15 Minute Super Green Rigatoni

A comforting bowl of gorgeously good-for-you supergreen rigatoni is the PERFECT quick weeknight meal the whole family will love. It’s easy, quick, and great for using up wilting veggies. A drizzle of spicy chili oil and crunchy breadcrumbs make it extra special.

Green Rigatoni, at a Glance

⏰Time: 15 minutes

🍽️Serves: 4

🛒 Key Ingredients: Spinach, garlic, anchovies, lemon, pasta, parmesan

🧠 Skill Level: Beginner-friendly

👩‍🍳 Cooking Method: Stovetop

💃 Perfect For: Busy weeknights, low-effort dinners, when you need to use up greens

The Best Way to Clear Out the Veg Drawer

It’s a hard one to call (and my answer probably changes every week), but this recipe tends to be at the top of my list when I want something comforting, quick AND easy. It’s a wonderful ‘clear out the veg drawer’ recipe because you can switch your greens up, and it still works. Use kale, arugula (rocket), cavolo nero or even lettuce that needs using up, and you’ll transform the sad, wilting greens into something vibrant and fresh.

I love serving this gorgeous green rigatoni with a little drizzle of chili oil and a scattering of crispy breadcrumbs to make a wonderful bowl of comfort that still feels nourishing.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Spinach. These lovely, mild leaves give the sauce its vibrant green color, so they’re non-negotiable. I like using baby spinach leaves because they cook down and blend more easily. But, you can absolutely switch out the spinach for something else – kale or cavolonero work well but need more cooking than spinach – blanch them in boiling salted water for 3 minutes before popping them in the blender and following the rest of the recipe. Arugula or even lettuce will also work.
• Anchovies. These add an extra layer of umami to the green sauce that salt alone won’t give you. But I know they’re divisive, so if you’re not a fan – or you want to make it vegetarian – you can leave them out. As a substitute, use 2 teaspoons of white miso paste.
• Parmesan. Try to grate your own parmesan, rather than using pre-grated, packaged parmesan. The pre-grated stuff is coated with an anti-caking agent, so it won’t melt into the sauce as well. My favorite hack for this recipe is to throw a piece of parmesan straight into the blender with the sauce, rather than grating it first.
• Pasta. I’m using rigatoni in this recipe because I love how they capture the sauce, but you can use whatever pasta you have to hand.

You also need a blender for this recipe – I find it makes a smoother sauce than a food processor.

How to Make Your Green Pasta

This is a step-by-step photo overview of how to make the pasta – the full recipe with ingredient quantities is at the bottom of the page for you.

1. Get your pasta cooking, then start your sauce. Soften your onions, then add the anchovies and garlic. Mash the anchovies into the pan.

1. Add your spinach leaves to the pan, in batches if needed (they’ll reduce a lot in size as they cook).

1. Stir the spinach until it softens, releases water, and wilts down significantly.

1. Transfer the contents of the pan into a blender, along with the lemon juice, parmesan, and a ladleful of the pasta cooking water.

1. Blitz into a super smooth, vibrant green sauce.

1. Pour the sauce back into the pan you were using, then transfer the cooked pasta into it too.

1. Toss the pasta through the sauce, adding a little extra pasta water to loosen things up as needed. Taste, then season with a little more salt, pepper, or lemon juice.

1. Divide the pasta between plates, then top with the crispy breadcrumbs, extra grated parmesan, and basil leaves.

Green Rigatoni FAQs

Can I make the green rigatoni in advance?

You can! Just be aware that the pasta will continue to soak up the sauce as it sits, so it really is best the day it’s made.

If you want to prep ahead, I’d recommend either reheating it on the stovetop and adding a little water to help loosen the sauce, or adding a little water (2 tablespoons to start) to it in a microwave-safe bowl, giving it a stir and heating for a couple of minutes, stirring halfway through.

Or, make the sauce ahead of time if you like (it will keep well for at least 3 days in the fridge) and then just toss with pasta when you’re ready to serve. Be aware that the color of the sauce will darken the longer it’s exposed to the air, so it won’t be as lovely and vibrant if you’re making it in advance.

What if I don’t like anchovies or want to keep this vegetarian?

Don’t worry at all – just don’t add them! The sauce is still delicious without them.

For a similar flavor, you could use 2 teaspoons of white miso paste instead.

Can I use something other than spinach in the green pasta sauce?

Yes, you can. I like spinach because it cooks really quickly and blends easily, but other greens like arugula, any kind of lettuce, kale, silverbeet or cavolo nero will work equally well.

If you are using kale, silverbeet or cavolo nero, make sure you cook them longer as they’re tougher than spinach and won’t blend well if you just cook them in the pan. Blanch the greens in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain and add to the blender.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @Zageer on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.

A comforting bowl of gorgeously good-for-you green rigatoni is the PERFECT quick weeknight meal the whole family will love. It’s easy, quick and great for using up any wilting veggies. A drizzle of chili oil and crunchy breadcrumbs make it extra special. Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 15 mins

Servings: 2 servings

Course: Main Course, pasta
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

For the crispy breadcrumbs –

• 1 tablespoon chili oil, or olive oil
• ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs

For the pasta –

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 anchovies, or use 2 teaspoons of white miso paste
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 9 oz spinach leaves, (250g)
• 7 oz (200g) rigatoni, or any pasta shape of your choice
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 oz (30g) parmesan, plus extra to serve
• 1 tablespoon chili oil

Method

1. Make the crispy breadcrumbs.Add 1 tablespoon of chili oil to a small pan over medium heat, then add the breadcrumbs. Cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes, until golden brown and smelling toasty. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Make the green sauce.Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan you used to toast the breadcrumbs. Add the diced onion and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook for a couple of minutes until they soften and start to change color (they’ll go a little see-through).At this point, add the sliced garlic and the two anchovies if you’re using them, smooshing them down with the back of your spoon so they dissolve into the oil. Stir for another minute.
3. Cook the pasta.While you're softening your onions, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add your pasta and let it cook while you finish the sauce. You want it to be al dente – still with a little bite – this should take about 10 minutes (refer to the packet of whatever pasta you're using for precise timing).
PRO TIP: To make this process faster, I normally use my electric kettle to boil the water, and then add it to the pan, rather than waiting for it to boil on the stove.
4. Add the spinach.Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in batches. Add the spinach to the pan with the onions, and stir for a minute, until it starts to change color and shrink in size. It’ll go a lot darker and will soften as the water releases.
5. Blend the sauce.Add the contents of the pan into a blender with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, the parmesan (you can literally just put a little piece of parmesan in rather than grating it first), and about a ladleful of the pasta cooking water. Blitz into a super smooth sauce, scraping down the sides a couple of times. This can take a good few minutes – just keep blending and add a little more pasta cooking water if it's getting stuck.
PRO TIP: Pasta water is key in any pasta dish, so never throw it away! It's super starchy and will help to make your sauce really smooth, silky, and creamy without having to add any cream.
6. Mix the sauce with the pasta.Get your silky smooth green sauce back into the pan and transfer the cooked pasta straight into the sauce from the pot it was cooking in. Toss everything together with tongs or a spatula, making sure the sauce coats every piece of pasta.If it looks a bit thick, add a little more pasta cooking water. Taste and season with more salt and a little more grated parmesan if you think it needs it.
7. Garnish and serve.Divide between serving plates and drizzle with ½ tablespoon of the chili oil, the remaining parmesan, and the crispy breadcrumbs. Enjoy right away.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl
Calories: 599kcal
Carbohydrates: 93.8g
Protein: 25.6g
Fat: 14g
Saturated Fat: 4.1g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 8.7g
Cholesterol: 13.6mg
Sodium: 1214.8mg
Fiber: 7.3g
Sugar: 5.9g

Notes

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Like any pasta, this is best enjoyed right away, as the pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it sits in the sauce. It will still taste delicious when reheated, but the texture won’t be quite the same. It will keep well for at least 3 days, stored in the fridge. You could also make the sauce ahead of time, and then just mix through cooked pasta when you’re ready to serve. INGREDIENT NOTES: If you’re using fresh pasta, don’t cook it until you’ve blended up the sauce and are ready to add it back to the pan (this is because it takes only a couple of minutes to cook, rather than 10 minutes for dried pasta). If you don’t have spinach, you can use any other leafy greens here. Kale, silverbeet or cavolo nero work really well, but make sure you blanch them in boiling water for 3 minutes before adding them to the blender – they don’t cook as quickly or easily as spinach. You can also do half spinach, half kale or another green if you wish, or use arugula (rocket) or lettuce. MAKE IT VEGAN: Swap the anchovies for 2 teaspoons of white miso paste and use a vegan parmesan cheese alternative. SERVING SUGGESTIONS: I love to serve this pasta with lovely fresh bread – try it with no-knead chilli oil focaccia or fragrant rosemary parmesan bread.