Creamy Chipotle Pasta with Spinach

My creamy chipotle pasta with spinach is, well, creamy as you can probably guess. But it's also vegetarian, ready in less than half an hour, and super easy to make. Oh—it also reheats like a dream! I must say, it's also the perfect way to use up that container of spinach that's on its last legs in your fridge. 

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There are few ingredients I find as addictive and delicious as chipotle. Couple that with a creamy pasta sauce? You've got heaven on a fork. But when I went out searching for a creamy chipotle pasta sauce recipe, I really struggled to find what I was looking for. So, I just had to make it myself! And I must say, I'm in love with the results.

Creamy Chipotle Pasta Sauce Ingredients

Here's what you'll need:

• Linguini (or a similar pasta)
• Butter
• Shallot
• Garlic
• Fresh spinach
• Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• Parmesan cheese
• Vegetable broth (chicken broth works too if that's all you have)
• Whipping cream
• Salt and pepper

Cooking with Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce

Are you new to cooking with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce? I was a little nervous about it when I first started, so here are some tips to help you out.

• Where to find chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: I find them in the aisle of my supermarket near the jarred pasta sauces and salsa usually
• They come in small cans as whole chipotle peppers in an adobo sauce that has onions in it. 
• There are lots of seeds inside the chipotle peppers, and that's where a lot of their spiciness comes from. I usually scrape out most of the seeds before cooking with them. It still ends up being smoky and a bit spicy, but not overpoweringly spicy.
• If you don't use all of your chipotle peppers at once, you can pour the remainder into a Ziploc bag, flatten it, and freeze it. This makes it super easy to just break off what you need next time you're cooking with them. 
• In this recipe, we puree the chipotle peppers with some vegetable broth in the food processor. This makes it nice and saucy rather than eating big chunks of chipotle pepper in our pasta.

How to Use Leftover Chipotle Peppers in Adobo

If you want to skip freezing the chipotle peppers in adobo, here are some other recipes with chipotles to help you use them up:

• CHEESY CHIPOTLE TORTILLA LENTIL SKILLET
• CHIPOTLE MAC AND CHEESE WITH CORNFLAKE TOPPING
• VEGAN LENTIL TORTILLA SOUP

📖 Recipe

Creamy Chipotle Pasta with Spinach

Chelsea Kram – XO&So: Vegetarian Comfort Food

Introducing your new favorite pasta recipe: creamy chipotle pasta with spinach. It's vegetarian, super easy to make, and ready in under half an hour. Not to mention, it's also the perfect way to use up any leftover spinach sitting in your fridge.

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Servings 4

Calories 817 kcal

Equipment

• Food processor or high-powered small blender

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb linguini, dry or other long noodles
• ½ cup vegetable broth
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, PLUS 2 tablespoon of adobo sauce from the can I remove the seeds from the chipotle pepper
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup parmesan shredded
• 3 handfuls fresh spinach roughly chopped
• salt and pepper (I add about ¾ teaspoon of salt)

Instructions

 

• Cook the pasta in heavily salted water according to package directions until al dente.
• To a small food processor, add one chipotle pepper from a can (I remove the seeds first) PLUS two tablespoons of the adobo sauce and ½ cup of vegetable broth. Puree until smooth.
• Heat a large saucepan on medium heat. Add butter, and let it melt, careful not to let it burn.

  Add the finely chopped shallots and cook for about three minutes, or until they start to become soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for one minute.
• Pour the pureed chipotle mix into the pan. Add the whipping cream and salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes.
• Add the shredded parmesan and the handfuls of fresh spinach, stir. Add the cooked pasta and turn the heat off.

  Toss the pasta with tongs or forks for about three minutes, until the sauce thickens up, the spinach wilts, and all of the noodles are coated.
  
• Taste test and add more salt and pepper to your preference. Serve with more freshly grated parmesan on top. Enjoy!

Notes

I remove the seeds from the chipotle pepper before pureeing it. It's still smoky and has a bit of a kick this way, but it isn't overpoweringly spicy. 

Nutrition

Calories: 817kcalCarbohydrates: 91gProtein: 26gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 24gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 615mgPotassium: 481mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 3693IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 391mgIron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

I hope you love this creamy chipotle pasta recipe as much as I do! It's already become a staple in my house and I think you'll find the same for yours.

XO,

Chelsea

Learn more about me (Chelsea Kram) and XO&So here: About Me.