Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pasta
Super simple, 30-minute spinach artichoke pasta! This pasta is like the classic spinach artichoke dip but served up as a creamy pasta dinner instead. It’s made with marinated artichokes, spinach, cream cheese, and a few other pantry ingredients. It’s so comforting – a great way to treat yourself when you have a craving for pasta.
We be carbin’ today with this spinach artichoke pasta – an easy recipe that came to me during a serious craving for spinach artichoke dip. You know, the warm, creamy dip you scoop up with one chip after another until you lose count? I’m not one to say no to dip for dinner, but in this case, I did dinner-fy it and turned it into a creamy pasta. Spoiler alert: I loved it and think you will, too.
How to Make It
You can make this recipe in about 30 minutes. The creamy, rich sauce is offset by a healthy dose of spinach and marinated artichoke hearts that balance out the richness. So, it’s a cheesy, veggie-forward combo or, as I like to say, a little naughty and nice.
More Pasta Recipes
Tortellini Primavera | Gruyere Spaghetti | Tuscan Chicken Penne | Red Pepper Alfredo
PrintCreamy Spinach Artichoke Pasta
Spinach artichoke dip meets penne pasta in this easy dinner recipe! If you’re a fan of the classic dip, you will love this pasta recipe.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 cup frozen chopped spinach (see note)
- 1 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts, drained (about 6 ounces)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup half and half
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package directions. Before draining the pasta, reserve ½ cup of the starchy water and set it aside.
- In a large pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Once it’s melted, adjust the heat to medium and add the garlic, spinach, artichokes, salt, and Italian seasoning. Stir and cook the mixture until the spinach is cooked through.
- Add the half and half to the pan and stir. Once it’s steaming hot, add the cream cheese and stir until it melts. Add the Parmesan and stir until it’s melted into the sauce.
- Add cooked pasta and stir to coat. Add a few splashes of the reserved pasta water and stir. Garnish with grated Parmesan and parsley, if using.
Notes
Use frozen chopped spinach in a bag to make it easy to measure out one cup (instead of a block of frozen spinach).
I think this pasta is best when made, but leftovers will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to reheat the leftovers, warm them up in a pan over medium-low to medium heat. The sauce will thicken once it’s chilled, so I like to add a couple of splashes of half and half or milk to loosen it.
If you want more protein, toss some diced or shredded cooked chicken in the sauce before adding the pasta. Rotisserie chicken would work great.
Nutrition
- Calories: 582
- Sugar: 4.8g
- Sodium: 464.1mg
- Fat: 35.1g
- Saturated Fat: 20.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11.2g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 53.3g
- Fiber: 4.6g
- Protein: 15.1g
- Cholesterol: 96.7mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
If you’re craving a comforting pasta, I hope you give this one a try!
Happy cooking,
More Recipes with Spinach
Here are a few more recipes with the good green stuff, including my easy spinach dip!