Pasta Florentine (Vegetarian)

Comforting and delicious, Pasta Florentine is packed with spinach and cheese and makes a great weeknight dinner! Super easy to pull together, the whole family will enjoy this.

When the weather turns cold, and it rains we don’t really know what to do with ourselves. Other than bundle up on the couch with a warm bowl of something comforting. This pasta recipe is that warm bowl. It’s meatless (Hi Vegetarians!) but has a lot of cheese, so, sorry Vegans, you’re out of luck.

Try Spinach Orzo, Penne alla Vodka, or Boursin Pasta, too! f you’re on a comfort-food pasta kick, cozy pumpkin pasta is another easy weeknight win.

Step-by-step photos and instructions are below. Jump to the recipe card if you wish!

Why you’ll love this

• Delicious. This one pleases vegetarians AND meat-eaters.
• Easy. This will not require a culinary degree.
• Perfect for busy nights. Throw this weeknight meal together when you get home and be eating dinner FAST. We’re talking around 30 minutes, folks.
• f you’re on a comfort-food pasta kick, cozy pumpkin pasta is another easy weeknight win

What does “Florentine” mean?

The easiest way to remember what it means is that a Florentine-style recipe features spinach.

Other Florentine recipes on Kylee Cooks are Florentine Lasagna Roll Ups and Chicken Florentine.

Step-by-step photos and tips and tricks are below. Jump to the full recipe card instead

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cook the pasta. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Lightly grease a baking dish (you can skip this if you plan to bake in the dutch oven instead).

Make the sauce. Heat butter or olive oil in a Dutch oven or very large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion 5 minutes or until just brown. Add garlic, and cook about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and add spinach; cover and cook 5 minutes or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle spinach mixture with flour. Cook uncovered, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add milk, stirring well. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often, until thickened and smooth.

Remove from the heat and stir in cooked pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, salt and pepper, and red pepper. Place into prepared dish (or leave it in the dutch oven) and sprinkle evenly with parmesan cheese.

Bake. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese melts. Devour.

More recipes to love

• Roasted Squash Risotto. Finished with basil and parmesan, this is a hearty side dish or a delicious vegetarian main course. Either way, it’s delicious!
• Vegetarian Chili (Slow Cooker). Perfect for cool weather, packed with peppers, onions, beans, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes – this is a great crockpot chili!
• Vegetable Barley Soup.  A vegan/vegetarian bowl of deliciousness that appeals to the whole family! The barley makes it very filling, and the vegetables bring great color and rich flavor.
• Chickpea Spinach Curry. Great for cooler nights and perfect for the whole family. Both vegetarian AND vegan, this dish boasts the curry FLAVOR vs major heat, and is quick & easy to make!

5 from 2 votes

Pasta Florentine (Vegetarian)

Author Kylee Ayotte

Servings 6

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

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Comforting and delicious, Pasta Florentine is packed with spinach and cheese and makes a great weeknight dinner!

Super easy to pull together, the whole family will enjoy this.

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 pound penne pasta
• ▢ 4 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1 finely chopped onion
• ▢ 4 cloves minced garlic
• ▢ 1 pound fresh baby spinach washed and drained
• ▢ 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 1/2 cup milk
• ▢ 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 1 cup ricotta cheese
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ▢ 1 cup parmesan cheese shredded

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.1 pound penne pasta
• Prepare 1 pound penne pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside. Lightly grease a baking dish.
• Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a Dutch oven (or other heavy based pan) over medium-high heat; sauté 1 finely chopped onion5 minutes or until just brown. Add 4 cloves minced garlic, and cook about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and add 1 pound fresh baby spinach; cover and cook 5 minutes or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally.
• Sprinkle spinach mixture with 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Cook uncovered, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add 1 1/2 cup milk, stirring well. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often, until thickened and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in cooked pasta, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 cup ricotta cheese, salt and pepper, and 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Place into prepared dish and sprinkle evenly with 1 cup parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese melts.
• Devour.

Notes

You don’t HAVE to bake this pasta dish, I just like to melt the cheese on the top and have it be super scoopable vs pasta/sauce-like.

I add crushed red pepper to mine for an extra boost of flavor and a kick of heat. If you don’t love spice, leave it out. Test for seasoning and add more salt or pepper if needed.

Substitutions/Additions

I use baby spinach, but if you don’t have any – use some frozen spinach. Be sure to thaw and squeeze out as much of the moisture as you can.

If you don’t have ricotta, you could use some cream cheese in a pinch.

If you want to add protein, I recommend grilling some chicken breasts, or some salmon.

What do do with leftovers

Store in the refrigerator in a covered container for a few days. When reheating in the microwave you may wish to add a little milk to stop it from drying out.

⭐️ Don’t Forget! I love to hear how this turned out for you! Share your thoughts by leaving a review and rating below.

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Nutrition

Calories: 599kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 605mg | Potassium: 805mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 7941IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 621mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Did you make this recipe?

Make sure to follow @kyleecooks on Instagram for more and tag me #kyleecooks so I can see!

Update: This recipe was originally published in February of 2013. It was republished with updated photos in October of 2020.

About Kylee Ayotte

I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee