Pasta is a well-loved food group in my home. We love making pasta dishes, especially because it's a versatile food that compliments just about everyone's preferences. We also really love throwing in fresh vegetables into a pasta dish, as it adds flavor and of course, nutrients! I've never made a blush cream sauce before this recipe, so I took my chances, tested and tasted, and am proud to say this one is a WINNER! This creamy spinach pasta is made in just about 30 minutes from start to finish, and will leave your tastebuds craving more.

Creamy Spinach Pasta

The purpose behind making a creamy spinach pasta is large in part due to my family's love of a creamy - yet not too heavy - pasta sauce with the added sautéed spinach tossed with grooved short pasta. We almost always order similar things at restaurants, so I wanted to give it a shot at making my own version, and it does not disappoint. A homemade blush sauce will always outshine take-out pasta dishes, and I will guarantee you'll bookmark this recipe and share it over and over again. TRUST ME, it's that good.

What goes into making a blush sauce?

Blush sauce typically is formed from a tomato base sauce with the addition of a cream. This version is exactly that. The combination of tomato paste, chicken stock, and heavy cream form the most beautiful and savory blush cream sauce, perfect over al dente pasta tossed with some spinach. It's a match made in pasta heaven!

Ingredients:

There's no ingredient n this recipe that you'll have to go out to a specialty store to get for this dish, you might even call this a pantry pasta because you'll find almost all of these ingredients in your pantry or cabinets!

• Short pasta: We love using short pastas in this type of recipe as the grooves from how it's cut grabs the pasta really well and lets it get all saucy. It's just so good. I highly recommend fusilli, radiatore, or a simple rigatoni or mezzi rigatoni.
• Spinach: Go with the fresh baby spinach leaves and wilt using some butter on a medium flame. The use of fresh spinach brings out a gorgeous green color, and it's what we prefer. If you are in a pinch, chopped spinach works well too.
• Onion: Chop a half an onion into very small pieces, and when onions sauté, it's an aroma I wish I could bottle up and carry with me. Nothing beats aromatics sautéing in oil. NOTHING.
• Garlic: Similar to onion, 2 cloves minced works great in this recipe. Just enough for flavor, not overpowering.
• Tomato paste: This is the tomato aspect of the recipe, and when combined with the onions, garlic, chicken stock, and cream, it creates a gorgeous hue of blush or pink, and of course, tastes amazing.
• Chicken stock: The addition of chicken stock here gives the sauce depth and also is an essential building block of making the blush cream sauce.
• Heavy Cream: The ingredient that brings it all together: the cream! Just half a cup gives the sauce the most beautiful blush color, and adds such rich flavor, without being too powerful.

Preparation:

This creamy spinach pasta recipe is truly one of the easiest recipes to make, especially on a weeknight. Let this be your "back to school" dinner treat for your kiddos and family, and you'll even have enough for the next day for lunch... or not, because it actually might just go really fast!

1. Add a tablespoon of butter to a medium frying pan and turn the heat on to medium. Add the spinach and sauté the spinach in the melted butter. Sprinkle a little garlic powder and set aside.
2. To the same pan, add in the minced garlic and onion, sauté in olive oil until fragrant. Add in the teaspoon of tomato paste and stir to combine.
3. Pour in the chicken stock and let the mixture simmer for a minute or so. Then, pour in the heavy cream and stir. Cover and let simmer on low for 5-7 minutes or until the cream sauce begins to thicken and will coat the back of a spoon.
4. Meanwhile, boil your favorite pasta, strain, and add directly to the sauce. Add back the sautéed spinach and mix to combine. Serve with sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

Swaps and Substitutions:

If you're not a dairy fan, or if you're not into spinach, here's some swaps I recommend:

• Switch out the heavy cream for some almond milk or coconut milk. The dairy alternatives will likely change the overall taste of the pasta, but not too much!
• Throw in roasted broccoli or cauliflower. I love adding roasted vegetables to pasta dishes, like my roasted broccoli mac and cheese. It gives a great charred flavor, and holds the sauce very well.
• Craving a protein? A pan seared chicken breast or ground sausage would be so good in this creamy pasta dish.

Tips for Making This Recipe:

1. Don't rush the sauce! Let it simmer for a little while on a very low flame, occasionally stirring. Once the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, turn off the heat and let sit. The sauce may settle and create a red ring on the top, but stir to break up the ring and the sauce will be fine.
2. Cook the pasta to al dente or a minute less: The pasta will continue to cook once it's off the flame, and we'll be adding it to a warm sauce anyway.
3. Save some pasta water: The starch from the pasta water helps to thicken the cream sauce, so make sure you save at least 1/4 cup!

Hungry for more?

Try out these other pasta drool-worthy recipes:

• Baked Ziti
• Veggie Pasta Bake
• Cheesy Pesto Tortellini Bake