Skip to content
RecipesWhipped Up

Italian-American

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pasta

Tender pasta simmers with spinach, artichokes, and a garlic cream sauce in one pot. It is a straightforward vegetarian dinner with pantry-friendly ingredients.

Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to recipe
Bowl of creamy pasta with spinach and artichoke hearts

Why you’ll love it

  • Everything cooks in a single pot so cleanup stays light.
  • Artichokes and spinach add bulk without needing meat.
  • The cream sauce clings well to short pasta shapes.
  • Leftovers reheat cleanly for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

View list

Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Warm olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook garlic for 1 minute until fragrant.

  2. 2

    Add pasta, vegetable broth, milk, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes; bring to a gentle boil.

  3. 3

    Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 12 to 14 minutes, stirring often, until pasta is al dente and liquid thickens.

  4. 4

    Stir in chopped artichokes and spinach until the greens wilt, about 2 minutes.

  5. 5

    Remove from heat, fold in Parmesan until melted, and adjust seasoning before serving.

Pro tips

  • Stir frequently so the pasta does not stick to the bottom.
  • Use full-fat milk for a silkier sauce.
  • Chop artichokes into bite-size pieces so they distribute evenly.

Easy substitutions

penne
rotini or shells
Parmesan
pecorino or nutritional yeast
milk
unsweetened oat milk

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Reheating

Warm on the stovetop with a splash of milk or broth, stirring until loose.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
420
Protein
16 g
Carbs
58 g
Fat
14 g
Fiber
6 g

Moderate · One Pan · Vegetarian

You might also like

Baking dish of spinach lasagna with a browned cheese top and a cut square showing green layers
Vegetarian

Spinach Lasagna

Lasagna noodles are layered with marinara, spinach, ricotta, and mozzarella, then baked until the cheese browns. There is no meat in the sauce, only a well-seasoned cheese filling.

1 hr 20 min · Medium

View recipe
A bowl of creamy mushroom risotto with parmesan and thyme.
Vegetarian

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

Arborio rice toasted, then simmered with warm vegetable broth added in ladles, finished with mushrooms, butter, and parmesan. It asks for stirring. That is the method.

50 min · Advanced

View recipe
Penne in a pale cream sauce with wilted spinach leaves and chopped sun-dried tomatoes, topped with a snowfall of grated parmesan in a wide skillet.
Pasta

Creamy Tuscan Pasta

Penne cooks in one pan with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach, then finishes with cream and parmesan. The skillet stays meatless, and a splash of broth is what loosens the sauce.

30 min · Easy

View recipe

Still hungry?

More in the same lane, not a random mix.

Bowl of green palak paneer with cubes of paneer in a spinach sauce
Vegetarian

Palak Paneer

Spinach is wilted and blended with onion, tomato, garlic, and ginger, then simmered with spices and cream. Cubes of paneer go in at the end so they warm through without turning rubbery.

40 min · Medium

View recipe
Baked portobello caps stuffed with spinach, tomato, and melted mozzarella
Vegetarian

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Portobello caps are filled with sauteed spinach, onion, tomatoes, and breadcrumbs, then topped with mozzarella and baked. The mushrooms roast at 400°F until the caps are tender and the cheese melts.

40 min · Easy

View recipe
Rolled tortillas covered in red sauce and melted cheese, with cilantro.
Vegetarian

Veggie Enchiladas

Tortillas rolled around black beans, corn, and spinach, covered in enchilada sauce and cheese, then baked. A pan of dinner, not a stack of sides.

45 min · Easy

View recipe

Find something else

Budget BitesPastaSide DishesOne-Pot Meals

From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

Read the affiliate disclosure.

Ingredients