Creamy Gruyere Spaghetti for Two
Pasta coated in a creamy gruyere cheese sauce with spinach is a decadent (and easy!) pasta recipe for two. It’s perfect for those nights when you want to satisfy a pasta craving.
In the last year, I’ve recognized the value of small-batch recipes because making just one or two servings of something decadent and rich means you don’t have days of leftovers haunting and tempting you.
So, these days, when a craving hits, I make just enough for myself with maybe enough leftovers for lunch the next day. And so it was earlier this week that I made an Alfredo and macaroni and cheese hybrid recipe that I’m calling creamy gruyere spaghetti.
Ingredients
- Dried breadcrumbs
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil
- Back pepper
- Spaghetti
- Butter
- All-purpose flour
- 2% milk
- Herbs de Provence
- Kosher salt
- Grated Gruyere cheese
- Roughly chopped fresh spinach
How to Make It
This is a creamy pan of pasta topped with a sprinkling of crispy breadcrumbs. I love the flavor of herbs de Provence, but you can use Italian seasoning or dried oregano.
If you’d like to take this a normal dinner route, add a salad on the side and set the table with a proper plate and napkin. Or, take the guilty pleasure route and enjoy it straight from the pan. It works either way.
More Gruyere Recipes
Gruyere Grilled Cheese | Creamy Chicken and Rice | French Onion Hot Dogs
Creamy Gruyere Spaghetti
Because this recipe serves two, you don’t need to haul out a big pan to make the sauce. An oven-safe 8.5-inch skillet is a perfect size for the sauce. In fact, I used a smaller pot to cook the pasta, too. Just break the spaghetti in half and you don’t need a big stock pot either.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon dried breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- Ground black pepper
- 5 ounces spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup 2% milk
- 1/2 tsp herbs de Provence
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
- 2 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. While you wait for it to boil, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, olive oil, and a few pinches of black pepper in a small bowl. You will use this topping once the pasta and sauce are done. Once the water is boiling, cook the spaghetti for about 2 minutes, less than what’s listed on the package. It will finish cooking in the sauce.
- While the pasta boils, make the sauce. First, melt the butter in an oven-safe pan over medium heat. Once frothy, add the flour and stir with a spatula to combine. Cook the paste for a minute or so, adjusting the heat if needed so the butter doesn’t brown too quickly). Switch to a whisk and slowly add the milk to the pan, whisking continuously. Be sure to monitor the heat – you don’t want the milk to boil otherwise it will cause the sauce to break. Add the herbs and salt and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the cheese and stir until it’s melted. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts into the sauce.
- Add the cooked spaghetti to the pan and stir to coat it in the sauce. Sprinkle the parmesan breadcrumbs over the top of the pasta. Turn on the broiler and pop the pan under it for a couple of minutes or until the breadcrumbs are crispy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
- Calories: 735
- Sugar: 6.8g
- Sodium: 1131.2mg
- Fat: 37.8g
- Saturated Fat: 20.3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15.2g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 60.4g
- Fiber: 2.9g
- Protein: 38.9g
- Cholesterol: 102.2mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
More Pasta Dinners for Two
This is such a cozy, comforting pasta dish – I hope you try it soon!
Happy cooking,
Perfect week night dinner ! Thank you !
Delicious! I’m not even a cook, but I was able to whip this up. I was a little worried that 2 cups spinach would be two much, but after it wilted it was the perfect amount.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was amazing! I used homemade chicken stock instead of milk for the sauce and served with sauteed shrimp and lemon zest.
That sounds delicious!
So.Damn.Good.
Followed the recipe as is. Gruyere and Herbs de Provence are soul mates. Soooo delicious and ready in under 20 minutes.
So glad you liked it!
Just reading the recipe made my mouth water. Will make after the storm passes. I need some spinach and herbs.
Fabulous side dish! The only thing I’d recommend is to chop the spaghetti into bite size pieces before mixing with the sauce.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Break spaghetti in pieces? Really. NO!
I’ll definitely be making this again. Perfectly portioned for two which was so nice – thank you for this !
Glad you liked it!
This recipe was so tasty! I had some Gruyere cheese lying around and just looked up a pasta recipe that included it. I came along this and I’m so glad I did! It was fantastic. Thank you!
So glad you liked it!
Can you make ahead for 4 people, and then what do you suggest for the next night when serving? 350 degrees for 30 min? Do you think it will be just as good?
I don’t recommend making it ahead – the sauce may separate when it’s chilled and not be as creamy when you warm it up. As far as doubling it, there should be no problem with that. Hope that helps!
This was DELICIOUS!! And easy….. I am glad I made it for 4, because my husband went back for seconds, twice, lol. Thank you very much for the great recipe!
So glad you both loved it!
This was incredible!!!
The sauce is so yummy 🙂
Thanks for an awesome recipe.
This pasta made a wonderful side to steak and salad. it is very, very rich, and having doubled the recipe we had leftovers the next night as an entree with fresh rolls and salad. I followed the directions, making no adjustments. I spritzed some lemon juice over mine. This is a great recipe and I will be using it again. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent recipe! I added sauté shrimp at the end; other than that, the flavors were delicious!
Love that you added shrimp!
Husband loved it and wants it to be a staple! I added 1 lb of beef and plan to try broccoli for more veggies next.
That’s so great! So glad you both enjoyed it.
That was delicious followed the recipe to the tee. Perfect thank you so much.