This creamy green pasta sauce is made with spinach, basil, garlic, lemon, Parmesan, and olive oil - no cream, cashews, or avocado needed. It blends into a silky, vibrant sauce that's fresh, savory, and perfect for a quick weeknight pasta dinner.
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This green pasta sauce is creamy, lemony, and packed with spinach, basil, garlic, Parmesan, and olive oil. It blends into a silky sauce without cream, cashews, avocado, or coconut milk, then gets tossed with hot pasta and starchy pasta water so it clings to every bite.
I've found the key is balancing the mild spinach with enough garlic, lemon, salt, and Parmesan so the sauce tastes bright and savory - not grassy. It's ready in less than 30 minutes and works with spaghetti, rigatoni, fusilli, or any pasta shape you love.
If you love creamy, veggie-packed pasta recipes like my creamy pasta with pea pesto, this pesto pasta sauce is another easy way to turn a few simple ingredients into a fresh weeknight dinner.
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⭐️ Why You'll Love This Green Pasta Sauce
- Creamy without cream: Pasta water, olive oil, and Parmesan create a silky sauce without heavy cream.
- Packed with greens: Baby spinach gives the sauce its vibrant color and mild flavor.
- Bright, savory flavor: Basil, garlic, lemon, and Parmesan keep it fresh and balanced.
- Quick weeknight dinner: Ready in less than 30 minutes.
- Flexible: Works with long or short pasta, and can be made dairy-free with nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan.
🌿 Ingredient Notes
- Baby spinach: Mild, tender, and blends easily into a vibrant green sauce.
- Fresh basil: Adds fresh, pesto-like flavor.
- Garlic: Gives the sauce savory depth.
- Parmesan: Adds saltiness, umami, and helps the sauce taste creamy.
- Lemon juice/zest: Brightens the greens and keeps the sauce from tasting flat.
- Olive oil: Adds body and helps the sauce blend smoothly.
- Pasta water: Loosens the sauce and helps it cling to the pasta.
- Pasta: Spaghetti, linguine, rigatoni, fusilli, or penne all work.
🔪 How to Make Green Pasta Sauce
Cook the pasta:
Over high heat, bring a large pot of (generously salted) water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. After pasta is cooked, set aside ½ cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.
Make green sauce:
While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add spinach and cook, using tongs to toss frequently, until spinach has wilted.
Transfer spinach mixture to a food processor or blender. Add the Parmesan cheese, basil, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper, and blend until mixture is smooth and creamy, stopping once to scrape down the sides.
Assemble pasta:
After draining the pasta, return it to the previously used large skillet or a large mixing bowl. Pour pasta sauce over noodles, along with 2 tablespoons of pasta water, and toss well with tongs so that noodles are well-coated with the sauce. Add more pasta water as needed, continuing to toss noodles, until you have a silky sauce.
Season to taste with additional salt and black pepper if necessary. Garnish with red pepper flakes (if using) and serve immediately.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Salt the pasta water well. It seasons the pasta and helps the final dish taste balanced.
- Reserve pasta water before draining. It's essential for loosening the sauce.
- Blend until completely smooth. A high-speed blender gives the creamiest texture.
- Toss the sauce with hot pasta. The heat helps everything come together.
- Adjust after tossing. Add more pasta water, lemon, salt, or Parmesan as needed.
📝 Variations
- Make it dairy-free: Use vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast.
- Add protein: Top with chickpeas, white beans, or tofu.
- Switch the greens: Try some kale, arugula, or parsley, but expect a stronger flavor.
- Add heat: Use red pepper flakes or Calabrian chili paste.
🍽 How to Serve Green Pasta
Serve green pasta warm, right after tossing the sauce with hot pasta and enough reserved pasta water to make it silky and glossy. It works well as a simple vegetarian dinner on its own, or you can add white beans, chickpeas, or crispy tofu for more protein.
For a larger meal, pair it with garlic bread, sourdough focaccia bread, cold cucumber salad, cabbage slaw without mayo, or a simple green salad. Finish with extra Parmesan, fresh basil, lemon zest, black pepper, or red pepper flakes.
👩🏼🍳 Storage & Reheating
Store leftover spinach pasta sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The sauce will thicken as it sits, so add a splash of water, broth, or reserved pasta water when reheating.
Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring often, until warmed through and creamy again. You can also microwave it in short intervals, stirring between each one. If the sauce becomes too thin after adding liquid, use one of these easy ways to thicken pasta sauce.
🍝 More Pasta Recipes
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Green Pasta Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (I prefer spaghetti or linguine noodles)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 10 ounces fresh baby spinach
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
- zest and juice from 1 lemon (about 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon of lemon zest)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional garnish)
Instructions
Cook the pasta:
- Over high heat, bring a large pot of (generously salted) water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions. After pasta is cooked, set aside ½ cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.
Make green sauce:
- While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add spinach and cook, using tongs to toss frequently, until spinach has wilted.
- Transfer spinach mixture to a food processor or blender. Add the Parmesan cheese, basil, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper, and blend until mixture is smooth and creamy, stopping once to scrape down the sides.
Assemble pasta:
- After draining the pasta, return it to the previously used large skillet or a large mixing bowl. Pour pasta sauce over noodles, along with 2 tablespoons of pasta water, and toss well with tongs so that noodles are well-coated with the sauce. Add more pasta water as needed, continuing to toss noodles, until you have a silky sauce.
- Season to taste with additional salt and black pepper if necessary. Garnish with red pepper flakes (if using) and serve immediately.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftover spinach pasta sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The sauce will thicken as it sits, so add a splash of water, broth, or reserved pasta water when reheating.
Nora says
How genius to add spinach to a pesto-like sauce for extra nutrition and flavor! It was much more flavorful than I initially thought it would be, so I'm glad I tried it. I've been eating this for the last few days, and am sad that it will be gone tomorrow. But it will be added to my dinner rotation!
MaryAnne says
Thanks so much, Nora! I always love to hear when a recipe makes it into someone's dinner rotation! 😍