Creamy Feta Spinach Pasta (Printable Version)

Pasta with crumbled feta and spinach in a velvety, tangy sauce. Quick, easy, and perfectly satisfying in just 25 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz dried pasta (penne, fusilli, or spaghetti)

→ Dairy

02 - 7 oz feta cheese, crumbled

→ Vegetables

03 - 5 oz baby spinach, washed
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Pantry

05 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
06 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
07 - ½ teaspoon chili flakes, optional
08 - Salt to taste

→ Garnish

09 - Zest of 1 lemon
10 - Fresh basil or parsley, chopped

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander.
02 - While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add the spinach to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until completely wilted, approximately 2 minutes.
04 - Add the hot, drained pasta to the skillet with the spinach. Sprinkle the crumbled feta cheese evenly over the mixture.
05 - Pour in approximately ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything together vigorously until the feta melts slightly and forms a creamy sauce. Add additional pasta water as needed to achieve your desired consistency.
06 - Season the dish with black pepper, chili flakes if desired, and salt to taste. Adjust seasoning as needed.
07 - Transfer to serving plates immediately while hot. Garnish with lemon zest and fresh herbs as desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The creamy sauce forms magically from pasta water and feta, no heavy cream required
  • Everything comes together in one skillet while the pasta boils, making cleanup almost nonexistent
  • The salty tang of feta against fresh spinach feels restaurant sophisticated but takes less than 30 minutes
02 -
  • The pasta water is essential—without its starch, the feta won't emulsify into that velvety sauce that makes this dish special
  • Add pasta water gradually rather than all at once, since you can always add more but can't take it back
  • The residual heat from the pasta will continue melting the feta, so don't worry if some crumbles remain visible
03 -
  • Reserve your pasta water before draining, since fishing it out afterward is frustrating and messy
  • Use a microplane for the lemon zest to avoid the bitter white pith
  • Keep some pasta water separate until the very end, in case you need to loosen the sauce before serving
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