Celebrity Recipe Scored
Jamie Oliver-Style Quick Green Pasta
A whole bunch of greens blitzed into a vivid, fresh sauce and tossed through hot pasta. On the table in about twenty minutes.
Short Answer
This is a faithful home version of the kind of quick green pasta Jamie Oliver champions: spinach, basil, garlic, and Parmesan blitzed with olive oil and a little pasta water into a bright green sauce, then tossed through linguine. It serves four and takes about twenty minutes start to finish.
About this dish
The trick here is to treat raw greens like a sauce: blend a generous handful of spinach and a whole bunch of basil with garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, and a splash of starchy pasta water, and they turn glossy and vivid in seconds. It is fast, it is a sneaky way to get greens into a weeknight, and it is endlessly flexible, which is exactly Jamie's style.
Pair it with the ideas in our high-protein meals guide if you want to bulk it out, and the Mediterranean diet food list is a natural companion. Curious how a pasta dish scores? Our note on whether pasta is ultra-processed sets the frame.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb linguine or spaghetti
- 2 large handfuls baby spinach
- 1 large bunch fresh basil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more to serve
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
- Cook the pasta in well-salted water until al dente, then reserve a cup of the cooking water before draining.
- Blend the spinach, basil, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, and a splash of the pasta water into a smooth, bright-green sauce.
- Return the pasta to the warm pot, pour over the green sauce, and toss, loosening with more pasta water until it coats every strand.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve with extra Parmesan grated over the top.
More pasta to cook
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Spinach and basil are the base, but a handful of arugula, kale, or parsley all work blended in. Keep the total volume similar so the sauce stays loose.
Blend the greens raw and toss with the hot pasta off the heat rather than cooking the sauce. The residual heat of the pasta is enough, and it keeps the color vivid.
Toss through grilled chicken, shrimp, or white beans, or top with toasted pine nuts. Score the finished plate to see exactly where it lands for your goals.
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