Garlic-spinach meat sauce pasta

Name: Garlic-spinach meat sauce pasta
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2.1 oz Protein pasta, dry (chickpea/lentil) (60 g); 3.5 oz Ground beef 90/10, cooked (100 g); 0.33 cup Marinara, jarred (80 g); 2 handfuls Spinach (50 g); 2 cloves Garlic (6 g); 2 tbsp Fresh herbs (dill/parsley/cilantro) (5 g); 1 tsp Extra virgin olive oil (5 g)

Updated 2026-10-08 - data v2026-10-08.2

Servings1

Nutrition

534 kcal Estimates

Percent of calories

Protein per 100 kcal: 7.9 g est.
Cost: $3.93 est.
Cost per 10 g protein: $0.93 est.

Recipe keys

Gluten-Free
Dairy-Free
Meal-Prep
Freezer-Friendly

Why this recipe is worth the hype

42 g protein for about $3.93 (est.)
Spinach wilts into the sauce so the portion feels bigger.
Herbs make a jar sauce taste cooked-from-scratch.
Batch it once and reheat all week.

Ingredients

Amounts update with the serving control. Per serving is the base.

Protein pasta, dry (chickpea/lentil)added estimate2.1 oz (60 g)
Ground beef 90/10, cooked3.5 oz (100 g)
Marinara, jarredadded estimate0.33 cup (80 g)
Spinachadded estimate2 handfuls (50 g)
Garlicadded estimate2 cloves (6 g)
Fresh herbs (dill/parsley/cilantro)added estimate2 tbsp (5 g)
Extra virgin olive oil1 tsp (5 g)

Steps

Boil the pasta.
Brown the beef with garlic in oil.
Add marinara and spinach and simmer until the spinach wilts.
Toss with pasta and herbs.

Recipe ladder

L1 Basic

Protein pasta with turkey marinara

kcal +3 higher
Protein +3 g higher
Carbs 0 g lower
Fat −1 g lower
Cost −0.75 lower est.
Time −7 min lower

537 kcal · $3.18 est.

L2 Upgraded

Garlic-spinach meat sauce pasta

Current level

534 kcal · $3.93 est.

L3 Chef-y

Bolognese-style ragù with parmesan

kcal +6 higher
Protein +1 g higher
Carbs −1 g lower
Fat +1 g higher
Cost −0.22 lower est.
Time +15 min higher

540 kcal · $3.70 est.

Nutrition values are estimates computed from ingredient weights. USDA verification is in progress.

Cite as: Macro Friendly Meals, "Garlic-spinach meat sauce pasta", https://macrofriendlymeals.com/recipes/protein-pasta-meat-sauce-l2, data v2026-10-08.2.