Hulk Pasta (Spinach Pesto)

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This hulk pasta is a fun way to incorporate more veggies into your little one’s meals! It is a savory and creamy the whole family can enjoy!

Hulk pasta
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All of our senses are involved when we eat and the sight of food often gives the first impression. This hulk pasta is bright in color and will immediately capture the attention of anyone it is being served to, especially kids! I love calling it Hulk pasta because of its bright green color. It is packed with spinach goodness and flavor! I love serving it with chicken breast for some added protein!

Spinach pesto

WHAT YOUโ€™LL NEED

Here is what youโ€™ll need to make this hulk pasta:

Ingredients to make hulk pasta
  • Spinach: The main star ingredient for this dish. Spinach is what gives the sauce its bright green color.
  • Walnuts: For added flavor to the spinach pesto sauce.
  • Parmesan Cheese: For flavor and added creaminess to the pasta sauce.
  • Oil: Adds flavor to the pasta sauce and the main liquid used to help the ingredients blend into a smooth texture.
  • Seasonings: Garlic powder, black pepper, and a little salt for flavor. Feel free to adjust seasonings according to your taste!
  • Pasta Noodles: You can use any noodles you like! I like to stick to plain spaghetti, but this pasta sauce sticks well to any type of pasta.
Spinach pesto pasta

PROCESS

  1. Boil pasta noodles according to package instructions and set aside. Reserve some of the pasta water.
  2. Blend the spinach, walnuts, parmesan cheese, oil, and seasonings until smooth. It may be difficult to blend at first, but continue to shake and blend in increments as needed until smooth. If needed, add in a few splashes of cooled reserved pasta water to help thin out the sauce. Make sure the sauce is completely smooth and no traces of nuts remain.
  3. Toss the pasta noodles with the sauce until all of the noodles are coated. Make sure that the noodles are not too hot when combined with the sauce to prevent the sauce from turning a dark green color.
  4. Taste and season with more salt/pepper to taste. Top with parmesan cheese and serve!
Steps to make hulk pasta

SUBSTITUTIONS

  • Spinach: You may replace some of the spinach with some other greens (ex: basil). I personally have only tested this recipe with spinach.
  • Garlic Powder: The garlic powder can be replaced with one fresh garlic clove for a fresher garlic taste in the pesto sauce.
  • Walnuts: You may replace the walnuts with any type of nuts/seeds you have on hand!
Hulk pasta served with tomatoes and chicken

RECIPE NOTES

  • When blending the sauce ingredients, make sure to blend them until they are completely smooth and no trace of nuts remains. I love using the smaller cup attachment of my nutribullet blender, but any powerful blender will work.
  • Make sure to cool your pasta before combining it with the sauce. If you toss the sauce with steaming hot pasta, the color will turn dark green.
Spinach pesto with tomatoes

Here are some other spinach-based recipes you may like!

Spinach pesto with tomatoes
5 from 7 votes

Hulk Pasta (Spinach Pesto)

This hulk pasta is a fun way to incorporate more veggies into your little one's meals! It is a savory and creamy the whole family can enjoy!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • ยผ cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 ยฝ tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
  • ยผ cup olive oil
  • ยผ tsp garlic powder
  • ยผ – ยฝ tsp salt
  • โ…› tsp black pepper
  • 4-6 oz pasta
  • reserved pasta water, as needed
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Instructions 

  • Boil pasta noodles according to package instructions and set aside. Reserve some of the pasta water.
  • Blend the spinach, walnuts, parmesan cheese, oil, and seasonings until smooth. It may be difficult to blend at first, but continue to shake and blend in increments as needed until smooth. If needed, add in a few splashes of cooled reserved pasta water to help thin out the sauce. Make sure the sauce is completely smooth and no traces of nuts remain.
  • Toss the pasta noodles with the sauce until all of the noodles are coated. Make sure that the noodles are not too hot when combined with the sauce to prevent the sauce from turning a dark green color.
  • Taste and season with more salt/pepper to taste. Top with parmesan cheese and serve!

Notes

  • When blending the sauce ingredients, make sure to blend them until they are completely smooth and no trace of nuts remains. I love using the smaller cup attachment of my nutribullet blender, but any powerful blender will work.
  • Make sure to cool your pasta before combining it with the sauce. If you toss the sauce with steaming hot pasta, the color will turn dark green.

Nutrition

Calories: 191.35kcal, Carbohydrates: 3.62g, Protein: 2.84g, Fat: 19.29g, Saturated Fat: 2.82g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.97g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10.72g, Cholesterol: 2.72mg, Sodium: 346.8mg, Potassium: 209.13mg, Fiber: 1.28g, Sugar: 1.27g, Vitamin A: 1558.14IU, Vitamin C: 6.3mg, Calcium: 54.26mg, Iron: 1mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!
Until next time, Lily!

About Lily Payen

Hi, Iโ€™m Lily! The mama behind Feeding Tiny Bellies. Iโ€™m here to help you take some of the stress out of meal times for your little ones. My goal is to create simple recipes with baby in mind that can easily be adapted for the entire family.

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5 from 7 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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12 Comments

  1. Renee Hudlow says:

    5 stars
    I LOVE this! It’s delicious and my kids are interested too!

    1. Lily Payen says:

      I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Renee!๐Ÿ˜Š

  2. Sabrina says:

    5 stars
    This sauce is delicious! Itโ€™s so easy and comes together so quickly. It was a hit for the whole family. Weโ€™ll be adding this to our regular rotation!

    1. Lily Payen says:

      I’m so glad to hear that you all enjoyed this, Sabrina!๐Ÿ˜Š

  3. Asiyya Rahman says:

    Great recipes! Are we supposed to cook the spinach before hand or blend raw?

    1. Lily Payen says:

      Hi Asiyya! The spinach is blended in raw๐Ÿ˜Š

  4. Starliner says:

    Could I substitute walnuts for pecans? I thought I had a bag of walnuts but it was pecans.

    1. Lily Payen says:

      Hi Starliner! Pecans would work! The taste would be slightly different but it would still work out๐Ÿ˜Š

  5. Winnie says:

    Is there a substitute for cheese? my toddler is allergic to dairy.

    1. Lily Payen says:

      Hi Winnie! You can either swap it with non-dairy parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast!

  6. Andrea Cisneros says:

    5 stars
    Just made this and looks so yummy! I substituted the pasta for spaghetti squash…but I was wondering if the spinach sauce is freezable for storage??

    1. Lily Payen says:

      Hi Andrea! Yes, you can freeze it! You can freeze it in a freezer-safe airtight container (the color may darken a bit when frozen and reheated) but it will have the same taste. I hope that helps!