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    Home » MAINS » PASTA

    Green Pasta (Spinach & Pea Pasta)

    Published: September 4, 2022 · Updated: December 2, 2022 by Ieva · This post may contain affiliate links · 16 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    6 ingredients (plus oil and optional cheese) and 20 minutes of your time to arrive at a beautifully vibrant green pasta dish! Both nutritious and delicious, this creamy Spinach and Pea Pasta is a healthier dinner option when you are in a rush, and the fridge is looking a bit empty! Whilst we enjoy this recipe best with long noodles like spaghetti or linguine, it will work with any pasta shape!

    Take Me To:
    • Why You’ll Love This Green Spaghetti
    • Ingredients and Substitutes
      • What Pasta Shape Is Best For Pasta and Peas Recipe?
    • Delicious Extras
    • Step-by-Step Method
      • Step 1: Cook Pasta
      • Step 2: Make Green Pasta Sauce
      • Step 3: Cook The Spinach
      • Step 4: Assemble
    • Recipe FAQs
    • What To Serve With Green Pea Pasta?
    • Other Quick Vegetarian Pasta Recipes
    • Recipe Card

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    Why You’ll Love This Green Spaghetti

    There are plenty of reasons to like this vegetarian green spaghetti.

    • Pasta and peas work extremely well and you can use frozen peas to create a beautifully smooth and creamy green pasta sauce!
    • You will only need 6 ingredients (plus oil) for this recipe (and you are likely to have garlic and dried pasta in your cupboards already!).
    • It’s a very quick recipe – it will come together in under 20 minutes!
    • Green Spaghetti is a budget-friendly dish. A portion of it will cost you about £1 ($1.30).
    • A great dish to serve in spring to showcase the vibrant green colour of nature coming alive, but it is equally suitable for Halloween dinner!
    A bowlful of green pea pasta in a white & blue bowl on a white rustic table.

    Ingredients and Substitutes

    • spaghetti: or other dried pasta. If you are using fresh pasta, have a look at the Recipe FAQ section below for tips.
    • onion: brown onion or shallots work best.
    • peas: we used frozen defrosted garden peas to make this meal as inexpensive as possible. But you may choose to use petit pois or fresh peas.
    • garlic.
    • creme fraiche: can be successfully replaced with sour cream.
    • a drizzle olive oil: or any other oil suitable for cooking, like sunflower, rapeseed or avocado oil.
    • spinach: we used baby spinach in this recipe, but any will do.
    • cheese: completely optional, but everybody loves some grated parmesan cheese on top, right? You can also use mature cheddar, Pecorino or Grana Padano instead.

    What Pasta Shape Is Best For Pasta and Peas Recipe?

    It may seem strange that peas and creme fraiche create a super rich and creamy sauce, but it’s true. The sauce coats the pasta beautifully and you don’t need much of it for a super decadent pasta dish. As a result, we like using long noodles for this green pea pasta. Other shapes, like conchiglie, farfalle or fusilli have lots of nooks and crannies to hold the sauce, and the dish becomes too rich for us!

    For best results consider using:

    • Spaghetti
    • Linguine
    • Tagliatelle

    Delicious Extras

    If you wish to add a little extra to your green spaghetti, you absolutely can! As a matter of fact, this simple pasta dish is extremely easy to add to. Some delicious extras include:

    • Cooked shredded or sliced chicken.
    • Poached or baked salmon flakes.
    • Pan-fried asparagus for a true Pasta Verde experience (Pasta Verde typically includes spinach, peas and asparagus, like our Lasagna Verde (recipe coming soon)).
    • Crispy bacon or ham hog scattered on top works very well with peas too.
    • Sprinkle some chilli flakes (our vote goes to Aleppo pepper) on top.

    Step-by-Step Method

    Step 1: Cook Pasta

    Cook the pasta following the instructions on the packet. You will typically boil your pasta in salted water in a large pan, until cooked al dente. If your pasta is cooked before your pea sauce is ready, stir in a tablespoon of olive oil into the drained pasta to ensure the noodles don’t stick to each other.

    Step 2: Make Green Pasta Sauce

    Whilst your pasta cooks, make the green pasta sauce. Drizzle some oil in a frying pan. Add the finely chopped onions and saute for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the (defrosted) peas and cook for another minute.

    Add the creme fraiche (or sour cream), 1 clove of garlic, sauteed onion and peas, and a pinch of salt into the cup of a powerful smoothie and blitz into a smooth puree. You can use a small food processor, but we find most of them are too big for sauce for 2 portions, so we highly recommend a smoothie maker if you’re not making a large batch.

    Pea puree in a smoothie maker cup.

    Step 3: Cook The Spinach

    Once your sauce is ready, you should still have a few minutes left until your pasta is cooked. Use this time to cook some spinach. Heat a frying pan with a drizzle of oil on low heat. Add the spinach, thinly sliced clove of garlic, and a pinch of salt and cover the pan with a lid. Leave the spinach to wilt for 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the spinach in the pan until you’re ready to serve.

    spinach wilting in the pan with salt and garlic.

    Step 4: Assemble

    When your pasta is cooked, drain it and add it back to the pan. Immediately, stir in the pea sauce. You may choose to stir in the wilted spinach too. Alternatively, spoon the spinach into the bowl/ plate. Then place the pasta on top. Scatter grated cheese and maybe even some chilli flakes! Enjoy!

    Adding pea puree to cooked spaghetti.
    Topping spinach and green spaghetti with grated cheese.

    Recipe FAQs

    Can I Use Heavy Cream Instead Of Creme Fraiche?

    Yes, we tested the recipe with creme fraiche, sour cream and heavy cream in the green pasta sauce and all three work. Heavy cream will give the sauce an even richer flavour, so you may need less of the sauce. We suggest you squeeze a little bit of lemon juice into the pea puree too if you choose to use heavy cream.

    Can I Use Fresh Pasta Instead?

    Absolutely! You can use shop-bought fresh pasta or even make your own pasta. The trick with fresh pasta is not to overcook it, as it softened in just a couple of minutes. Cook it following packet instructions (spaghetti or linguine typically take less than 2 minutes to cook) and stir in the sauce immediately after draining to prevent the pasta from sticking together.

    What To Serve With Green Pea Pasta?

    What is the best sidekick to any pasta dish? Yes, you guessed it! It’s garlic bread! Serve your green pea pasta with some crispy crunchy cheesy garlicky bread and use it to mop up any remaining sauce at the bottom of your bowl! Or better yet, make Korean-style Cream Cheese Garlic Bread!

    But if you want to add even more veggies to your diet, why not serve pasta and peas with:

    • Quick Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
    • Raw Courgette Ribbon Salad with Honey & Earl Grey Dressing
    • Fried Tenderstem Broccoli with Garlic and Lemon (Garlic Broccolini)

    Other Quick Vegetarian Pasta Recipes

    We get it! Pasta is one of the best options for a quick and filling weeknight dinner. And it can be super exciting and delicious too! Some of our favourite easy veggie pasta dishes include:

    • Quick Lemon Ricotta Pasta
    • Summer Pesto Pasta Salad
    • Mushroom Blue Cheese Pasta
    • Pasta Napoletana

    Recipe Card

    Green pasta being lifted out of the bowl with a fork.

    Green Pasta (Spinach & Pea Pasta)

    6 ingredients (plus oil and optional cheese) and 20 minutes of your time to arrive at a beautifully vibrant green pasta dish! Both nutritious and delicious, this creamy Spinach and Pea Pasta is a healthier dinner option when you are in a rush, and the fridge is looking a bit empty! Whilst we enjoy this recipe best with long noodles like spaghetti or linguine, it will work with any pasta shape!
    5 from 11 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 12 mins
    Total Time 17 mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch
    Cuisine Italian, Vegetrian
    Servings 2 portions
    Calories 461 kcal

    Equipment

    • Powerful Smoothie Maker or small Food Processor

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 200 g spaghetti or other dried pasta
    • 1 brown onion finely chopped
    • 100 g garden peas defrosted if frozen
    • 2 garlic cloves 1 roughly chopped, another thinly sliced
    • 2 tablespoon creme fraiche or sour cream
    • a drizzle olive oil
    • 200 g spinach
    • grated cheese optional

    Instructions
     

    • Cook spaghetti in salted boiling water following instructions on the packet.
    • In the meantime, drizzle some oil into a frying pan. Add the finely chopped onions and saute for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the (defrosted) peas and cook for another minute. Add the creme fraiche (or sour cream), garlic, sauteed onion and peas, and a pinch of salt into the cup of a powerful smoothie and blitz into a smooth puree. Reserve the pan for spinach.
    • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan on low heat. Add the spinach, thinly sliced garlic and a small pinch of salt and cover with a lid and leave the spinach to wilt for 2-3 minutes.
    • When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it pack to the pan. Pour the pea sauce over the pasta and mix to cover.
    • Spoon the spinach into the bowl, and add the pasta on top. Alternatively, mix the spinach through the pasta. Scatter grated cheese on top!

    Notes

    If you wish, you can add a little extra deliciousness to this green pasta dish. Some of the things that work very well include: 
    • Crispy bacon.
    • Cooked chicken. 
    • Poached salmon. 
    • Pan-fried asparagus. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 461kcalCarbohydrates: 87gProtein: 19gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 103mgPotassium: 909mgFiber: 8gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 9760IUVitamin C: 49mgCalcium: 135mgIron: 5mg
    Keyword Green Pasta, Green Pasta Sauce, Green Pasta UK, Green Pea Pasta, Green Spaghetti, Pasta and Peas, Pea Pasta
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Pin for Pinterest.

    More PASTA

    • Pasta Al Forno (Italian Baked Pasta Recipe)
    • Pasta Napoletana
    • Creamy Chicken And Bacon Pasta
    • 15-Minute Red Pesto Pasta With Prawns

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mairead

      September 14, 2022 at 3:10 pm

      5 stars
      Love the flavor combinations in this pasta dish. So tasty.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        September 14, 2022 at 8:03 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
    2. Toni

      October 01, 2022 at 5:49 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a perfect meal any night of the week! Quick, easy, and delicious!!

      Reply
    3. Jen

      November 14, 2022 at 3:40 pm

      This is the first time I saw my kids enjoyed something green that’s not broccoli! This recipe is a winner!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        December 05, 2022 at 8:06 am

        So glad your kids liked it! :)))

        Reply
    4. Charla

      November 30, 2022 at 8:42 am

      5 stars
      How creative! This is definitely a great way of incorporating more green vegetables into your diet.

      Reply
    5. Eni Greyvenstein

      December 04, 2022 at 6:54 pm

      5 stars
      Super healthy dinner! We often have it during the week as a break from meat dishes and my husband loves it.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        December 05, 2022 at 8:03 am

        That’s brilliant, Eni! So glad to hear 🙂

        Reply
    6. Dannii

      December 18, 2022 at 6:16 pm

      5 stars
      My kids love this. Such a good way to eat more veg.

      Reply
    7. Sandhya S

      January 02, 2023 at 12:00 pm

      5 stars
      This green pasta dish sounds perfect for any day of the week! I can’t wait to try it out and I’m sure my kids will love it too. It’s great to have a tasty and healthy recipe that I can easily pack into their thermoses for school lunches. Thanks for sharing this delicious idea!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        January 02, 2023 at 7:58 pm

        Thanks! Really hope you like it!

        Reply
    8. Tavo

      February 06, 2023 at 2:11 pm

      5 stars
      Great green pasta recipe, your step-by-step instructions were very helpful and the result was outstanding! Can’t wait to make it again!

      Reply
      • Ieva

        February 06, 2023 at 3:54 pm

        Thanks, Tavo! Very kind of you to come back and leave this great feedback 😀

        Reply
    9. Kushigalu

      March 02, 2023 at 7:21 am

      5 stars
      Love this simple and easy 6 ingredient pasta recipe. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    10. Jacqueline Debono

      March 19, 2023 at 6:33 pm

      5 stars
      This is such an easy, healthy and delicious meatless recipe. I’ve made it a couple of times since Lent started.

      Reply
      • Ieva

        March 20, 2023 at 11:54 am

        So glad you liked this recipe – a great choice for Lent! 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi, I am Ieva – the face behind this blog. I live in North Wales with my husband Seb and our golden retriever Sawyer. It’s safe to say that I live and breathe food: from researching and reading about food to creating new recipes and growing vegetables to use in my cooking.  The great thing is, Seb appreciates all the good meals that are also essential at his worst ‘hangry’ moments! Somebody HAS to feed Seb…

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