Creamy Spinach Red Pepper Spaghetti

Creamy spinach red pepper spaghetti came together one today when I had no idea what to make.  I literally opened my fridge, found these few ingredients and thought they would make an excellent creamy warm dish that would hit the spot.  And that is exactly what they did.  It hit the spot so well that I ended up making this dish for the next four days and its been on rotation in our house since.

Few ingredients get simmered together before adding the cooked pasta!

The challenging part might be finding the red pepper paste.  Most middle eastern households have some form of red pepper paste handy.  The same way tomato paste is a staple in most pantries, in a middle eastern home, tomato paste and red pepper paste are always on hand.

Add the cooked pasta to this creamy spinach red pepper sauce.

You can really experiment with this sauce and add or remove whatever extra ingredients you like.  If you don’t like shrimp, no problem, just remove them.  You can make this a hearty dish with mushrooms and broiled eggplants.  The spinach is not essential either so you can remove and/or substitute.

The important ingredients in this creamy spinach red pepper spaghetti are the garlic, heavy cream, milk, paste and salt and pepper.  You want to make sure the garlic is minced small or crushed so the flavors get seeped into the liquid.  The heavy cream will make it thicker and the milk will dilute it.  So if you feel it’s too thick for your liking, add more milk.  And if you prefer it thicker, add more cream.

creamy spinach red pepper pasta with shrimp comes together in less than 20 minutes with these few ingredients.

If you like creamy dishes, you will also love our Pumpkin Fettuccine Alfredoand Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic.

5 from 1 vote

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Creamy Spinach Red Pepper Spaghetti

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

This super flavorful creamy spinach red pepper spaghetti comes together in less than 20 minutes! 

Course: Entree, one pot dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian, Mediterranean

Keyword: creamy, onepot, shrimp, spaghetti, spinach

Servings: 4

Author: Nadia Hubbi

Ingredients

• 1 package 16 oz spaghetti
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 cups fresh spinach more or less according to preference
• 1 Tbsp red pepper paste
• 1 can 8 oz tomato paste
• 1 tsp salt season to taste
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 lb uncooked shrimp *Optional

Instructions

1. Boil spaghetti according to package instructions, set aside
2. in medium size pan on medium to low heat, add butter, garlic, milk, heavy whipping cream, red pepper paste, tomato paste, salt and pepper for 5- 7 minutes or until desired creaminess is achieved.
3. Add uncooked shrimp and spinach for 3-4 minutes or until shrimp is pink
4. Add cooked spaghetti to creamy sauce. Toss to coat.
5. Serve while hot.

Recipe Notes

• If you do not like shrimp, you can substitute with broiled eggplant, chicken, or eliminate completely.
• You can choose to add Italian herbs for even more flavor, however, its amazing without any additional seasoning! 
• if you cannot find red pepper paste, you can either 
  • eliminate red pepper paste and the dish will still taste great as a creamy tomato pasta
  • get a jar of red pepppers, drain, mix in the blender until fully blended

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