Spinach Pasta with Roasted Broccoli & Bell Pepper
This healthy vegetarian spinach pasta features roasted vegetables tossed with light balsamic sauce! Recipe is easily vegan and gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 12, 2024
Would you look at that? I made Christmas-colored pasta, completely on accident. I’m on a perpetual roasted broccoli and red bell pepper kick, you see, and got a hankering for some hearty pasta.
Here, freshly roasted broccoli and bell pepper collide with lots of delicious sautéed spinach, my favorite whole wheat linguine and some balsamic vinegar. Toss all that together with some magical reserved pasta water for a light, silky sauce, and we end up with high-contrast Christmas pasta. I love it.
This spinach pasta recipe is highly adaptable. Feel free to change up the roasted vegetables—just use whatever you have around, cut to similar sizes and roasted until tender. Or, skip the roasted vegetables for a very simple but very flavorful and hearty spinach pasta.
The recipe is easily made vegan and/or gluten free, and the leftovers are great, whether served chilled, at room temperature or warmed again.
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments. I’m always so eager for your feedback, and hope you love my recipes!
Spinach Pasta with Roasted Broccoli & Bell Pepper
This healthy vegetarian pasta features loads of spinach and roasted vegetables tossed with light balsamic sauce! Feel free to change up the vegetables or skip them completely for a simple, hearty spinach pasta recipe. Recipe is easily vegan and gluten free (see notes). Serve with a green side salad for a complete meal. Recipe yields 4 large or 6 more modest portions.
Ingredients
Roasted vegetables
- 1 large bunch of broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), florets removed and sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1-inch squares
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
Spinach pasta
- 8 ounces linguine or spaghetti (whole wheat if desired)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot bulb, sliced very thin (about ½ cup, sliced)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 12 ounces baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- Optional: 1 ounce finely grated Parmesan cheese* (about ¾ cup, grated), plus extra for garnishing
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To prepare the roasted vegetables (optional, skip for a more simple spinach pasta): Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Transfer the sliced broccoli florets and bell pepper to the prepared baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss until the vegetables are lightly coated in oil (add a little more olive oil if necessary). Sprinkle with salt, arrange the vegetables in an even layer and bake until the broccoli is tender and caramelized on the edges, tossing halfway, about 25 minutes.
- Once the vegetables are in the oven, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta just until al dente, according to package directions. Before draining, carefully reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
- To prepare the balsamic spinach, in a large Dutch oven (my 5.5-quart Le Creuset is perfect here) or large sauté pan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add the sliced shallot, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallot is translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. While stirring constantly, add several big handfuls of spinach at a time until they have wilted, then repeat until all of the spinach is in the pot. Once the spinach has reduced a bit but is still bright green in parts (this happens quickly!), pour in the balsamic vinegar and remove the pot from heat.
- In your Dutch oven or in a large serving bowl, combine the roasted vegetables and cooked pasta with the spinach mixture. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil and optional Parmesan. Drizzle in about ⅓ cup reserved pasta cooking water and gently toss to coat. Season to taste with additional salt (mine needed about ½ teaspoon more) and freshly ground black pepper. Divide into bowls and serve immediately, with extra grated Parmesan on top for bonus presentation points.
Notes
Change it up: Skip the roasted veggies for a simple weeknight pasta that’s full of greens, or change up the vegetables used.
Make it vegan/dairy free: Use olive oil instead of butter and omit the Parmesan. This pasta is great without the Parmesan, but you could add a light sprinkle of nutritional yeast for some cheesy flavor, if you’d like. Another option for extra savory flavor would be to add about ⅓ cup freshly toasted pine nuts or sliced almonds.
*A note on Parmesan: I always get a few comments on recipes that include Parmesan (“It’s not vegetarian!”) but Whole Foods actually makes a great animal rennet-free Parmesan. There’s plenty of flavor in here without the Parmesan, if you’d rather leave it out.
Make it gluten free: Choose a good gluten-free pasta (DeLallo makes one!).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Anything with bleu cheese! I love it on salads.
Kate, Thanks for amazing recipes all year long! Happy Holidays :)
Thank you, Kim! Happy holidays!
I was just wondering what to bring to my family’s Christmas Eve potluck when this popped up in my email. You never cease to deliver a good recipe when I need one and I am always asked for the recipe when I serve one of your dishes.
I am also forever on the lookout for good pasta – it can make or break a dish. I can’t wait to give DeLallo a try.
Ali, thank you! That really means a lot. DeLallo’s whole wheat pasta is my very favorite. I hope you love it, too!
the salad savors are such a smart idea! I’d like to try the Fresh:Goat cheese, cranberries and walnuts flavor!
Can’t wait to try this!
This looks amazing!! Going to make it tonight!
Firstly, I love the look of this recipe. The flavors speak to me! Secondly, I would love to win this contest! My youngest daughter has been wanting one of these pans for a long time, and this would be a wonderful gift for her. Thanks for all the great recipes you share with us.
I think this is my dinner tonight! I’ve got broccoli and red pepper in the fridge right now. I just needed some inspiration! Thank you!
I’d also love to try the olive, feta, and pepper SaladSavors. That is right up my alley!
This looks wonderful! Love to see different things to do with broccoli.
And as for the salad savors, tangy beets, definitely! I love beets. :)
Thanks for sharing — I was just contemplating what to make for dinner tonight and I have most of this on hand.
Here’s a question, we usually opt for zucchini noodles so what would you recommend in place of pasta water for the sauce? Do you think regular water with a touch of arrowroot starch might do the trick?
I do LOVE the salad savers, what an easy way to get my husband to eat salad! :)
Hi Mariam, that’s a good question! Your solution just might work. You could probably get by just adding a little bit of warm water as necessary, but it won’t come together quite the same. The only time I don’t recommend arrowroot is in recipes that call for a lot of dairy, since arrowroot can become a little slimy on contact, but I think you’d be safe here. Please let me know how it turns out!
Crisp SaladSavor sounds amazing and this pasta is definitely on my “to make” list now :)
I love adding red pepper flakes to pad thai – but I never think about it for pasta. I need to remember it for next time!
Well, unfortunately I can’t eat any of the SaladSavors myself as I’m vegan, but I’m ALWAYS looking for ways for my husband to eat more veggies. I think he’d love the gorgonzola one! Almonds and pears in a salad are delish!
The sharp asiago sounds awesome.
I would like to try the Asiago, Artichoke & Sundried Tomato! And this recipe looks amazing!
Crisp White Cheddar!
Hi Kate! This recipe looks amazing! I would love to try the SaladSavers tangy goat cheese/beet combo. What a great idea! Happy holidays :)
They all look so good, but the tangy beets, pecans and goat cheese blend sounds awesome!
The recipe looks great! You have to love Le Creuset!
I made the Spinach Pasta with roasted veges this afternoon. In fact, having some for a late lunch right now. I followed your recipe exactly but subbed in whole wheat penne. Great!
I can never resist a hearty, vegetable-laden pasta. Thanks for this!
I’m always looking for pasta recipes that use other ingredients besides the same old marinara sauce. Can’t wait to make this tomorrow night for dinner. Thank you.
The Salad Savers are a great idea! They ALL look tasty.
Thank you, La Creuset for the giveaway….have wanted one of these pieces all my life (and I’m 72). :)
I love using Delallo, especially their biodynamic pasta! This recipe looks great and I’ll def try it!
Yum, this looks so tasty and filling :)
The SaladSavors look really fun — I would be excited to try the blue cheese, dried cherries, and pecans combo.
I love the cheddar/apple combination! This pasta looks great!
Salad Savers are new to me. Looks like they all have great flavor combinations. Our family loves anything with Feta!
Yum! Making this for dinner tonight! I need to find Salad Savors at the store they sound awesome – it can take a a long time to prep all those things and they have done the work for you! I want to try all of them but the beet and goat cheese will be first!
Can’t wait to try this…love roasted broccoli! And would love to win the Dutch oven too! :-)
Wow, Kate! A yummy new recipe AND a giveaway? It’s my lucky day. Thanks for sharing!
Great recipe! I can’t wait to make this for dinner.
I’ve been roasting broccoli every week – can’t get enough!!
Thank you for another great pasta recipe. I have been meaning to try the Salad Savers and this was a great reminder.
Zesty – I don’t think I’ve seen these. Are they nation wide?
I’d love to try the Vibrant Blue Cheese! Would spice up my salad for sure!
This looks great!
I love the combination of pasta and roasted veggies.
Can’t wait to try it.
ohhhh so pretty yet simple and delisous!! I love meals like this! :) Can’t wait to try it!
and I’m dying to own a Le Creuset!! :)
Goat cheese /pecan add ins sound wonderful
Love all pasta dishes–veggies and cheese just make it that much better
Your recipes never disappoint, thank you for sharing! It is nice to have vegetarian options that can easily be adapted to accommodate the meat eaters in my life!
Goat cheese and walnuts – yum!
You make me so hungry!
Looks delicious. I’m thinking that fresh basil would make a great addition!
Sharp asiago!
TANGY GOAT CHEESE with BEETS looks delish!
they all sound great especially the vibrant blue!
I love anything with whole grains and veggies – can’t wait to try this recipe!
This recipe looks amazing, Kate! I will have to give these Salad Savers a try. I especially love the idea of adding the goat cheese saver to this recipe.
This pasta looks so delicious. I also need to check out the salad savors. What a great way to dress up a salad. Thanks for all of the healthy, vegetarian recipes!