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Home » Vegetarian » Creamy Tuscan Pasta

Creamy Tuscan Pasta

Published: Jun 14, 2023 by Genevieve Morrison · This post may contain affiliate links

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A bowl of pasta with spinach on a lace table cloth beside flowers

This creamy, vegetarian Tuscan pasta includes fresh spinach, basil, and red onion. With just 7 main ingredients and only 2 spices, this rustic recipe makes a perfectly simple main course or side dish! It’s a delicious, wholesome meal that your family will love!

A bowl of pasta with spinach on a lace table cloth beside flowers
Contents hide
1 Ingredient Notes
2 How to Make This Recipe – Step by Step
3 Common Questions
4 Recipe Note
5 More Tasty Vegetarian Recipes

Creamy Tuscan Pasta

I made this pasta for a grilled lamb dinner party with one vegetarian guest. I wanted something that would make a wonderful vegetarian main course for him, that also worked as a side dish for everyone else.

This was perfect. I served lamb to the omnivores, pasta to my vegetarian and everyone had a choice of summer corn salad, lemon asparagus and this pasta as a side dish if they wanted more!

A plate of tuscan pasta beside a bowl on lace beside flowers.

To make this recipe truly vegetarian, be sure to use vegetarian parmesan. I find lots of people (including many vegetarians!) don’t realize that traditional parmesan is not vegetarian. 

Parmesan includes animal rennet, a complex collection of enzymes that curdles protein in milk during the cheese-making process. But many brands use vegetable rennet, and I personally can’t tell the difference between vegetarian and non-vegetarian parmesan. I include a few of my favorite vegetarian brands below.

Ingredient Notes

7 ingredients on a table with labels describing what they are.

heavy cream – Make sure to use heavy whipping cream, or “double cream” in Europe. Not “Half and Half.”

vegetable broth – I suggest using low sodium. The parmesan is going to add a nice amount of salt to the pasta. No need to add more.

rotini pasta – By all means, use whichever pasta is your favorite. I like how rotini’s nooks and crannies hold all that tasty, creamy sauce, but I’ve also used gnocchi for Tuscan pasta and it’s incredible too!

italian seasoning – You’ll be surprised how fresh this recipe tastes with only dry spices, but if you wanted to mix your own fresh Italian seasoning, very finely chop oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. 

basil – Although there is some basil in dry Italian seasoning, there’s nothing like the taste of fresh basil! I find a little goes a long way.

spinach – Ideally, use fresh spinach, but you can substitute with frozen, as long as it’s thawed and very well drained first.

parmesan – as noted above, parmesan is not traditionally vegetarian. For vegetarian brands of parmesan, you can try Whole Foods 365 brand, Organic Valley or Sartori Parmesan Sarvecchio.

How to Make This Recipe – Step by Step

A collage of 4 numbered images showing how to prep ingredients for tuscan pasta.

1. Coarsely chop 3 cups fresh spinach, packed. Set aside.

2. Finely chop ¼ cup fresh basil. Set aside.

3. Dice 1 small red onion, set aside.

4. Grate ½ cup fresh parmesan. Set aside.

A collage of 4 numbered images showing how to make tuscan pasta.

5. In a sauté pan, add 1 tbsp. olive oil and diced onion. Allow it to sauté for 3-5 minutes. Then, place chopped spinach and chopped basil on top. Allow it to sauté with onion for 2-3 minutes until wilted. Remove both from the pan and set aside.

6. Set 1 quart of water to boil (this doesn’t have to be an exact amount. You just want to be sure you have enough water to boil 8 ounces of pasta). In a sauté pan, add 1 cup heavy cream, ½ cup vegetable broth, grated parmesan, 1 tsp. garlic powder and 1 tsp. Italian seasoning. Over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, use a spatula to move and stir the sauce for 10-12 minutes until thick and bubbly. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper. Turn off heat and cover with a lid when ready.

7. While sauce thickens, boil 8 oz. rotini. Follow the directions on your pasta package, but generally, rotini should take about 8-12 minutes to boil. Pour pasta into a colander to strain out water when finished. Pour cooked pasta back into the pot, add sauce, cooked spinach, and onions. 

8. Give everything a nice stir and serve immediately. 

Cheesy pasta with spinach and red onion in a bowl.

Common Questions

How do you reheat this pasta?

To reheat this pasta, I suggest baking it. The cheese will harden when cold, so it will come out of a container in a solid chunk. Don’t try to separate the pasta when cold, it will just break apart. Place the tasty lump-o-pasta in a baking dish, cover with tin foil, and bake at 425 F. for 20-25 minutes. The cheese will melt and it will easily separate. Give it a stir and serve.

Can the sauce be made ahead of time?

Yes. When I’m making this for parties, I make the sauce a full day ahead of time. When ready to serve, I pop it in a pot on the stove over medium heat for 5-8 minutes. I like the spinach and onion to still be freshly sautéd, but you can make that a day ahead as well, and mix it into the sauce. 

How long will it stay fresh?

Tuscan pasta will stay fresh for 3-4 days when refrigerated in a sealed container.

Recipe Note

If you want to give this pasta even more pizazz, try adding:

  • cherry tomatoes
  • sautéd zucchini
  • sliced kalamata olives
  • peas
  • diced bell peppers
  • chopped broccoli
  • garbanzo beans
  • green beans
  • sun-dried tomatoes
  • sautéd mushrooms 
A bowl of pasta with spinach on a table with flowers.

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A bowl of pasta with spinach on a lace table cloth beside flowers

Creamy Tuscan Pasta

With just 7 main ingredients and only 2 spices, this vegeterian recipe makes a perfectly simple main course or side dish! It’s a freshly-flavored and wholesome pasta dish that your family will love!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Tuscan
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 520kcal
Author: Genevieve Morrison

Equipment

  • 1 cutting board & sharp knife
  • 1 cheese grater
  • 1 sauté pan
  • 1 2 quart pot
  • 1 spatula
  • 1 colander

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. rotini pasta
  • 1 small red onion – diced
  • 3 cups fresh spinach – chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh basil – chopped
  • ½ cup vegetarian parmesan – grated
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • fresh ground pepper – a nice sprinkle

Instructions

  • In a sauté pan, add 1 tbsp. olive oil and diced onion. Allow it to sauté for 3-5 minutes. Then, place 3 cups fresh spinach and ¼ cup fresh basil on top. Allow it to sauté with onion for 2-3 minutes until wilted. Remove both from the pan and set aside.
  • Set 1 quart of water to boil. In a sauté pan, add 1 cup heavy cream, ½ cup vegetable broth, ½ cup grated vegetarian parmesan, 1 tsp. garlic powder and 1 tsp. Italian seasoning. Over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, use a spatula to move and stir the sauce for 10-12 minutes until thick and bubbly. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper. Turn off heat and cover with a lid when ready.
  • While sauce thickens, boil 8 oz. rotini. Follow directions on your pasta package, but generally, rotini should take about 8-12 minutes to boil. Pour pasta into a colander to strain out water when finished. Pour cooked pasta back into the pot, add sauce, cooked spinach, basil and onions. Give everything a nice stir and serve immediately. 

Notes

Parmesan is not traditionally vegetarian. For vegetarian brands of parmesan, you can try Whole Foods 365 brand, Organic Valley or Sartori Parmesan Sarvecchio.
To reheat this pasta, I suggest baking it. The cheese will harden when cold, so it will come out of a container in a solid chunk. Don’t try to separate the pasta when cold, it will just break apart. Place the tasty lump-o-pasta in a baking dish, cover with tin foil, and bake at 425 F. for 20-25 minutes. The cheese will melt and it will easily separate. Give it a stir and serve.
This pasta will stay fresh for 3-4 days when refrigerated in a sealed container.

Nutrition

Serving: 2ounces | Calories: 520kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 357mg | Potassium: 395mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3245IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 251mg | Iron: 2mg
« Summer Corn Salad with Feta
A Lovely Lamb Dinner »
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Comments

  1. Kimberly

    October 16, 2023 at 1:26 am

    I finally made this. I’m post bariatric surgery. So, protein is a priority.I added Italian turkey sausage, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms and used chickpea pasta. I’m calling it Tuscan Turkey Mushroom Alfredo. It rurned out delicious! Too bad we can’t attach a picture.

    Reply
    • Genevieve Morrison

      October 17, 2023 at 2:23 pm

      Oh how nice! So happy you enjoyed the recipe, Kimberly! <3

      Reply
5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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