Quick Marinara Pasta Spinach

# What You’ll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz dried spaghetti or penne

02 - Salt, for pasta water

→ Sauce

03 - 2 tbsp olive oil

04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

05 - 1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce

06 - 5 oz fresh baby spinach

07 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

08 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ To Serve

09 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)

10 - Fresh basil leaves (optional)

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.

02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.

03 - Pour in marinara sauce and bring to a gentle simmer. Add red pepper flakes if desired.

04 - Stir fresh baby spinach into sauce and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2–3 minutes.

05 - Add drained pasta to skillet, tossing to coat. If sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water to adjust consistency.

06 - Stir in grated Parmesan cheese and season with freshly ground black pepper.

07 - Serve immediately, garnished with additional Parmesan and fresh basil if desired.

# Additional Tips::

01 -

Dinner is genuinely ready in twenty minutes, no shortcuts or false promises.
Fresh spinach transforms jarred sauce into something that tastes like you've been cooking all afternoon.
It tastes better than it should given how little you actually did.

02 -

Don't let that spinach sit in the pan once it hits the oil—it goes from tender to tired in thirty seconds if you're not watching.
The pasta water is not garbage; those starch molecules are what make the sauce cling instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
Tasting as you go matters more than following measurements exactly, because your garlic might be smaller than mine and your stove hotter than the recipe assumes.

03 -