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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 recipe is absolutely delicious! I made it as written and the only change I would make is to roughly chop the spinach before cooking. It is very rich and satisfying and I put it in the keeper file. Thanks for posting such a great recipe!
Stephanie, thank you for taking the time to write such a wonderful and positive comment - I really appreciate it! 🙂
I made this with dairy free shredded cheese . The dish was fabulous! Thank-you!!
Tish, I am so glad this recipe worked with dairy-free shredded cheese. I wonder what kind did you use?
I wanted to love this because it sounded good and I'm not sure what I did wrong but the 'sauce' tasted just like plain cream I even added more parmesan cheese. I ended up adding a jarred sauce to save this.
Kayla, I am sorry to hear about this!
Made this last night with pan seared chicken and it was OH my goodness SO good. My hubby loved it too!
Erin, I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed! Thank you for sharing your feedback and the 5-star rating! 🙂
Lovely! I used frozen leaf spinach instead of fresh. Thought it might be too watery, but I ended up adding a bit more half and half. Shredded parmesan thickened the sauce beautifully. I added browned chicken breast chunks and topped with sun-dried tomatoes for some colour. This recipe is a “keeper”.
Penny, thank you so much for such a detailed comment! Glad you enjoyed the recipe and I love your changes!
Made this and loved it . So easy
Kirsten, I am glad you loved it! And, thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
Great flavors and easy to follow… only problem is that my park also ended ip lumpy and gross. I tried again with sauce separate and still clumped up. I melted some havarti in milk to make the sauce. Will try again without parm all together.
Tami, I am so sorry to hear that! here are some tips to fix this:
Troubleshooting: Make sure to bring the sauce (half-and-half) to a visible boil. Add cheese gradually. The sauce should be visibly boiling at all times on the lowest setting that allows visible boiling - but it should still be visible boiling. Keep stirring until the cheese melts while the sauce boils.
Alternative route: You can also make the cream sauce completely separately from the veggies. Here is how you do it for this recipe. Cook minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat, then add half-and-half, bring it to a boil. Gradually add shredded cheese. Keep stirring patiently until the cheese melts over visible simmer - the sauce should be visibly boiling at all times on the lowest setting that allows the sauce to boil/simmer. After you have the creamy sauce, add cooked mushrooms, cooked spinach, cooked onions.
How much minced garlic?
I didn't use garlic in this recipe, but adding 3 cloves of minced garlic would be my choice.
Great recipe! I’ve never made caramelized onions before and these directions were spot on! I would definitely recommend taking your time to slice the onions so they are the same thickness so all is cooked the same.
I added some garlic to my sauce and used butter - just a personal preference when usually make a white sauce. Chicken is a great add on to make a complete meal!
Britta, your comment made my day! 🙂 Thank you for your suggestions - chicken will make a great addition to this meal!
I made this and came out great. I added too much pasta and was a bit dry but that was my fault. Making it again and I will add shrimp. Hubby loved this dish. Good for Lenten meal. Thanks!
Laura, I am so, so happy you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂 Thank you for stopping by and sharing such a positive comment - comments like that make my day ! 🙂
Whatever the secret to not getting a giant lump of congealed Parmesan wrapped around a ball of spinach floating in milky liquid is, I missed it. And I used good parm, freshly shaved.
I may try again, next time making a traditional roux as I do with my homemade Mac and cheese.
Troubleshooting: Make sure to bring the sauce (half-and-half) to a visible boil. Add cheese gradually. The sauce should be visibly boiling at all times on the lowest setting that allows visible boiling - but it should still be visible boiling. Keep stirring until the cheese melts while the sauce boils.
Alternative route: You can also make the cream sauce completely separately from the veggies. Here is how you do it for this recipe. Cook minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat, then add half-and-half, bring it to a boil. Gradually add shredded cheese. Keep stirring patiently until the cheese melts over visible simmer - the sauce should be visibly boiling at all times on the lowest setting that allows the sauce to boil/simmer. After you have the creamy sauce, add cooked mushrooms, cooked spinach, cooked onions.
Excellent during lent.I will definately make again. So simple and good.
Camille, I am glad the recipe was enjoyed! 🙂
Hi,
A1C for hubby is high, can one use wheat pasta or any other tricks to lower the carbs?
Kathy, you can serve this over zucchini noodles or cooked spaghetti squash for a low-carb version.
Also, there are some good low-carb pasta options on the market right now. Take a look at this very helpful article: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/g38005383/low-carb-pasta/
Ended up lumpy. Bought high quality parmesan and the texture resembled scrambled eggs.. not sure if this recipe was intended for the cheap pre-shredded kind
Aila, here are some tips to fix this:
Troubleshooting: Make sure to bring the sauce (half-and-half) to a visible boil. Add cheese gradually. The sauce should be visibly boiling at all times on the lowest setting that allows visible boiling - but it should still be visible boiling. Keep stirring until the cheese melts while the sauce boils.
Alternative route: You can also make the cream sauce completely separately from the veggies. Here is how you do it for this recipe. Cook minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat, then add half-and-half, bring it to a boil. Gradually add shredded cheese. Keep stirring patiently until the cheese melts over visible simmer - the sauce should be visibly boiling at all times on the lowest setting that allows the sauce to boil/simmer. After you have the creamy sauce, add cooked mushrooms, cooked spinach, cooked onions.
I made this dish today and it was absolutely delicious. It was easy to make.
Thank you.
Sherrye, you are very welcome! Glad the recipe was enjoyed. And, thank you for the comment and the 5-star rating! 🙂
T
An easy and good vegetarian dish ! Enjoyed it! Added a few hot pepper flakes to the end
Susana, I am so glad you've enjoyed this recipe! Adding red pepper flakes adds a nice touch of heat!
Julia, This recipe looks great. Any thoughts on how to make it dairy free?
You can use unsweetened coconut milk or cream.
I made up a thick cashew milk in the blender, 3/4 cup cashews and a little more than 1/2 cup of water.
Jan, that's another great idea - thank you for sharing!