One Pot Spinach & Artichoke Pasta

This creamy one pot spinach and artichoke pasta is the best easy vegetarian weeknight dinner with minimal cleanup!

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For as much as we love to cook, we loathe washing dishes. It’s not uncommon for dirty pans to pile up in our kitchen over the course of a few days! So whenever we can dream up a new recipe that uses as little cookware as possible, we’re ecstatic. That’s why we’re so excited to share this one pot spinach and artichoke pasta recipe with you!

This recipe was inspired by our cheesy spinach and artichoke dip, so it tastes pretty much like spinach and artichoke dip stirred into pasta (yum!). It’s creamy, cheesy, and perfectly seasoned, with plenty of garlic to boot. And while it may not be a classically “healthy” dish, this vegetarian pasta is loaded up with lots of spinach and artichoke to help you get in your daily serving of vegetables!

A one pot spinach and artichoke pasta

Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this creamy spinach and artichoke pasta recipe:

  • Penne pasta
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Minced garlic
  • Canned artichoke quarters
  • Baby spinach
  • Heavy cream
  • Cream cheese
  • Shredded mozzarella
  • Grated parmesan
  • Salt & pepper

We like using penne for simple one pot pasta recipes like this one, but you can substitute with any short pasta noodle you’d like. We also recommend buying a block of processed mozzarella cheese, if you can find it, and shredding it yourself. It melts much better than the bags of pre-shredded cheese from the grocery store.

How To Make One Pot Spinach & Artichoke Pasta

This one pot pasta recipe means you’ll just have one pot to wash after dinner! Which is a huge benefit on busy weeknights, or if you just loathe washing dishes at the end of the night. Here’s how to make spinach and artichoke pasta in one pot:

  1. First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne, then cook until al dente. Drain and set the pasta aside, and return the pot to the stove over medium heat.
  2. Add olive oil, garlic, and artichokes to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the artichokes are slightly softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Next, add the spinach, heavy cream, cream cheese, mozzarella, and parmesan to the pot. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring gently and constantly, until the spinach is wilted and the cheese is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  4. Finally, stir the pasta into the pot until it’s fully coated in the creamy spinach and artichoke sauce. Serve immediately.

Once you add the spinach, heavy cream, and cheeses to the pot, you’ll want to stir constantly to help the cheese melt and combine evenly as the spinach wilts. Stirring will also help the spinach wilt faster while preventing any of the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.

One pot spinach and artichoke pasta dinner in a pot with a wooden spoon

Can I Make Spinach & Artichoke Pasta In Two Pots?

Absolutely! If you want, you can use two pots to make this spinach and artichoke pasta recipe. It’ll speed up the cooking process a bit since you can start the spinach & artichoke dip “sauce” while the pasta cooks (but you’ll spend a little more time washing dishes after dinner!).

Here’s how to make this one pot pasta in two separate pots instead:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until al dente.
  2. Once the pasta is boiling, start heating olive oil in a second large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, then add the artichokes and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking the spinach and artichoke sauce as outlined in the recipe.
  3. Once the pasta is al dente, strain and add to the spinach and artichoke sauce. Stir to combine and coat the pasta in sauce, then serve hot.

The main difference here is that the pot you’ll make the sauce in starts cold. This means you can add the oil and garlic to the pot right away, but you’ll want to bring it up to heat before adding the artichokes.

Note that you’ll also want to start the sauce once the pasta is already boiling. This will ensure the timing works out so that the cheesy spinach and artichokes aren’t sitting in the pot for too long before you stir in the cooked pasta. Otherwise, you run the risk of burning or overcooking the creamy sauce.

Storing & Reheating Leftovers

This creamy spinach and artichoke pasta is one of those dishes that’s just as good reheated (if not better) as it is fresh! Which means you can definitely store leftovers in the fridge to eat later in the week.

Stored in an airtight container, this pasta will stay fresh for up to 4 days. To reheat, microwave for about 2 minutes per serving, stirring halfway through.

Creamy spinach and artichoke pasta in a pot

Why You’ll Love This One Pot Pasta Recipe

Nothing beats a creamy, cheesy, comforting bowl of pasta for an easy weeknight dinner. And what makes this spinach and artichoke pasta recipe even better is that you can make it in one pot for super simple cleanup! Plus, you can make a ton of servings with just one box of pasta, in case you’re feeding a crowd.

Try our one pot spinach and artichoke pasta recipe for dinner and let us know what you think by leaving a rating and a comment below! For more easy weeknight dinner recipes like this one, subscribe to our email newsletter here.


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5 from 1 vote

One Pot Spinach & Artichoke Pasta

This creamy one pot spinach and artichoke pasta is the best easy vegetarian weeknight dinner with minimal cleanup!
Servings 4 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ lb penne pasta
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 15 oz canned artichoke quarters drained and roughly chopped
  • 5 oz baby spinach
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 oz cream cheese cubed
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt & pepper

Instructions

  • First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until al dente, then drain and set aside. Return the pot to the stove.
  • Add olive oil, garlic, and artichokes to the pot over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until artichokes are slightly softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Next, add the spinach, heavy cream, cream cheese, shredded mozzarella, and grated parmesan to the pot. Lower heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly and gently, until the spinach is wilted and the cheese is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Finally, stir the pasta back into the pot to coat evenly in the spinach and artichoke cheese sauce. Serve immediately.

Notes

Making the spinach and artichoke sauce: Make sure to stir constantly after adding the spinach, heavy cream, and cheeses to the pot. This will help the spinach wilt and allow the cheeses to combine evenly, while also preventing any of the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
Alternative cooking method: You can definitely make this pasta in two separate pots if you want to speed up the cooking process a bit. Start the sauce in a separate pot once the pasta is boiling, and it’ll be ready for you to stir in the pasta once it’s cooked and drained. Read our blog post above for more tips on this alternative method!
Serving suggestions: This one pot pasta is great for an easy weeknight dinner. Serve it alongside garlic bread, fresh Italian bread with dipping oils, or a salad.
Storing & reheating leftovers: You can store leftover spinach & artichoke pasta in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 2 minutes per serving, stirring halfway through.
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Author: Nicole
Calories: 520kcal
Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: artichoke, cream cheese, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, heavy cream, mozzarella, one pot, parmesan, penne, spinach

Nutrition

Calories: 520kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 696mg | Potassium: 400mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4162IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 245mg | Iron: 2mg

If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.

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