Spinach Artichoke Pasta Skillet.
This spinach artichoke pasta skillet is such a fabulous side dish! It’s creamy, cheesy, indulgent and takes barely any time at all. All the classic flavors of your favorite dip mixed with penne pasta! Yum!
This is going to make everyone love you.
This is the perfect little pasta skillet to make for yourself, your favorite ones, your friends – anyone! It’s indulgent and decadent and tastes SPECIAL, making any entree you serve it with feel extra fancy too. Penne pasta is mixed in with baby spinach, chopped artichoke hearts, a creamy cheese sauce and tons of parmesan.
And the best part is that it is not difficult!
P.S. can we take a moment to laugh about the classic spinach wilt?
It’s wild!
This week I’m sharing all sorts of special treats that you can make for Valentine’s day. And this one is right up there.
But how is this a treat, you may ask?
Well, half the time I’d rather have a big pile of cheesy pasta as a treat. Instead of chocolate or cookies.
I am who I am!
A few years ago I shared a chicken spinach artichoke skillet lasagna. That is still such a delicious weeknight meal option. But this one… this one is almost like a spinach artichoke mac and cheese. It’s so creamy and cheesy. Absolutely LOADED with artichoke hearts and wilted spinach, tons of fresh garlic and cheese.
It’s a little pasta dream!
There’s a few key specifics to how I make this. I use fresh baby spinach instead of frozen. Reserved starchy pasta water will help thicken the sauce.
Also, I like to use artichokes that are marinated. Usually in olive oil. But if you use these, you have to make sure to drain them super well and gently pat them dry. Another option is to use the artichoke hearts in brine, which is also good! Again, just make sure to drain them well. You don’t want to add something that is super wet to your pasta skillet.
I also like to give mine a coarse chop, leaving just a handful whole for the top. But mostly because they look pretty. You can chop them all up if it’s easiest for you!
Finally, I stick my skillet under the broiler for just a few minutes to get some of that bubbly brown cheese. It makes it SO flavorful, so cheesy and it’s definitely the part that we all fight over the most.
You can use any cut of pasta but penne is by far my favorite here. The cheese sauce coats it perfectly AND gets stuck inside the pasta tubes. It’s like a little bite of cheese sauce explosion!
I could eat this every single day.
Spinach Artichoke Pasta Skillet
Spinach Artichoke Pasta Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta, cooked
- 1 cup reserved starchy pasta water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots, diced
- kosher salt and pepper
- 8 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 (12 ounce jars) drained and coarsely chopped artichoke hearts,
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook according to the directions, reserving 1 cup of the starchy pasta water once it’s finished.
- Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron or oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the spinach. You might need to do this in batches so it doesn’t overflow. Stir and cook until the spinach wilts, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic.
- Add in the cream cheese, stirring until it melts.
- Stream in ¾ of the pasta water. Add in the penne, most of the cheese (I reserve about ⅓ cup for the top) and the artichoke hearts. Stir until evenly combined. Some of the cheese will melt here too.
- Preheat the oven on your broiler to high.
- Add the remaining cheese on top, sprinkling it all over.
- Stick the pan under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, watching the entire time so it doesn’t burn. It may even need an additional minute or 2! Just keep an eye on it.
- Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Serve immediately with parmesan on top.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
The cheese pulls are everything.
6 Comments on “Spinach Artichoke Pasta Skillet.”
I just made the Spinach Artichoke Pasta Skillet, and it was a hit! The creamy sauce, combined with the tender pasta and fresh spinach, created such a delightful dish. I love how quick and easy it was to whip up on a weeknight. The flavor of the artichokes added a nice depth, and it felt both comforting and nutritious. I sprinkled some Parmesan on top for an extra cheesy finish, which took it to the next level! This is definitely going to be a regular in my household. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a delicious, one-pan meal!
Made this tonight and it was okay. I feel like I would’ve liked it more if some ratios had been different. Maybe increase the cream cheese or reduce the amount of penne? There was a LOT of Mozzarella, but I don’t find that to be very flavorful. Instead it made things very stringy. I think I assumed this would taste like pasta mixed with spinach and artichoke dip, so maybe that’s my bad. I also think this would benefit with an addition that added some sort of crunch, but that’s also probably just a personal preference of mine.
Great find! Made half a recipe for two of us and had plenty of leftovers. Used canned artichokes in brine and about 1/3 cup canned roasted red bell pepper strips for extra color (because I had them). Otherwise followed the recipe exactly. it was cheesy and delicious!
This is like spinach/artichoke dip with pasta! absolutely delicious! Definitely making this again! the shallots are a game changer!
This spinach artichoke pasta skillet looks so delicious! I love how creamy and cheesy it is. Perfect dish for a cozy dinner. 😍
I thought this was pretty boring. Needs some extra spices to it – anything to make it more palatable. I don’t like to add all the cheeses in any skillet dish, especially mozzarella because mozzarella is pretty stringy – so I added the cheese when it was served. I cook a lot, and was looking for another good vegetarian dish – but this wasn’t it.