Quick and easy vegan spinach pasta recipe that comes together in no time. It's loaded with veggies, and full of flavor with the added garlic and lemon juice. It's an easy vegan pasta dish that is life-saving on busy weeknights.
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15-minute dinner
This simple vegan spinach pasta is so delicious I can't believe it's that easy to prepare. I should probably say that it's a very beginner-friendly recipe that works for busy people and students! You could almost call this recipe "lemon spinach pasta" or "garlic spinach pasta" because of its intense lemon and garlic flavor.
It is a 15-minute dinner can be made at any time as long as you keep frozen in your freezer and lemon in your fridge to make the spinach pasta sauce. If you need another quick noodle recipe that is ready in 15 minutes, try this one.
Step by step with pictures
Dry roast the pine nuts. Add the pine nuts to a pan without oil. Toast the nuts until golden brown while stirring regularly to prevent them from burning.
Mince the garlic. Start by peeling and mincing the garlic. Add it the same hot pan with some olive oil.
Add the spinach. You might need to add it in two or three times. Wait until the first handfuls of spinach have cooked down before adding the rest. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper and give it a stir.
Blend to make the spinach sauce. Add the spinach to a blender and blend until creamy. It shouldn't take long, which is why you can do it while it's still hot. You could also add it to a container and blend it with a stick blender. Add the sauce back to the pan.
Add the sauce to the pasta. When cooked (according to instructions provided on the package), drain the pasta. Add them to the pan with the sauce and stir until well-coated. Serve with pine nuts.
Can I use frozen spinach?
Yes, you can absolutely make this vegan spinach sauce with frozen spinach! Let it thaw ahead of time and add it to the pan following the same instructions. Otherwise, you can also reheat the frozen spinach in a small pot or saucepan over low heat until thawed. Then, add the olive oil, minced garlic and lemon juice. Blend until smooth.
Storage tips
You can store the spinach pasta dish for 1 day in the fridge (perfect for meal-prepping). Or you can make the sauce ahead of time and keep it in an air-tight container for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. Cook the pasta right before serving.
You can easily freeze the spinach sauce for later. I don't recommend freezing the meal when you already added the sauce to the pasta. Gluten-free pasta doesn't hold it's shape and texture very well after being frozen.
Substitutions
This spinach sauce is completely vegan and nut free. Use gluten free pasta to make it gluten free.
More vegan pasta sauce recipes
- The best marinara (from canned tomatoes)
- Rice noodles with peanut butter sauce
- Pea pesto pasta with mint or basil
- Vegan cashew pesto
The recipe
15-Minute Vegan Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 320 g gluten free pasta
- 2 handfuls of pine nuts
- Olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 400 g fresh baby spinach
- 1 lemon
- 1 pinch of coarse sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Drain when cooked. To prevent gluten free pasta from sticking to each other, you can run them under cold water.
- In a large pan, dry-roast the pine nuts without oil over medium-high heat. Wait until they are golden brown and stir regularly. Set aside.
- Wash the spinach. Peel the garlic cloves and crush them with a garlic press (or mince them with a knife). Juice the lemon.
- Heat a generous amount of olive oil in the pan you used for dry-roasting the pine nuts (medium-high heat). When hot, add the garlic.
- Add half the spinach and wait until it is cooked down. Add the rest of the spinach. Add the lemon juice, coarse sea salt, pepper and sauté for a few minutes. Then, add to a blender or food processor and blend until creamy.
- Add the spinach sauce and the pasta back to the pan. Toss the pasta until completely covered in sauce and top with the pine nuts.
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