This post contains affiliate links.
This 30-minute recipe is the perfect easy dinner that’s packed with ve (veggies tastes like pesto!). We’re using a neat trick to maintain the vitamins and flavor that otherwise leach out of vegetables when cooked. Nutritious and delicious!
save this recipe!Pasta sauce is something that can be customized in such fun and creative ways! If you’ve tried my hidden veggie pasta sauce or this cottage cheese pasta sauce, then you know marinara sauce is just a starting point.
That’s where this green goddess pasta shines – it turns loads of fresh produce into a creamy and flavorful pasta sauce.
The trick is to boil your pasta in the same water that the vegetables are cooked in. This helps restore some of the water-soluble vitamins that leach out of leafy greens when cooked!
Reader rating
“We told our 5 year old that this was Hulk pasta and it was such a hit, he’d take a bite and check his biceps for growth. Aside from the adorable side effects, this pasta was a huge hit with the whole family, including my meatasaurus teen!” —Marcela
Key Ingredients
Jump to the recipe card for measurements!
- Pasta: I tend to like smaller pasta varieties here, like bow tie or rotini.
- Leafy Greens: Spinach and kale are virtually undetectable once blended.
- White Beans: Great texture and add some protein! You can use navy, cannellini, great northern, or butter beans.
save the pasta water!
I have a bad habit of dumping pasta out into a colander and then realizing after the fact that I need the pasta water. So, to avoid this, I started placing my colander in a bowl in the sink right away. This way I capture the pasta water without much extra thinking.
Make it a pasta salad
You can modify the recipe slightly to be a green goddess pasta salad! Here’s what you do:
- After the mixed pasta and sauce are cooled, see how your texture looks.
- Then, slowly add some pasta water (cold) to the pasta and a splash of fresh lemon juice. Mix it up and continue adding a splash of water until you get that silky texture again.
- Serve cold! It won’t be totally creamy, but it should be pretty smooth even when cold.
P.S. For another pasta that sneaks in some veggies, try my Italian penicillin pastina next!
Nutrient-Packed Green Goddess Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh kale, ribs removed
- 1 10-oz bag fresh spinach
- 1 14-oz can white beans, like navy, canneli, great northern, or butter beans
- 1 cup grated parmesan
- 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ tsp salt, may need more
- 1 lb pasta of choice
Instructions
- Cook Greens: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 bunch fresh kale and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 10-oz bag fresh spinach to the pot and continue cooking for 2 more minutes, until greens are all wilted down and bright green. Remove greens from the pot (keep the water in the pot).
- Pasta: Bring that same water back to a boil then add 1 lb pasta of choice. Cook according to package instructions. When finished, strain pasta and reserve a few cups of the pasta water.
- Blend: Add cooked greens, 1 cup of pasta water, and all remaining ingredients to a blender. Blend with the lid slightly ajar for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth. You can add another ladle of pasta water to reach your desired consisentcy. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Serve: Stir sauce into cooked pasta and serve immediately, topped with grated parmesan.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!Hungry to add more veggies to your pasta? Try this pumpkin pasta casserole or my roasted beet and feta pasta!
My family loved this! My daughter loved how green it was and didn’t complain about having to eat veggies at all. We thought it needed a little more salt than it called for, and we always add extra garlic 🙂
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit! 😀
Hi Sara! What would you recommend to make this dish vegan? Could I use 1 cup silken tofu? Or would that be too much? And nutritional yeast for the cheezy taste? Thanks!
I think it would be tasty with the silken tofu and nutritional yeast! Otherwise, you could just use a vegan Parmesan shred.
This was great! Easy to make and delicious. I use high fibre, high protein pasta and it’s great with this. I can eat pasta to my hearts content and know it’s all good stuff!
Happy you enjoyed it Kelsey, thanks for cooking with us!
Did you drain the beans?
Yes! Drain the beans before blending 🙂
It tasted grate nice and creamy. Quick question how long dose it last?
I usually store this for up to four days in the fridge!
Can you freeze the sauce? Excited to try this recipe!!
Yep this sauce freezes well!
This recipe was easy and delicious! And I really appreciated getting some great new nutrition in the sauce.
Love hearing this, thanks for being here Stacey!
This recipe is fantastic, but how can you ethically and honestly say that this takes 20 minutes to cook?