Pasta of the Month: Lemon Spinach Garlic Pasta

Even though it’s February, we’re already dreaming of warm summer nights and dinners on the patio. We’re craving the bright and fresh flavors of healthy, produce-forward dishes after so many months of cozying up with our favorite comfort foods. So for this pasta of the month, we went for simple, easy, and healthy, inspired by the flavors of summer: lemon spinach garlic pasta.

Thanks to the bright lemon, fresh spinach, and aromatic garlic, this easy lemon spinach pasta recipe is the perfect balance between a satisfying pasta dinner and the lighter dishes you might be craving after a long winter. An added bonus? It only takes about 15 minutes to throw together, with ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Lemon Spinach Garlic Pasta Ingredients

This healthy lemon spinach garlic pasta recipe is so simple and easy, all you need is 7 ingredients – most of which are probably already in your kitchen:

• Rotini
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh garlic
• Baby spinach
• Salt
• Lemons
• Grated parmesan cheese

You can really use any short pasta noodle for this recipe – rotini, penne, ziti, etc – which makes it perfect for a lazy weeknight dinner. Just grab whatever box of pasta is already in your pantry and it’ll work just fine.

However, we do recommend using fresh garlic since its flavor is much more potent than jarred minced garlic. Fresh garlic lasts a long time when stored properly, so it’s never a bad thing to stock up on whenever you’re at the grocery store. 

How To Make Our Lemon Spinach Garlic Pasta Recipe

The best thing about this easy pasta recipe is that the lemon spinach pasta “sauce” comes together in just a few minutes. That means you can easily prepare it in less time than it takes for the pasta to boil, so the whole recipe only takes about 12 to 15 minutes!

Here’s how to make this easy Italian style pasta dinner at home:

1. First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Then, cook the rotini according to the package directions.
2. Once the pasta is about 6 or 7 minutes out from being done, start the lemon spinach pasta sauce. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to a large frying pan with the fresh garlic and heat over medium until fragrant, about 1 minute or so.
3. Then, add the spinach in batches and sauté until wilted, adding a little extra olive oil as needed if the pan starts to dry out too much. Once all the spinach is wilted, season with a pinch of salt and turn the heat to low.
4. Next, squeeze the lemon juice into the pan and stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any garlic that might have gotten stuck.
5. Once the pasta is done cooking, strain it and then add the noodles to the frying pan. Add the remaining extra virgin olive oil and the grated parmesan, and stir to combine everything well.
6. Serve hot, with a light squeeze of lemon juice over each plate and additional grated parmesan, if desired.

Be careful not to overcook the spinach, especially if you’re wilting it in many batches. You want it to maintain its bright green color. When the spinach starts looking just a little limp, add the next batch, and once it’s all just barely wilted, lower the heat.

When using fresh lemon, make sure to squeeze the juice over a fine mesh strainer to catch any seeds – you don’t want these ending up in your dinner! We often use the small mesh strainer that came with our cocktail shaker set since it’s the perfect size.

Don’t skip the extra squeeze of fresh lemon before serving! Adding a little extra acid is absolutely necessary to balance this dish, as it brightens the flavors and makes everything pop.

Notes On Scaling

If you’re planning on doubling or even tripling this recipe, we recommend either scaling up the size of your frying pan proportionally (so you can still add the cooked pasta directly to the pan), or mixing everything together in a large bowl once the pasta is ready.

If you have to cook the spinach in many batches, wilt about 5 ounces at a time, then remove it from the pan before starting the next batch. Then, once all of the spinach is cooked down, you can add all of it back to the pan to warm it through, season with salt, and continue on as the recipe states. This will help you make sure none of the spinach is overcooked.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

You can store leftovers of this lemon spinach garlic pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Because of the fresh spinach, this pasta tastes best the sooner you eat it, so we don’t recommend waiting too long to enjoy your leftovers!

To reheat, microwave single servings for about 1 to 2 minutes (stir halfway through), or warm over medium-low heat in a frying pan for about 5 minutes.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Our lemon spinach garlic pasta is the best weeknight dinner when you’re looking for something super easy to cook, yet light, healthy, and fresh. Instead of turning to a jar of pasta sauce, you can enjoy this bright and zesty alternative with barely any extra effort. All you need is 7 ingredients and about 15 minutes!

Try our easy lemon spinach garlic pasta recipe and let us know what you think by rating, commenting, and sharing below.