Spinach Artichoke Pasta
All the tastes you adore from one of your favorite appetizers are here in one creamy, delicious serving of pasta! This recipe for Spinach Artichoke Pasta will satisfy your appetite for a traditional dip while serving up a full and nutritious meal! Better still, it just takes 20 minutes to prepare!
Yield: 4
Materials
- 1/2 lb pasta
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups artichoke hearts chopped 10 oz rinsed and drained or about a 14 oz can
- 1 1/2 cup stock vegetable or chicken
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1/4 cup cream cheese 2 oz
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 cups fresh spinach packed 4 oz
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese finely grated plus more for finishing
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- fresh parsley to finish optional
Instructions
- Bring a big saucepan of well-salted water to a boil over high heat.
- Meanwhile, add butter to a sizable sauté pan (at least 3 quarts) that has been heated to medium. Allow to slightly melt before adding the flour and garlic. While the remaining butter melts, carefully whisk in the flour to make a light roux. To keep the garlic from burning, make sure it's also covered with butter.
- Whisk in your preferred stock gradually as you blend it with the roux. Add onion powder, thyme, parsley, and artichokes. After bringing everything to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat back to medium and simmer it gently for three to five minutes.
- Put the pasta in the boiling water. Allow one minute shorter than the recommended cooking duration.
- Incorporate the cream cheese into the sauce with a gentle whisk, allowing it to melt and blend well. As the sauce thickens and the cream cheese melts, simmer for an additional three to five minutes.
- In order for the fresh spinach to wilt, add it to the sauce and mix thoroughly. After the spinach has wilted, mix in the lemon juice.
- After the pasta is cooked, drain it and immediately add it to the skillet. Cover with sauce, return to a vigorous simmer (if needed, increase heat a little), and allow pasta to continue cooking in sauce for an additional minute or until sauce thickens.
- Add the Parmesan cheese at the end and mix until it melts. After that, plate and proceed to serve!
- If preferred, sprinkle fresh parsley or more Parmesan cheese over top.
Notes
Keepsake
Refrigerator: Keep fresh for three to five days.
Freezer: Like other cheese-and-cream sauces, this may be frozen, but when it thaws out, it could have a little gritty consistency. We discover that it reheats most effectively in a saute pan with a bit extra Parmesan cheese added.
Replacements
Garlic: You can add around 1/4 teaspoon of dried garlic to the meal along with the other spices if you prefer not to use fresh.
Parsley: Use 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley in place of the dry.
Thyme: Use 1/2 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh thyme instead of dry.
Spinach: To replace the fresh spinach, defrost out 5–6 ounces of frozen spinach and squeeze out all of the extra liquid before adding. Choose your favorite pasta! Just be careful not to boil for longer than the recommended one minute on the box, or for only ninety to one hundred seconds if using fresh.
Half and Half: For an even creamier sauce and taste, heavy cream works well as well.
Artichokes: After marinating them in oil, we drain and rinse them. Any canned or jarred artichoke hearts that have been washed and drained will work. For information on utilizing fresh artichokes, refer to the recipe recommendations mentioned above.
Refrigerator: Keep fresh for three to five days.
Freezer: Like other cheese-and-cream sauces, this may be frozen, but when it thaws out, it could have a little gritty consistency. We discover that it reheats most effectively in a saute pan with a bit extra Parmesan cheese added.
Replacements
Garlic: You can add around 1/4 teaspoon of dried garlic to the meal along with the other spices if you prefer not to use fresh.
Parsley: Use 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley in place of the dry.
Thyme: Use 1/2 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh thyme instead of dry.
Spinach: To replace the fresh spinach, defrost out 5–6 ounces of frozen spinach and squeeze out all of the extra liquid before adding. Choose your favorite pasta! Just be careful not to boil for longer than the recommended one minute on the box, or for only ninety to one hundred seconds if using fresh.
Half and Half: For an even creamier sauce and taste, heavy cream works well as well.
Artichokes: After marinating them in oil, we drain and rinse them. Any canned or jarred artichoke hearts that have been washed and drained will work. For information on utilizing fresh artichokes, refer to the recipe recommendations mentioned above.