This spinach artichoke macaroni and cheese combines two classic favorites, spinach artichoke dip, and the ultimate comfort food, mac and cheese!
Are you looking for a delicious, creamy mac and cheese recipe that takes your taste buds on a flavor journey?
That’s exactly what you get with this recipe for Spinach Artichoke Mac & Cheese.
It's a stellar combination of two of our favorite foods, creamy spinach artichoke dip and the classic macaroni and cheese!
It’s the perfect comfort food dish to enjoy during these cold winter months.
Trust us, one bite of this heavenly concoction, and your taste buds will be thanking you!
And if you enjoy this dish you'll also want to see our other favorite pasta dish recipes like our fresh caprese pasta salad and our creamy lemon chicken orzo recipe.
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Ingredients
The stars of our recipe include:
Pasta: Any small pasta like elbows, mini penne, shells or ditalini will work great.
Baby spinach: A more delicate spinach, but you can use regular spinach chopped finely.
Artichokes: We used marinated artichokes.
Cheese: Cream cheese (at room temperature) and shredded cheddar cheese add the "cheese" factor to this amazing macaroni and cheese.
Breadcrumbs: We used panko on top of our mac and cheese to give it a bit of a crunch on top. Not necessary but delicious.
We also used:
- Milk
- Heavy cream
- Butter (melted)
- Parsley
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
To start off, preheat the oven and preparing a 3 quart casserole dish by lightly greasing it.
While the oven preheats, cook your pasta in salted water according to the package directions, subtracting 1-2 minutes from the cooking time. (The pasta will continue to cook during baking.)
When pasta has finished cooking, drain but reserve ½ a cup of the cooking liquid and set aside.
Drain the pasta but don't rinse.
Return the pasta to the cooking pot. Then add in the reserved pasta water, milk, heavy cream and cream cheese.
Stir gently until the cream cheese completely melts.
Then add in your baby spinach, marinated artichokes and shredded cheddar cheese.
Stir to combine well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer to the casserole dish and spread out into an even layer.
In a separate small bowl make the panko topping by stirring together the panko, melted butter, garlic powder, and fresh parsley.
Sprinkle the panko topping over the spinach artichoke mac and cheese in an even layer, covering the entire surface.
Bake until the pasta is hot and bubbly and the topping turns a golden-brown (about 10-15 minutes)
Doesn't it look delicious! (Trust me, it is.)
The cool thing about this mac and cheese dish is that it's substantial enough to be a main course, but is awesome as a side dish too!
Storage
Transfer to a sealable container and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
Recipe
Spinach Artichoke Mac & Cheese
This spinach artichoke macaroni and cheese combines two our favorite comfort foods, spinach artichoke dip and mac & cheese! The combo is an amazingly creamy, cheesy pasta dish with a light crunch you're taste buds with adore.
Ingredients
- 12 oz. small dry pasta
- 1 c. milk
- ½ c. heavy cream
- 1 8-oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 c. baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 8-oz. jar marinated artichokes, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 c. panko breadcrumbs
- 2 T. melted butter
- ¼ c. fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 t. garlic powder
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and lightly grease a 3-quart casserole dish. Set to the side.
- While oven preheats, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package instructions, subtracting 1-2 minutes from cooking time. (Pasta will continue to cook during baking.)
- Drain pasta, reserving ½ cup of cooking water.
- Return pasta back to cooking pot and add in the reserved pasta water, milk, heavy cream and cream cheese.
- Gently stir until cream cheese is completely melted.
- Add spinach, artichoke and cheddar cheese and stir until completely combined.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer to the casserole dish and form an even layer of the pasta mixture and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the panko, melted butter, garlic powder and fresh parsley. Sprinkle mixture over top of mac and cheese mixture.
- Bake 10 - 15 minutes until pasta is hot and bubbly, and the top is a golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy!
Spinach Artichoke Mac & Cheese is such a delicious way to enjoy comfort food without feeling guilty afterward!
Packed full of cheesy goodness plus healthy veggies like spinach and artichokes means you can indulge without compromising on nutrition either.
This creamy delight goes great as an entrée when served with a side salad or fresh vegetables like broccoli or carrots which adds even more nutritional value too!
So what are you waiting for? Get cooking today - your taste buds won't regret it!
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