Baked Creamed Spinach Pasta

We elevate creamed spinach to a weeknight main with our Baked Creamed Spinach Pasta, which is sure to become a staple in the dinner rotation. The tangy and creamy sauce is brightened with lemon and a touch of nutmeg—the perfect base to stir in tender spinach and antioxidant-rich and flavor-packed garlic and shallots. Gut-friendly fiber from whole-wheat penne is great for digestive health, and the carbs will help fuel your workouts. Finish this off with a quick trip under the broiler for a bubbly, cheesy and healthy dinner. Keep reading for our expert tips on pasta cooking technique, pasta choice and baking suggestions. 

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• Baby kale would also work in this recipe for a creamed kale version.
• Don’t worry if you have clumps of cream cheese; they’ll melt once the casserole is baked.
• Covering the dish with foil is essential, as it keeps the pasta from drying out.
• Spreading the cooked pasta on a baking sheet, rather than letting it sit and dry in the colander, prevents it from sticking together in large clumps. 

Nutrition Notes

• We chose whole-wheat penne for this recipe to add heartiness and extra protein, because whole-wheat pasta beats out white pasta in the protein game. Whole-wheat pasta also provides additional fiber for this dish, which is excellent for your digestive health and microbiome. 
• Spinach is a bit of a holy grail of nutrition. It is packed with nutrients—vitamin C, folate and vitamin K to name a few. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that is also important for collagen formation—great for skin health. Folate can help maintain a healthy heart, and vitamin K is needed for bone health. It’s also important to note that vitamin K is necessary for blood clotting, so if you take blood-thinning medication, you should maintain the same level of vitamin K in your diet each day. 
• The low-fat cheeses (cream cheese and mozzarella) and Parmesan cheese are an excellent way to get more calcium in your diet, with lower amounts of saturated fat in the lower-fat varieties. Cheese, especially mozzarella and Parmesan, contain good amounts of protein—great for maintaining satiety after a meal. 
• Nutritional yeast is an optional ingredient in this dish, but if you add it, you’ll get some amazing nutrition benefits. You’ll find that nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavor, so it’s often a vegan substitute for cheese. Nutritional yeast is fortified with vitamin B12, which is important for maintaining healthy red blood cells and for a healthy metabolism.