Spinach pasta sauce

A superbly flavourful 5-ingredient creamy spinach pasta sauce that you can whizz together in a few minutes. If you think spinach can be bland this tasty sauce is sure to prove you wrong. The fresh citrusy lemon flavour with umami hints from garlic and freshly grated Parmesan is sure to take your pasta to the next level. The recipe includes optional lemony Parmesan bread crumbs to add even more texture and deliciousness to your favourite pasta or ravioli.

For more pasta recipes that can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes, check out my Creamy White Wine Pasta Sauce, Sage Butter & Walnut Pasta and Tomato Mascarpone Pasta.

The post contains additional information and helpful tips to ensure the recipe turns out great the first time. Please use the link above to jump to the full recipe card if you are in a hurry!

✅ 6 reasons why you'll love this easy recipe:

• It's super flavourful - a fresh green pasta sauce, brimming with delicious citrusy lemon flavour and umami taste of garlic and freshly grated Parmesan.
• Just 5 ingredients - you just need spinach, a lemon, Parmesan, garlic and creme fraiche.
• Quick & easy - this tasty sauce could not be simpler, it really is just a case of throwing the ingredients in your food processor and pureeing for a few minutes.
• A great recipe to make ahead - make a larger batch and store in the fridge so it's ready and waiting to be thrown onto some freshly cooked pasta or ravioli.
• Healthy - this sauce packs in a lot of nutrient-dense spinach which is great for topping up your iron and provides vitamins A, C and K.
• Recipe includes optional lemony Parmesan crumbs - these add even more yummy taste and texture to the finished dish and only require an extra 5 minutes of your time.

🛒 Ingredients and variations:

This zesty spinach sauce just requires 5 simple ingredients: fresh spinach, lemon, Parmesan, garlic powder and creme fraiche.

• Spinach: use fresh spinach or baby spinach instead of frozen. This recipe has not been tested with frozen spinach and it is likely to increase the water content in the sauce.
• Crème fraîche: the recipe has been tested with light crème fraîche. You could also use full fat crème fraîche, but this is likely to make the sauce a little thicker. Add a very small amount if this is the case. Avoid using heavy cream or cream cheese because you won't get the right consistency and the sauce would also be too rich. Sour cream is the best alternative if you don't have crème fraiche.
• Garlic powder: you can also use a clove of fresh garlic, but you will need to mellow it first, so it doesn't add an unwanted sharp flavour to the sauce.
• Parmesan: you can also use freshly grated pecorino or Grana Padano.
• Olive oil: you can use butter instead to toast the breadcrumbs

🧑‍🍳 Spinach Pasta Sauce in 3 easy steps

1. Blend

Place the spinach and the rest of the ingredients for the sauce into your food processor and blitz until you get a pureed sauce, scraping off any chunks that are stuck to the sides as you go.

2. Parmesan crumbs

Place a skillet over a medium heat and add olive oil (or melted butter). Add the breadcrumbs when the oil is hot and stir in a little bit of lemon zest and garlic powder. Remove them from the pan when they begin to brown, place them into a bowl and stir in the Parmesan.

3. Serve with pasta or ravioli

Add the spinach sauce to freshly cooked pasta or ravioli, top with Parmesan crumbs and enjoy.

🙋 FAQs

📦 Storage

Blended spinach pasta sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just make sure you cover it with cling film / plastic wrap or put it into an airtight container.

It is safe to freeze the sauce for up to 3 months, although I wouldn't recommend it. Freezing is likely to alter the consistency of the sauce because crème fraiche is sensitive to frozen temperatures. Plus, the sauce is so easy and quick to prepare, that there's no reason not to whip up a fresh batch each time.

😋 Check out my other speedy spinach recipes

Spinach is versatile, nutritious and easy to cook. If you enjoyed this spinach pasta sauce you should check out my other light spinach recipes including my 5 ingredient spinach pasta sauce or my spinach and chickpea salad with a creamy tahini dressing.