This One Pot Spinach Artichoke Pasta is packed with vegetables, aromatics (garlic, onion), and broth so that every bite is packed with flavor. The broth and pasta create a rich saucy gravy in the pot that coats everything in wonderful flavor. This one pot pasta is the easiest, tastiest “dinner in 30 minutes” meal!
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Use Fresh or Frozen Spinach
The original version of this recipe used frozen spinach, but the price of fresh spinach has come down tremendously in the past six years, so I was able to remake this with fresh spinach for about the same price as frozen. Fresh spinach has a much better texture, but frozen is still an option if you have that on hand or can’t get fresh spinach for a decent price.
Whether using fresh or frozen spinach, it can be added to the recipe at the same point—after the pasta has cooked. Frozen spinach is added to the pasta without thawing, and the heat of the pasta quickly thaws the spinach as it’s stirred in.
What Kind of Artichokes Should I use?
You can use artichoke hearts packed in a brine or marinated in oil. Either will work just fine. I usually find the kind packed in a brine in a can to be a little more affordable.
Can I Use a Different Pasta Shape?
Yes, you can use a different type of pasta, just be aware that different shapes may need different amounts of broth to cook properly, so you’ll have to adjust the recipe slightly. You can do this as the pasta cooks, adding more broth if it becomes dry before the pasta is tender, or allowing the pasta to boil without a lid if it’s too brothy when the pasta is nearly cooked through.
Can I Freeze the Spinach and Artichoke Pasta?
Yes, you can freeze this dish, just be aware that the pasta may soften further through the freeze and reheat cycles. The best option for reheating would be in the microwave, first on the defrost setting, then high once it has loosened enough to stir.
Love One Pot Pastas? Check out my entire category of One Pot Meals for more!
One Pot Spinach and Artichoke Pasta
Servings 6Ingredients
- 8 oz. mushrooms ($1.69)
- 1 13oz. can artichoke hearts ($2.59)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 5 cups vegetable broth ($0.65)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 12 oz. fettuccine ($0.82)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 4 oz. fresh or frozen spinach ($0.65)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper (optional) ($0.05)
- 3 oz. feta (optional) ($2.19)
Instructions
- Rinse the mushrooms to remove any dirt or debris, then slice them thinly. Drain the can of artichoke hearts and roughly chop them into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the onion and garlic (you can mince the garlic and dice the onion if you don't like large pieces).
- Place the vegetable broth, olive oil, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, onions, and garlic in a large pot. Break the fettuccine in half and add it to the pot along with the oregano, thyme, and some freshly cracked pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill). Push the ingredients down under the broth as much as possible. Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a rolling boil over high heat.
- As soon as it reaches a boil, stir the pot to evenly distribute the ingredients and prevent the pasta from sticking. Turn the heat down to low so that the pot is simmering. Allow the pot to simmer, with the lid on, stirring every couple of minutes, for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Make sure the broth is simmering the entire time, turning the heat up slightly, if needed, to maintain a simmer.
- Once the pasta is cooked through, add the spinach and stir it into the pasta, allowing the heat to wilt the spinach (if using frozen, stir until the heat has thawed the spinach).
- Serve the pasta hot with a pinch of crushed red pepper and some crumbled feta on top, if desired).
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Spinach and Artichoke Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Start by prepping the veggies. Rinse and slice 8 oz. mushrooms. Drain a 13 oz. can of artichoke hearts and then just chop them up roughly so that they are in smaller, bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice one small onion and 4 cloves garlic. If you don’t want big garlic pieces, you can mince the garlic and dice the onion.
Place the sliced onion, mushrooms, garlic, artichoke hearts, 12 oz. fettuccine, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, some freshly cracked black pepper (about 10-15 cranks of a pepper mill), and 5 cups vegetable broth. If your pot is not big enough for the fettuccine to lay flat across the pot, I suggest breaking it in half first. My pot is quite wide, so I left it whole.
Push all of the ingredients down under the liquid as much as possible. Place a lid on top and bring it up to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a boil, give it a good stir, and reduce the heat to low.
Let it simmer on low, with the lid in place, stirring every couple of minutes, for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Make sure the broth is simmering well the entire time, turning the heat up slightly if needed to maintain a simmer.
Once the pasta is cooked, add 4 oz. fresh spinach and stir it into the pasta until the spinach has wilted. If using frozen spinach, stir it in until the heat from the pasta has thawed the spinach.
And then you suddenly have this! Amazing! Easy! Yum! It’s a WONDERPOT!
Take a closer look… see that yummy sauciness in the bottom of the pot? 👌
Serve the One Pot Spinach and Artichoke Pasta as is, or add a pinch of crushed red pepper and some crumbled feta. It’s also pretty good with Parmesan!
I’m a big fan of the recipes here, but this was a total disappointment. The pasta did NOT soak up ridiculous 5 cups of broth. I used everything exactly to the recipe. It was SOUP. Do not recommend this recipe at all.
Echoing all of the prior complaints—I feel like I shouldn’t have to read the comments of a recipe for it to come out as promised, especially since they’ve been here for years at this point. I only checked said comments when I was already realizing my dish was way too soupy so I followed the corn starch rec, which you also SHOULDN’T do because it made everything slimy. Frankly, I’d rather have had the soup. Of course, the pasta was overcooked and everything was bland, only saved by a generous heap of feta. All in all, I ended up with the kind of thing an evil lunchlady serves in a cartoon and tossed the leftovers. BB, where’s the update for this broken recipe?
I agree with the comnents that day it ended up soupy unfortunately. I cut down the portions to 4 – 8 oz pasta. But has everyone forgotten about cornstarch?! I added two teaspoons cornstarch (with equal parts cold water) and it was perfect. Only problem is the pasta ended up a little overcooked as I had to let it boil a little extra for the cornstarch to make the broth thicken. Overall though, turned out well. Cornstarch is a life saver.
This turned out ideal for us. We tried to make it as close to the recipe as possible as I am not a comfortable cook (hence a reason to love one pot meals!). Before starting, however, I changed the number of servings from 6 to 4 and we still have leftovers. Happy day!
Flavor profile was very good! However, the result was not a plated pasta dish, but soup. Full disclosure, I used small shells instead of fettucine because that was what I had in the cupboard. There was so much liquid left after the pasta was done that I stirred the feta, and maybe half a cup of shredded cheddar/jack into the pot. And it was still soup, but a very tasty soup. When I make again, I will cook the pasta separately. Also, there were very tough pieces of both spinach stem and artichoke heart that I had to spit out, so, not a dish for company.
Has anyone tried red lentil pasta?
I have some Banza spaghetti noodles I would like to use. I use them in a pasta bake but have not tried with a wonderpot meal. Thanks!
Nicole…Red lentil pasta is what I used & the pot was delicious! I cooked the pasta for the minimum time (10 minutes) but it possibly could have gone longer. Enjoy!
I followed what others said and used 3 cups of broth instead of 5 and cooked the noodles with the lid off and it turned out to be the perfect amount of liquid. I sautéed the onions, garlic and mushrooms. This is a must! I also added sun-dried tomatoes and capers and topped with nutritional yeast and it was absolutely delicious!!!
I am lactose intolerant. Would you change/substitute an ingredient in exchange for feta?
Hmm, I can’t really think of anything non-dairy that would give a similar effect. I would probably just make it without. But that being said, the feta does add a nice burst of flavor to the dish. Maybe try adding some lemon zest or something at the end for a little pop.
If it helps any, I’ve seen recipes for making your own vegan feta cheese out of tofu. They look pretty simple (just throw together a few ingredients and marinate the tofu overnight or a few days as preferred), and I think you could use it in this recipe with a little advance planning.
I realize this is an old comment, but in case it helps anyone else: I often add finely diced olives to recipes that call for feta if I’m cooking for someone who can’t have dairy, as olives add a similar briny bite. That said, feta has a very low lactose content, so a lot of people who are lactose intolerant (myself included!) don’t have problems with a small amount of feta like the amount called for in this recipe–obviously, you know your own condition best, but being lactose intolerant doesn’t necessarily mean “no cheese, ever”.