Spinach Alfredo Pasta bake is the one pot dinner your whole family will love! Keep it vegetarian or add the meat of your choice to this easy satisfying meal.
Love one pot dinners? This Chili Mac is a staple in our house, and can be in yours too! So easy and so good. Served with cheesy garlic bread, everyone leaves the table happy (and full)!
One Pot Dinner Recipe
When I say this Spinach Alfredo pasta is a one pot dinner, I mean it. You literally toss everything in a pan and bake it.
With 5 minutes or prep time, you can make the ultimate in creamy pasta dinners.
This recipe is basically a Fettucine Alfredo meets Hot Spinach Dip.
With Alfredo sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan, it’s incredibly creamy, cheesy and delicious.
If you’re trying to get more green veggies into your family’s meals, Spinach Alfredo Pasta is a great way to go. While the greens aren’t “disguised” per say, no one will complain when they’re mixed in with all that gooey cheesy goodness!
I sometimes add all kinds of extra veggies to this. You can mix in just about anything–a perfect way to use up about-to-expire produce!
Occasionally, I’ll toss in some sausage or chicken too. It’s delicious both with and without meat!
Ingredient Notes
Some pasta bakes are technically “one pot” but require all kinds of chopping, slicing and dicing before you assemble everything in the pan.
Not so with Spinach Alfredo!
For this recipe, I opted to use frozen spinach and ready made alfredo sauce. I even used garlic paste from a jar so I’d never have to touch a cutting board.
A couple different kinds of cheese, some dried herbs , UNCOOKED penne noodles and a 9 x 13 baking dish and you’re ready to make the best-ever one pot dinner.
How to assemble the pasta bake
STEP 1. Pour the alfredo sauce in the baking pan along with heavy whipping cream, garlic paste and a few herbs and spices. Stir.
STEP 2. Add uncooked pasta, frozen spinach and cheeses. Stir again.
STEP 3. Cover with foil and bake!
That’s it! Other than removing the foil 15 minutes into the cooking time, this dinner is hands off. The cheese gets bubbly on top and the pasta gets cooked to al dente perfection.
Substitutions and Variations
You’ll love this dish so much you’ll want to make it again and again. These substitutions and variations let you mix it up based on whatever it is you’re craving (or whatever you have in the fridge).
- Garlic paste: Sub 2 tablespoons of minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder if you prefer.
- Seasonings: Instead of the oregano and basil in the recipe, you could substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning.
- Pasta: I used penne in this recipe. Rigatoni or ziti pasta noodles would work well too.
- Extra veggies: Add a cup of chopped vegetables along with the pasta if you like. Broccoli, tomatoes, olives, zucchini or just about any other veggie you like will be delicious here.
- Meat: Cooked summer sausage is great in this pasta bake, like we do with our Sausage alfredo. Add a rotisserie chicken that’s been cut up to the pasta for a delicious twist.
Recipe FAQs
This pasta dish is best when assembled and baked immediately.
Keep the leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days.
I don’t recommend that because this recipe uses the liquid from the frozen spinach to help cook the pasta in the oven.
Tips and Tricks
- Do NOT thaw and drain the frozen spinach! You need the water from the spinach in the pan to properly cook the pasta.
- Need this dinner even faster? If you precook the pasta to al dente before adding it to the pan, you only need to bake it uncovered for 20 – 25 minutes. If you choose to do so, reduce the cream in the recipe by 1 1/2 cups.
- This recipe uses frozen chopped spinach as opposed to the frozen block kind of spinach. If you use a block, you’ll need to break it up before adding to the pan.
- Serve this hearty pasta dinner with homemade garlic bread and fresh homemade olive garden salad recipe!
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Spinach Alfredo
Ingredients
- 24 ounce jar alfredo sauce
- 1¾ cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 lb penne pasta uncooked
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray.
- Add the alfredo sauce, cream, garlic, herbs, and spices to the dish and stir.
- Add the pasta, spinach, and cheeses to the pan and stir gently to evenly coat.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the aluminum foil and gently press down any pasta sticking up from the sauce and then bake for 15 to 20 more minutes until the cheese has started to brown and the pasta is tender.
Notes
- 2 tablespoons of minced garlic may be used instead of paste or you can use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- You can pre-cook the pasta before adding it in which case this only needs to bake uncovered for about 20 to 25 minutes. And you would reduce the cream to 1¼ cups. This option is a little quicker, but reduces the ease of a one dish recipe.
- DO NOT thaw and drain the spinach – the dish needs the water from the spinach to properly cook the pasta to al dente.
- Note that this is bagged chopped spinach, not a traditional block. If you use a block, it will need to be broken up before adding to the dish.
- 1½ teaspoons of Italian seasoning blend may be used in place of the basil and oregano.
- Best eaten right after making for maximum creaminess. It does reheat well but loses some of the saucy texture.
- You could also use rigatoni or ziti instead of penne.
Nutrition
Spinach Alfredo Pasta Bake is the ultimate in easy cooking! Skip the pizza delivery and make a delicious and nourishing homemade dinner–all in one pan.
We LOVED this for dinner. It came together quickly and my kids didn’t turn up their nose at the spinach! WIN WIN all around!
This was absolutely delicious!! My entire family loved it and I can’t wait to make it again!
One pot meals are the best, especially when they taste as delicious as this one! So easy and my family devoured it!
Wonder if milk could be subbed for cream. Understandable decrease in texture, but those fat #s have me cringing a bit.
Otherwise, looks FANTASTIC.
This looks delicious. Can you use homemade Alfredo sauce instead of jarred? Would it come out the same?
I know what’s on my supper menu tonight! Just happen to have all the ingredients on hand. Covid ultra stockpile. And cheese hoarding lol. Some of them have been aging in my uber cold fridge for 2 years! But oh…the increased flavor. ‘Course once the package has been cut open I…I mean the mousies just eat it ALL up.
Thanks for such a great, easy recipe.
Have a blessed day!