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Creamy Farfalle Pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions. This simple meatless Italian dinner is pure comfort food! The bow-tie shaped pasta is perfectly matched with rich and buttery Parmesan sauce!
Farfalle - Bow Tie Pasta
- Farfalle pasta is meant to be used with creamy sauces, such as with chicken broccoli alfredo (with or without chicken) or with this creamy four-cheese pasta sauce. In fact, this farfalle recipe was inspired by another family favorite that features a rich creamy pasta sauce: spinach mushroom pasta.
- Farfalle works great both in meatless recipes and in dishes with meat. This particular recipe is meatless. However, you can easily add any kind of meat or seafood. Add easy seared chicken or grilled chicken to this creamy bow tie pasta. Who doesn't like creamy pasta, especially if you add some chicken to it? It's a perfect dish to make for a family weeknight dinner.
- If you enjoy seafood, add seared scallops with bacon or trout with garlic lemon butter sauce.
Farfalle: Italian Pasta
This Italian-inspired recipe features bow-tie shaped pasta smothered with easy cream sauce along with vegetables and mushrooms. You'll love this simple comfort food on a plate.
- Simple ingredients. This recipe requires basic ingredients that you can buy pretty much at any store: bow-tie pasta, spinach, mushrooms, onions, garlic, cream, and Parmesan cheese.
- Packed with veggies. This meatless farfalle recipe uses spinach and caramelized onions. It's a great and delicious way to incorporate more vegetables into your dinners.
- Caramelized onions add so much flavor and sophistication to this dish!
- Weeknight dinner recipe. This easy recipe is perfect for those busy weeknights when you don't have much time for cooking. It's also a great recipe to use any leftover chicken. Just throw in some leftover cooked chicken together with creamy farfalle pasta, and you have a perfect family dinner!
- Flexible recipe. What I love about this creamy bow-tie pasta is that you can serve it as is, without meat! Or, you can add protein, if you like. Serve farfalle with grilled steak, grilled chicken, or fish.
What is farfalle?
- Farfalle is a bow-tie shaped Italian pasta. Farfalle pasta can also be described as butterfly-shaped pasta. In fact, "farfalle" means "butterflies" in Italian.
- Farfalle dates back to the 16th century in Lombardia and Emilia-Romagna Regions in Northern Italy.
- Farfalle is often used with cream sauces and in tomato-based sauces. It's also popular in salads.
Substitutions
- What can you use instead of farfalle? You can substitute penne, rigatoni, fusilli, or orecchiette for farfalle without affecting the flavor.
- What can you substitute for spinach? You can use kale, Swiss chard, or arugula instead of spinach.
- What kind of mushrooms can you use? Use button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, portobello, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms.
- How to make this recipe gluten-free? Use gluten-free farfalle or other types of gluten-free pasta.
- What can you use instead of half-and-half? Use ½ cup of heavy cream + ½ cup of milk instead of 1 cup of half-and-half.
Cooking Tips
- Make-ahead tip. Make caramelized onions ahead of time, refrigerate them in an air-tight container, and use within the next 3 days. You can also freeze caramelized onions for up to 2 months and thaw them whenever you need them.
- If the creamy Parmesan sauce is too thick, slowly add a small amount of half-and-half to thin it out. Make sure the sauce continues to simmer and does not come to a standstill, while you add half-and-half to thin it out.
- If the creamy Parmesan sauce is too thin, add a small amount of shredded Parmesan cheese, and stir it in, while the sauce simmers.
How long do you cook farfalle?
- Usually, farfalle is cooked in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes.
- To prepare farfalle al dente, cook farfalle for 8 minutes, or for 2 minutes less than indicated on the package instructions.
How to make farfalle pasta
- First, caramelize onions for 30 minutes to reach a nice deep brown color. (See: how to caramelize onions). This step can be made ahead. Make caramelized onions a day or two in advance and keep them refrigerated in an airtight container.
- Next, cook the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Then, add spinach to cooked mushrooms and stir until spinach wilts.
- Next, make the creamy pasta sauce. Add half-and-half and shredded Parmesan cheese to the skillet with spinach and mushrooms. Stir, while the sauce simmers, until the cheese melts.
- Add caramelized onions to the skillet.
- Add cooked and drained farfalle pasta to the skillet with the pasta sauce and reheat on low heat for a couple of minutes.
Side dishes
- Bread. Serve garlic bread or baguette with creamy farfalle pasta.
- Green Salad. Make a basic green salad, such as spinach or arugula salad. Use a simple dressing made with olive oil, coarsely ground black pepper, and shredded Parmesan cheese.
- Fresh salad. Make this tomato cucumber avocado salad or tomato mozzarella salad.
Other pasta recipes
- Linguine with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
- Fusilli Pasta with Spinach, Artichokes, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts
- Mushroom Ravioli with Spinach
Farfalle Pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions
Creamy Farfalle with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions. The bow-tie pasta is perfectly matched with rich and buttery Parmesan sauce! Serve this easy meatless Italian meal as-is, or with grilled chicken! Satisfying and comforting dinner that a whole family will love!
Ingredients
Caramelized onions
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 yellow onions , large, sliced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Creamy pasta sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 10 oz mushrooms , sliced (I used button mushrooms)
- 6 oz spinach
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese , shredded
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Pasta
- 8 oz farfalle pasta
Instructions
How to caramelize onions:
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add sliced onions and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, constantly stirring with the spatula.
- The onions should start to brown, but without burning.
- Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking onions for 10 more minutes, continuing to stir, as onions brown even more without burning. At this point add a pinch of salt over onions.
- Continue cooking for 10 more minutes on medium or low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pan or burn.
- In total, you should have cooked onions for 30 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from heat and sprinkle the onions with a small amount of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan.
- Using a spatula, stir the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan and coating onions with a pinch of balsamic vinegar you just added. Remove caramelized onions to a plate.
How to cook mushrooms and spinach:
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet on medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
- Cook mushrooms for about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring, until mushrooms are soft.
- Add fresh spinach to the skillet and stir on low heat just until spinach starts to wilt.
How to make creamy pasta sauce:
- Add half-and-half to the mushroom and spinach mixture and bring to a quick boil. Immediately reduce to simmer.
- Add ⅔ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese and ¼ teaspoon salt. Keep stirring while the sauce simmers until the cheese melts.
- Add caramelized onions back to the skillet with the pasta sauce.
Cook pasta:
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain.
- Add cooked and drained farfalle pasta to the creamy sauce. Stir on low heat for a couple of minutes to reheat.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of half-and-half to thin it out. If it is too thin, add a small amount of shredded Parmesan cheese, and stir it in, while the sauce simmers.
- Serve with more shredded parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.
Notes
Substitute for half-and-half: Use ½ cup of heavy cream + ½ cup of milk instead of 1 cup of half-and-half.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Farfalle Pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions
Amount per Serving
Calories
511
% Daily Value*
Fat
22
g
34
%
Saturated Fat
10
g
63
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
9
g
Cholesterol
39
mg
13
%
Sodium
761
mg
33
%
Potassium
816
mg
23
%
Carbohydrates
58
g
19
%
Fiber
5
g
21
%
Sugar
7
g
8
%
Protein
22
g
44
%
Vitamin A
4399
IU
88
%
Vitamin C
20
mg
24
%
Calcium
436
mg
44
%
Iron
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This pasta was delicious!!
I am very pleased to read it, Katherine!
made recipe for the first time. Perfect. Just as good as any Italian restaurant.
That's one of the best comments I've ever read! Thank you, Linda!
What is the serving size?
Marci, the whole recipe makes 4 servings.
Tried this recipe tonight. Had all of the ingredients except the half and half. I substituted what I had on hand with low-fat milk and cornstarch to thicken. It was very good, but would add garlic next time and the half n half, and more spinach. I liked the other suggestions as well adding sun dried tomatoes and chicken. Nice recipe to change up once in awhile.
What is half and half please
Hi Rita. It’s found in the dairy aisle of your grocery store. It’s basically milk with half cream like you would put in your coffee. Often found next to Heavy whipping cream and things like Coffee Mate.
It’s similar to milk and can be found in the dairy section. You can also substitute equal amount of milk and heavy whipping cream
Half-and-half is half milk + half cream. For example, if you don't have 1 cup of half-and-half, you can use 1/2 cup of regular milk + 1/2 cup of heavy cream (heavy cream usually has about 36%-40% fat content) instead.
Pam, thank you so much for such a detailed and helpful comment about your substitutions and other ideas. Very useful for me and others.
I added shredded roasted chicken to it. Awesome recipe. Thanks
Stacey, thank you so much for such a positive comment! Adding shredded roasted chicken sounds delicious! 🙂
I am so thankful to have found this recipe‼️ My Grandkids have not liked some of my cooking lately I made this tonight, spur of the moment decision. It was a hit, everyone loved it. It was easy to make, pretty on the plate and delicious. My 10 year old Grandson was the one I was most worried about… he had 3 servings. My daughter loved it as well as the 4 and seven year old Thank you dearly.
Kathy, thank you so much for such a kind and heartfelt comment! 🙂 Glad you've found this recipe and that everyone loved it! And, thank you for taking the time to share this positive feedback.
Made this and added sun-dried tomatoes...it was a hit. Definitely make again. After reading the comments I'd add garlic to it as well.
Amber, I am so happy this recipe was a success! Thank you for stopping by and letting me know!
I saw this recipe and loved all the ingredients and felt it needed a protein. I added chicken, 1/2 cup white wine, 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes and a little more salt and added 2 cloves of garlic. It was a nice pasta dish however for our 'liking' I needed to add these extra ingredients. This dish was also easy to prepare.
Suzanne, I am so glad you tried this recipe and enjoyed it! Love the addition of chicken and white wine - thank you so much for the feedback!
Great recipe! I had a bow tie pasta bag leftover from another dish and found this easy tasty dish. When cooking all the onions and spinach it seems like a lot, but it they cook down way more than you’d think. The caramelized onions were sooo good. As a little addition to top it all off I added 8 strips of crispy bacon shopped to the sauce before pasta. There was NO LEFTOVERS!
You are so right about all these veggies cooking down to nothing! 🙂 It seems like so much in the beginning. Glad you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it!
Well we tried this last night and it was an absolute hit - they want it as a weekly meal. It tasted amazing however, the half and half makes it super fattening so I want to try and find an alternative so we can have it every week! Between the caramelized onions and mushrooms; the taste was amazing! Thank you so much and now let’s see what I can do this evening for dinner! Your meals are so incredible!
Tara, your comment made my day! 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to write this positive feedback - I appreciate it!
I found this recipe a couple of months ago, and find myself making it a couple times a month. My family really loves it. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe with us.
Mykala, I am so happy you've been enjoying this recipe. Thank you for the comment - comments like that truly make my day!
Made this for dinner tonight. It was SO Good! I will definitely make this again. Easy to follow recipe! Thanks!
Anne, I am so happy to hear the recipe was a success! Thank you for letting me know!
I made your delicious recipe tonight and loved it. Not only is it terrific as is but, lends itself to many variations. I’m looking forward to making it again and adding cayenne pepper and garlic. I have friends who are vegan and I think they would love it.
So happy you liked this recipe! I couldn't agree more - there could be so many tasty variations to this recipe! Love your idea of cayenne pepper and garlic!
Was this recipe updated? Did you previously have a different one posted??
No, this is the same recipe - I have not updated it at all.
This was so yummy! Such a great blend of flavors. My only thought is that it needs something else and I’m not sure what. Maybe some crispy bacon or even rotisserie chicken thrown in? Either way it’s a new fav for us!
Question, can anyone help me with nutritional info on this? Maybe even calories at the minimum?
Sarah, I am so happy to hear the recipe was enjoyed! Your idea of adding crispy bacon or rotisserie chicken sounds delicious. Maybe, Proscuitto?
I can't believe I didn't have the nutritional info for this recipe - I just added it to the recipe card.
This is delicious! I will be sending leftovers in my daughter’s lunch to school tomorrow.
Glad you liked it! 🙂
Oh my word!!!! This dish is so delicious It will be something I will make over and over again! I will add grilled chicken breast to keep my husband happy. I’m fine with it the way it is. Thanks for sharing!
Marie, your comment made my day! I am so pleased you enjoyed this dish. Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to share this positive comment!
Does this reheat well? Looking for a dish to bring to a funeral reception- it will need to be rewarmed.
It will reheat well if reheated over low heat. Preferably on the stovetop. Putting this in a microwave for longer than 30 seconds and/or overheating it might cause the sauce to separate.
How can I make this ahead of time and keep it warm for about an hour?