This spinach mushroom pasta was a recipe I created one night when my fridge was looking particularly empty. I was down to a container of mushrooms and small bag of spinach and was in need of a simple dinner that my family would all eat. Enter this delicious and easy to make creamy mushroom spinach pasta. It’s the perfect meal to make when you are short on time and looking for something comforting and tasty to make. It’s also an incredibly versatile dish, you can swap the spinach for kale, use different types of pasta or add in a protein like sausage, chicken or shrimp. I think you will love this simple yet delicious dish.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Spinach and Mushroom Pasta
- Forget to pull out meat for dinner? This vegetarian meal is for!
- It’s rich and creamy and full of nutritious, simple ingredients!
- This is the easiest recipe to modify to your dietary preferences.
- In less than 30 minutes, you can have a family-friendly meal that everyone will love!
- This comforting meal is incredibly easy to make in advance and serve on busy weeknights.
Ingredients You Will Need:
- Olive oil: A touch of olive oil is all you need to bring out the flavor of your shallot and mushrooms. Feel free to swap it for avocado oil.
- Shallot: I like finely diced shallots in this dish to give full flavor throughout. You can also use a yellow onion or a red onion.
- Chestnut mushrooms: I think the fresh mushrooms are the star of the show here, as far as flavor goes. You can use your favorite mushrooms and mix and match.
- Fresh Garlic: Finely mince the garlic cloves or use a garlic press to release all the delicious garlicky flavor.
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper, and paprika are all you need.
- White Wine: You’ll want to use a dry white wine like Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay. And don’t forget to pour yourself a glass to enjoy while you make dinner!
- Pasta: I love the shape of farfalle pasta, aka bowtie pasta, but you can use any kind of pasta.
- Heavy Cream: You can use whole milk or half-and-half, too. For dairy-free, I recommend coconut milk or almond milk.
- Fresh Spinach: Baby spinach or regular spinach are both perfect for this dish. You can throw it in whole or roughly chop it. Alternatively feel free to use frozen spinach.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Just a pinch is all you need. Adjust accordingly to how spicy you want it.
- Butter: The butter brings it all together at the end to help finish off the creaminess.
- Parmesan Cheese: You can use freshly grated Parmesan cheese (which I find has the best flavor) or grated cheese in the tub.
- Fresh Parsley: Fresh herbs at the end make this bright, herby, and flavorful. You can also use fresh basil or fresh chives.
(You can find a full list of ingredients in the recipe card below)
Kitchen Tools You Will Need:
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
- Large Skillet
- Large Pot
- Strainer
- Wooden Spoon
Frozen Spinach
If using frozen spinach in place of fresh spinach in this pasta dish here are a few tips:
Thaw and drain well → Frozen spinach holds a lot of water. Thaw it completely (in the fridge overnight or in the microwave) and then squeeze it in a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to remove excess moisture. This prevents your pasta sauce from getting watery.
Adjust quantity → Frozen spinach is already cooked down, so it’s much more compact. As a rule of thumb, 1 cup of frozen spinach = 3 cups of fresh spinach.
How To Make This Spinach and Mushroom Pasta
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and saute shallots over medium heat.
- Add in the mushrooms and garlic, sprinkle with seasonings, and saute until softened.
- Add in the wine and continue to cook until most of it has evaporated.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water, once al dente, reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.
- Add the cream to the sauteed mushrooms along with the spinach and chili flakes and leave to simmer until the spinach has wilted and the sauce has begun to reduce. Add in the cooked pasta, 2 tbsp of pasta water, and butter and stir until well mixed. Add more pasta water if needed. Garnish with additional cheese, parsley, and chili flakes.
How to Modify
- You really can use any type of mushroom for this: Baby Bella Mushrooms, Portobello Mushrooms, Cremini Mushrooms, Shiitake Mushrooms, and of course White Button Mushrooms. They’re all delicious!
- Switch up the pasta by using penne pasta or rotini pasta. Leftover pasta is always a great idea too!
- You can use any type of milk (skim, whole milk, half and half or unsweetened plant based milk)
- Try finely chopped broccoli or kale as alternatives to spinach.
- Add chicken, shrimp, tofu, or white beans for added protein.
Dietary Customizations
- Gluten Free: use any type of shortcut gluten free pasta
- Dairy Free: Use your plant based milk of choice, whether it be almond milk, coconut milk, or cashew milk. Swap the parmesan cheese for dairy-free Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor.
- Grain Free: Use a grain free pasta of choice
- Paleo: Use a grain free pasta, plant based milk and nutritional yeast
Common Questions
You can meal-prep this 4 days in advance and enjoy it all week long for lunch or dinner. Be sure to bring to room temperature before storing in an airtight container in the fridge. When reheating, add a splash of milk or vegetable broth and warm on the stovetop on medium heat or in the microwave until heated through.
The leftovers will last for up to 4 days when stored well in an airtight container. Reheat the leftover pasta on the stove over medium heat or in the microwave until heated through. Add a splash of milk or chicken broth before heating to bring it back to it creaminess. This pasta can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
More Pasta Recipes You Will Love:
- Chicken Bolognese
- Beef Short Rib Ragu
- One Pot Creamy Mushroom Pasta
- Creamy Peanut Noodles with Chicken
- Creamy Gnocchi with Pesto
- Miso Cacio e Pepe Pasta
If you make this Spinach and Mushroom Pasta recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Spinach and Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large shallot finely diced
- 8 oz chestnut mushrooms cut in half and then thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ cup white wine
- 8 oz farfalle – reserve 1/2 cup pasta water or gluten free pasta of choice
- 2/3 cup cream
- 2 handfuls of spinach
- Pinch of chili flakes
- 1 tbsp butter
- ⅓ cup finely grated parmesan
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add in the shallots and saute for 3 minutes on medium heat.
- Add in the mushrooms and garlic, sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika and saute for 5 minutes until softened
- Add in the wine and continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes until most has evaporated
- Meanwhile cook the pasta in salted water, once al dente reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain the pasta
- Add the cream to the mushrooms along with the spinach and chili flakes and leave to simmer for approximately 3-4 minutes until the spinach has wilted and the sauce has begun to reduce. Add in the pasta, 2 tbsp of pasta water and butter and stir until well mixed. Add more pasta water if needed to thin out the sauce. Garnish with additional parmesan cheese, chopped parsley and chili flakes as desired
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