Spanakopita Pasta ~
Enjoy the traditional Greek flavors of spanakopita with a fraction of the effort. Ready to serve in about 20 minutes.
Spinach, vegan feta, lemon, and dill all shine in this easy to make one-pot pasta dinner!
How I came to make this recipe: I had quite a bit of homemade vegan feta in the fridge that I needed to use or lose.
I had actually made the feta for the traditional spanakopita that we had as part of our Easter holiday lunch this year. It was perfect for that recipe but I didn’t need as much as I had made, so… The solution was to find a quick and easy way to use up a lot of feta cheese at one time and this Spanakopita Pasta was just right.
You’re going to love this easy pasta dinner!
Ingredients, Tips, and Substitutions
- spaghetti – Penne, rigatoni, and campanelli are also good choices for this recipe.
- vegan butter
- yellow onion
- garlic
- baby spinach leaves – Fresh is best but 3 boxes of frozen spinach will work in a pinch.
- lemon zest
- dried dill – I rarely have fresh dill on hand but if you’ve got it, use it! The dried dill can be swapped for 1/3 cup fresh.
- ground black pepper
- vegan feta cheese – Making Vegan Feta Cheese is super easy and definitely more economical than buying it in the store, especially since we’re using a full 2 cups for this recipe.
- lemon juice
How To Make Spanakopita Pasta
Cook the pasta and set it aside. Cook the pasta according to package directions, reserving 3 cups of the cooking water. Drain in a colander and set aside. Return the empty pot to the stove.
Cook the aromatics. Set the heat to medium. Into the pot used for cooking the pasta, add 4 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is melted, add the onion. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently until softened. Add the garlic and continue cooking for an additional 1 minute.
Stir in the spinach, lemon zest, herbs, seasonings, and feta. Add the spinach leaves. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until the spinach is wilted. Stir in the lemon zest, dill, ground black pepper, 1 cup of vegan feta cheese, and 2 cups of the reserved pasta water. Stir to coat and continue cooking for 3 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken as it heats. If it gets too thick, just thin it out again with a little more pasta water.
Add butter and lemon juice. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
Sprinkle and serve. Top with the remaining 1 cup feta. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve hot.
Enjoy!
More Spinach Recipes
Vegan Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)
5-Ingredient Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Spanakopita Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- 8 tablespoons vegan butter divided
- 1/2 cup yellow onion
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 12 cups baby spinach leaves
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons dried dill
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups vegan feta cheese divided
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions, reserving 3 cups of the cooking water. Drain in a colander and set aside. Return the empty pot to the stove.
- Set the heat to medium. Into the pot used for cooking the pasta, add 4 tablespoons of butter. When the butter is melted, add the onion. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently until softened. Add the garlic and continue cooking for an additional 1 minute.
- Add the spinach leaves. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until the spinach is wilted. Stir in the lemon zest, dill, ground black pepper, 1 cup of vegan feta cheese, and 2 cups of the reserved pasta water. Stir to coat and continue cooking for 3 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken as it heats. If it gets too thick, just thin it out again with a little more pasta water.
- Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
- Top with the remaining 1 cup feta. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve hot.
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