
- 1 cup ricotta cheese 8.5 oz
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 2.5 oz
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt + more for pasta water
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3/4 cup reserved pasta water
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of salted water to high and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, prep and gather everything needed for the rest of the recipe and collect it all in one place.
- Add pasta to boiling water and set a timer for 1 minute less than the cooking instructions state. For spaghetti, it's usually 10 mins, so set a time for 9 minutes.
- After 5 minutes has passed, heat a skillet over medium and add butter. Melt and then add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add spinach saute, stirring to coat all of the spinach in butter and wilt. Approximately 1-2 minutes.
- Just before the pasta is done, use a measuring cup to get 3/4 cup of pasta water and add it to the spinach. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Don't rinse your pasta! You need that starch on the pasta for the sauce to cling to it.
- Add the cheeses, herbs, salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice to the saute pan and stir well with the pasta, melting the cheese with the pasta water and coating the pasta with the sauce.
- Continue to stir and let pasta finish cooking in the sauce, stirring often to coat, approximately 1-2 minutes.
- Add fresh chopped parsley and serve!
Jacquie Gee
I was looking for a way to use spinach in a pasta dish and this fit the bill perfectly! Great flavor and easy to make.
Tracy
Wonderful to hear, Jacquie! Thanks for sharing!
Kari Heron | Chef and Steward
Oh my, what have I discovered here! This is definitely a recipe I’m printing out to make over the holidays!
Jamie
Wow! This recipe looks absolutely delicious. Plus it will only take us 20 minutes to have this amazing dish! Also, we can never go wrong with pasta!
Tracy
So true, Jamie!
Ann
This sounds delicious! I love trying new pasta recipes, and this one sounds like my next one to try!
Tracy
Enjoy!