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5 from 5 votes

Delicious Spinach Pasta Sauce

A good for you green pasta sauce that is creamy, luscious and of course, completely delicious! Topped with golden brown panko crumbs.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: Vegetarian
Cuisine: Italian Inspired
Keyword: green pasta sauce, spinach pasta
Servings: 2 people
Author: Emilie Pullar

Ingredients

FOR THE BREADCRUMBS

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 4 - 5 garlic cloves finely chopped

FOR THE SAUCE

  • 200 grams dried pasta or 300 grams fresh pasta
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 250 grams spinach I used baby spinach
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 40 g parmesan finely grated
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

FOR THE BREADCRUMBS

  • Heat the olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat.
  • Add the panko crumbs and mix with the oil, then toast, moving them around so they don't burn.
  • Add a big pinch of salt and pepper.
  • After 3 - 4 minutes add the garlic and toast for a further 4 - 5 minutes until golden brown. See the pictures above to see the crumbs before and after.
  • Yours might take more or less time, it depends on the heat. Stop when deep golden brown.
  • Set aside.

FOR THE PASTA

  • Get your pasta cooking in a pot of well salted boiling water. You'll need some of the pasta water to blend the spinach so if you cook the pasta first, reserve a good cup of the water.
  • At the same time as cooking your pasta heat the olive oil over medium heat in a fry pan big enough to fit all the pasta in at the end.
  • Add the garlic and let sizzle for 30 seconds, moving it around so it doesn't burn.
  • Add the spinach and let it cook until wilted, around 5 minutes. Add a big pinch of salt and pepper. Turn the heat down if it is too hot.
  • Using a high speed blender (or a stick blender, whatever you have) blend the spinach and garlic with ½ cup pasta water until really smooth.
  • Add the lemon juice, parmesan and salt and pepper and blend again until well combined.
  • Taste the sauce and season to taste, this sauce needs a lot of salt.
  • Pour the sauce into the fry pan and heat over a medium - low heat and add your cooked pasta straight in.
  • Let it gently bubble for a minute or so in the sauce, add a splash of pasta water if it needs.
  • Serve with extra grated parmesan and the garlic crumbs on top.
  • I love some lemon zest on top too, that is an optional topping.

Notes

  • Be bold with seasoning this dish as it needs it. Taste it and judge what you think it needs, add more lemon, salt and pepper if you want!
  • In terms of timing this dish to make it stress free I put the pasta on to boil and the spinach in the fry pan at about the same time. By the time the spinach has wilted the pasta has been cooking long enough that the water is nice and starchy to use to blend the spinach.
  • If your pasta is ready before the sauce in any recipe I suggest reserving a big mug full of the pasta water before draining and mix a knob of butter into the drained pasta to stop it sticking and over cooking.
  • Letting the pasta bubble away gently in the sauce is a key step in any of my sauces so I generally undercook my pasta by a minute for this reason.