Easy spinach artichoke pasta: ready in under 20 minutes

Last Updated on January 22, 2021

If you are a pasta lover like me, then you can’t have enough spaghetti recipes. This mouth-watering spinach artichoke pasta has brought a totally new dimension into my clean eating.

Not used to eating artichokes? You will be hooked by its distinct flavor, the mild, nutty aroma and delicate sweetness. Think of a light taste like asparagus with a slightly lemony touch.

One big advantage of this recipe is, that you cook the noodles within the sauce. This gives the Italian soul food an intense taste. What is more…as a one pot pasta it saves me bunch of time and I don’t need a separate pot to cook the spaghetti.

A fascinating allrounder

Before I share the quick weeknight dinner recipe with you, let me just tell you that I can’t stop raving about artichokes. Not only for weight loss this fascinating allrounder has been very popular in Mediterranean countries for a long time. I’ll share with you some impressive health benefits at the end of this blog post.

That’s what you’ll need

Ingredient notes

• Artichokes: we use marinated or canned hearts as short cuts. With my 80/20 approach to clean eating I have always room to include some convenience food. Just make sure to drain oil and sodium thoroughly. Double points if you can get the veggies marinated just in salt water.
• Pasta: Whenever I can I use whole grain pasta, but for this meal I just love the look of the tri-colored Spaghetti I can get at Aldi.

Ingredient swaps

• If you don’t have fresh spinach at hand use frozen spinach pellets. Make sure to defrost them in your micro wave before you add them in the last step. A variation is to cook this dish with chard. 
• Use cashew butter instead of almond butter
• Vary this recipe with lentil pasta to increase the protein content

Step-by-step photos

Step 1: Sweat minced garlic in a large skillet using some oil or water until transluscent for about 2 minutes.

Step 2: Add the drained artichokes with the spices (black pepper, red chili flakes, nutritional yeast).
Mix everything well and sautée for 1-2 minutes.

Step 3: Push the artichokes to the side of the pan and add the spaghetti across the bottom of the pan.

Step 4: Pour in the vegetable broth until everything is covered (like in the photo below you might need a little more broth), bring it to a boil and let everything simmer at medium-low as long as it says on the spaghetti package. While it is cooking, stir repeatedly until everything is well incorporated.

Step 5: Versus the end of the cooking time add the remaining ingredients (spinach, almond paste, lemon juice), and season to taste.

Step 6: Stir well until everything is well combined and the spinach has wilted.

Serve immediately!

Step-by-step video instructions

Spinach artichoke pasta

Print Recipe

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5 from 4 reviews

A fiber rich one pot pasta

• Author: Gabi Rupp
• Prep Time: 7
• Cook Time: 13
• Total Time: 20
• Yield: 2 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 jar/can quartered artichoke hearts (drained)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1–2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• pinch of red chili flakes
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 8 oz/250 grams whole grain spaghetti (or lentil pasta)
• 1/2 liter vegetable broth
• 2 hand full of baby spinach or 8 oz/250 gr. frozen spinach pellets
• juice of ½ lemon
• 2 tbsp almond or cashew butter

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Instructions

1. Sweat minced garlic in a large pan in some water or oil until transluscent for about 2 minutes..
2. Add the drained artichokes with the spices (black pepper, red chili flakes, nutritional yeast).
3. Mix everything well and sautee for 1-2 minutes.
4. Push the artichokes to the side of the pan and add the spaghetti across the bottom of the pan.
5. Pour in the vegetable broth until everything is covered (you might need a little more broth), bring it to the boil and let everything simmer at medium-low as long as it says on the spaghetti package.
6. While it is cooking, stir repeatedly until everything is well incorporated.
7. At the end of the cooking time add the remaining ingredients (spinach, almond paste, lemon juice) and season to taste.
8. Stir well until everything is well combined and the spinach has wilted.

Notes

Tip: If you are using frozen spinach pellets make sure to defrost them in your micro wave before you add them to the one pot meal in the last step.

Health benefits of artichokes

Did you know that from all vegetables under the sun, these flower heads contain the most fiber? With 5.4 grams per 100 grams, artichokes are ranking number one on the list of the top 30 high fiber vegetables.

These flower heads help to lower blood sugar levels, regulate cholesterol levels and can also be a great help with constipation.

In addition this healthy produce contains inulin, a type of soluble fiber suitable for diabetics, vitamin B1 and minerals such as iron. There is also the bitter substance cynarin, a phytonutrient which promotes the digestion of fat. Their regular consumption can also improve the function of the liver. 

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