• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Served From Scratch
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Accessibility
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Accessibility
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Dinner » Beef and Spinach Noodles

    Beef and Spinach Noodles

    May 29, 2020 by Tracy | Updated June 1, 2020 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

    2963 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Email
    • Yummly
    • Mix
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    beef and spinach noodles in chopsticks with Pinterest pin text.
    beef and spinach noodles in cast iron with Pinterest pin text.
    cooked beef and spinach noodles in tongs and in a pan with Pinterest pin text.
    noodles in a cast iron with chopsticks spinach and beef and Pinterest text.
    two pictures of a pan of noodles, ground beef, and spinach in a cast iron with pinterest text.
    chopsticks holding up some cooked noodles, and a pan of noodles, ground beef, and spinach in a cast iron with pinterest text.
    chopsticks holding up noodles with beef and spinach and Pinterest pin text.
    chopsticks holding up noodles with beef and spinach and Pinterest pin text.

    Are you looking for a new noodle recipe that's easy to make, can be ready in 30 minutes, and is packed full of nutrition? This Beef and Spinach Noodles recipe is one of our new family favorites. When the kids love it too, we know it's a winner!

    linguine with beef. spinach, and onions in a cast iron skillet

    Raise your hand if you love noodles! It IS my comfort food. That is why in the past couple of months with all that's going on in the world, we have made this Beef and Spinach Noodles many times.

    Ingredients Needed:

    I love this recipe because it doesn't require any crazy ingredients.

    Pasta - I've made this recipe with whole wheat spaghetti and linguine and I prefer linguine. You could also make it with regular linguine or even rice noodles.

    Beef - Our favorite beef to use is grass fed because the flavor really is different. But I know it comes at a cost. We've made this with just a regular ground beef too, which is still delicious. But you do want to make sure you use an 80% or 85% lean. 90% is too lean.

    Spinach - Baby spinach is the best and fresh is best for this recipe. I haven't made this with frozen, but I'm sure you can use it as long as you be sure to thaw it and remove as much liquid from it as possible.

    Regular or Lite Soy - I've made the recipe with both and I have to say that my salt lovin' heart loves it with the regular soy sauce. The lite soy sauce just doesn't add the same kind of flavor, it seems like it's just missing something.

    Hoisin Sauce - Did you know that you could make your own, Homemade Hoisin Sauce?

    Garlic Chili Paste - This is optional. It will add more garlic, spice, and salt to the dish. All things that I'm like um, yes please!

    grilled onions and garlic in a cast iron

    How to Make:

    1. Heat a pot of water and cook pasta.
    2. Saute the onions and garlic. Higher heat (but be careful about burning the garlic!), because you want more of a crisp of the onions than a caramelization.
    sauteed onions and spinach in a cast iron

    3. Add the spinach to the onions and saute until wilted.

    noodles with spinach and ground beef in a cast iron

    4. Drain cooked noodles and add the cooked noodles to pan.

    5. Add the sauce mixture and combine well and enjoy!

    linguine noodles with spinach and ground beef in a cast iron

    Tips:

    • Have a pair of tongs ready! You definitely want tongs to be able to turn to spinach while it cooks but then also to turn the noodles.
    • Soak up all of the sauce! Make sure that you coat everything with the sauce, that's the good stuff!
    • Adjust to your taste. Sriracha lover? Yup, me too. Add that to the noodles at the end! Or even add a little more garlic chili paste to the dish if you love the heat. It's totally customizable.
    linguine noodles with spinach and ground beef in a cast iron with chopsticks

    Recipe FAQs

    What kind of Spinach should you use?

    I prefer baby spinach over regular spinach but it really does matter. You could add a lot less than what we add, but by the way that spinach cooks down, with less it feels like there's nothing to it. Plus, the more spinach the better, right?

    Do you need to Drain the Ground Beef?

    Yes. We haven't made this with anything other than 80% to 85% lean ground beef. But you do want to be sure to drain the grease, otherwise the noodles will be too greasy.

    Should I use Regular Soy Sauce or Lite?

    I prefer regular soy sauce, but I also have a high salt tolerance (love) and so this may taste a bit salty to some, but those who have a lower salt tolerance, use Lite Soy Sauce.

    How much Pasta do I Use?

    I use about only about 10 oz, which is about 3/4 of a regular box of 16 oz. I like to use less, especially if I'm serving it to my kids, because I want a higher spinach and beef ratio.

    Substitutions:

    Pasta: My favorite with this is linguine, but it's also good to spaghetti and thin spaghetti.

    Protein: We love this with ground beef but ground turkey would be delicious, too! Chicken would be great too, but it will increase the cook time.

    Add other veggies: Yes! You can! Kale? Sure! It will just take a little bit more time than the spinach. Add some peppers or mushrooms? Ok! Add 'em with the onions!

    chopsticks holding cooked noodles with spinach and ground beef from cast iron

    Don't you just want to bite into that bite? It's salty, a little sweet from the hoisin, with a little bit of a kick from the garlic chili - and dependent upon the amount of Sriracha you add on top!

    We LOVED this. And so did our girls (who are 2 and 4) so if they approved, that's usually our sign that it's a winner!

    You Also Might Like

    Easy Ground Beef and Broccoli

    Chicken and Broccoli Sesame Noodles

    20 Minute Sweet and Spicy Noodles

    Enchilada Skillet Pasta

    15 Minute Garlic Fried Noodles

    Homemade Mac and Cheese with Kale

    chopsticks holding up cooked noodles with beef and spinach in cast iron.

    Don't forget, if you make this recipe (or any others) be sure to tell me if on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!  Or leave a comment below - I love hearing from you!

    linguine with beef and spinach in a cast iron skillet.

    Beef and Spinach Noodles

    These Beef and Spinach Noodles are incredibly easy to make, ready in 30 minutes, packed with a ton of spinach, and a family favorite!
    4.85 from 26 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Asian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Author: Tracy

    Equipment

    • Cast Iron Skillet
    • or large skillet

    Ingredients

    • 10 oz noodles, linguine or spaghetti
    • 1 lb ground beef 80% or 85% lean
    • 8 cups packed baby spinach
    • 1 large white onion sliced thin
    • 4 cloves fresh garlic
    • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
    • 1 tablespoon hoisin or brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoon garlic chili paste
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • Sriracha to top at end

    Instructions

    • Heat a large pot of salted water on high and bring to a boil.
    • Heat olive oil in a 12 inch cast iron or saute pan on medium/high.
    • Fill a large pot with water and heat on high to bring to a boil for the pasta.
    • Add beef and saute while breaking up with wooden spoon, 6 - 8 minutes.
    • While beef is cooking, in a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisen, and garlic chili paste
    • Once water has come to a boil, add linguine and cook al dente until approximately 7 minutes. Drain and set aside.
    • Once beef is cooked, drain most of the fat from the ground beef and then add onions and garlic. Watch and stir often while the onions and garlic crisps. Turn heat down if onions begin to burn, but keep at at least medium. Cook for about 5 minutes.
    • Turn heat down to medium and add 1/2 of the spinach to the pan and turn with tongs to cook. Let spinach wilt and then add rest of spinach and continue to turn with tongs in pan while it cooks, both batches about 5 minutes.
    • When spinach is wilted turn down heat to medium low. Add cooked pasta to saute pan and stir well. Pour in soy mixture and with tongs coat pasta, spinach, and beef with sauce.
    • Serve hot and top with Sriracha as desired!

    Video

    Notes

    Sub for regular linguine, rice linguine, or spaghetti.
    You definitely want tongs to be able to turn to spinach while it cooks but then also to turn the noodles.
    Drain the ground beef otherwise the noodles will be a little greasy. 
    Use those tongs and really stir it all up and make sure that the noodles really soak up all that sauce!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1person | Calories: 638kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 1159mg | Potassium: 889mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5626IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 7mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Tag me @ServedFromScratch or use #ServedFromScratch!

    Easy Ways to Start

    Cooking from Scratch!

    a tray of dinner rolls with one roll out.
    a tray of dinner rolls with one roll out.

    5

    More Dinner

    • a pan with cooked spaghetti and pepper.
      20 Minute Cacio e Pepe
    • a pan with cooked orzo, tomatoes, parsley, and a wooden spoon.
      20 Minute One Pot Tomato Orzo
    • an overhead of taco cups with melted cheese on a plate.
      Turkey Taco Cups
    • an overhead of a pan of pasta with cilantro, cheese, corn and a creamy sauce.
      Elote Skillet Pasta
    2963 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Email
    • Yummly
    • Mix

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Erin

      January 17, 2023 at 10:09 am

      Would I need to make changes in this recipe if I did not include the meat. The recipe sounds delicious!

      Reply
      • Tracy

        January 19, 2023 at 10:10 am

        Hi Erin, nope! Enjoy!

        Reply
    2. Raelene

      May 24, 2021 at 9:54 pm

      5 stars
      Love this recipe! My grandkids loved it to! It is very simple and 😋 tasty! This noodle dish is lite. Amazing , Thank you. 🤗

      Reply
      • Tracy

        May 25, 2021 at 5:25 am

        Wonderful to hear, Raelene!

        Reply
    3. CHERYL lee RICHARD

      September 27, 2020 at 4:14 pm

      We have made this recipe three times now! We use kale instead of spinach as we have kale growing in the garden. We also add fresh chopped ginger. The whole family loves it!

      Reply
      • Tracy

        September 28, 2020 at 6:06 am

        Wonderful!! Great idea with the kale and ginger! So glad your family loves it like ours does!

        Reply
    4. Abigail

      July 12, 2020 at 3:39 pm

      5 stars
      We made this tonight, I think we ended up using a bit more pasta (375g package of linguine) so we increased the amount of sauce as well and it was amazing. I will definitely keep this recipe!

      Reply
      • Tracy

        July 12, 2020 at 9:34 pm

        Abigail! Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed it - I love to hear it!

        Reply
    5. Ashley

      June 01, 2020 at 12:53 pm

      This looks incredible!!! I've got all these ingredients, and can't wait to make this for supper this week!!!

      Reply
    6. Renee | The Good Hearted Woman

      June 01, 2020 at 12:27 pm

      5 stars
      Such a flavorful meal, and so easy to make, too! With a 30-minute prep time, this one is a definite winner!

      Reply
      • Stacy

        August 20, 2020 at 4:28 pm

        Delicious!! I love all dishes like this so I doubled the sauce. I didn't have linguini and I wasn't excited about using spaghetti or fettuccine (which of course I had) so I used rice noodles. It turned out perfect! And the sriracha on top finished it off. Thank you!

        Reply
        • Tracy

          August 20, 2020 at 4:58 pm

          Stacy, that's so great to hear!! Thanks so much for sharing!

          Reply
    7. Helen @ family-friends-food.com

      June 01, 2020 at 12:23 pm

      This looks like just the sort of thing my family would love! Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    8. Amanda

      June 01, 2020 at 12:10 pm

      5 stars
      This is one tasty noodle dish! It's so comforting, but it also comes together quickly. Love a good comfort meal I can get on the table in no time!

      Reply
      • Tracy

        June 01, 2020 at 12:11 pm

        Thanks, Amanda!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tracy!

    Mom of two, lover of cheese, spinach, and replacing a box or jar of premade anything with a from scratch version. Here you'll find our whole foods recipes that'll add some easy, approachable from scratch flair to your cooking! Read More…

    Let's Connect!

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

    Soups

    an overhead of a bowl of yellow creamy soup with cauliflower on top and dill.

    Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup

    a close up of a bowl of creamy green soup with asparagus and bacon on top.

    Creamy Asparagus Bacon Soup

    a spoon ladle with some stock from a pot with chicken and veggies.

    Chicken Stock from Scratch

    a ladle of beef stock over a pot

    Beef Stock From Scratch

    a bowl of chicken pho with chopstick holding up noodles and chicken with Pinterest pin text.

    Crock Pot Chicken Pho

    3 Classic Cream of Soups From Scratch

    More Grilling Recipes

    Most Popular Recipes

    a plate of crispy fried onions

    Copycat French's Fried Onions From Scratch

    Banana

    Homemade Banana Waffles

    a cast iron with cooked rice pilaf and parsley.

    Easy Homemade Rice Pilaf

    a close up of a small bowl of ketchup on a plate of fries.

    5 Minute Homemade Ketchup

    a bowl of chicken pho with chopstick holding up noodles and chicken with Pinterest pin text.

    Crock Pot Chicken Pho

    cooked crispy onion rings from scratch on a plate

    Homemade Onion Rings

    More Popular Recipes

    Snacks

    trail mix bars on a counter.

    Chocolate Trail Mix Bars

    a strawberry and kiwi popsicle held by a hand.

    Strawberry Kiwi Popsicles

    a bowl of crackers in front of a blue box.

    Copycat Chicken in a Biskit Crackers

    a bowl of whipped feta with sliced baguette behind it.

    Everything Bagel Whipped Feta

    an open mason jar of a green creamy dressing.

    Avocado Ranch Dip

    a plate of tomato bruschetta.

    Easy Tomato Bruschetta

    More Dinner Recipes

    Categories

    Search

    Footer

    Copyright © 2023 · Served from Scratch

    2963 shares