This spinach artichoke pasta is creamy, comforting, and has the same flavors as the classic dip. It's easy to make in about 30 minutes!
Tangy cream cheese, freshly grated parmesan, baby spinach, garlic, and artichoke hearts come together to create a decadent sauce for this creamy spinach and artichoke pasta. It's great for a meatless main course, or serve it as a side dish.
Love creamy pasta recipes? Try my Quick & Easy Alfredo Sauce or this Creamy Penne Pasta.
How to make spinach artichoke pasta (overview):
Boil the pasta. Meanwhile, sauté the onion in a skillet, then stir in the garlic. Add the chicken/veg broth, cream cheese, and Italian seasoning to the pan, and stir until the cream cheese has melted in. Reserve about a cup of the hot pasta water prior to draining the pasta. Add the spinach & artichokes to the skillet, along with a few tablespoons of the hot pasta water. Stir/toss (it's easy with tongs) until the spinach has begun to wilt and the sauce has thinned to your liking, adding more pasta water gradually as needed. Stir in the parmesan. Add the pasta to the pan and toss. (Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below)
Recipe notes & tips:
- This recipe will go much smoother if you ensure the cream cheese is nice and soft (let it sit on your counter for at least a couple hours or microwave it until it's soft).
- You could use frozen spinach as long as you thaw it and squeeze the water out thoroughly.
- Use any shape of pasta for this recipe.
- Don't forget to save some of the hot pasta water prior to draining the pasta - it's an integral part of the sauce.
- I always recommend keeping a wedge of parmesan cheese in the fridge and grating it yourself vs. buying the pre-grated kind.
- Be sure to salt this recipe enough! There's quite a lot of pasta and cream cheese, so it needs a decent amount of salt to not taste bland.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a few days, but creamy sauces can separate if reheated on too high of a heat or even dry out a bit in the fridge. You may need to add a splash of chicken/veg broth to perk up the sauce. I don't recommend freezing this recipe.
What to serve with spinach artichoke pasta?
Try some garlic bread or a side salad. It also pairs well with many main courses such as my Parmesan Crusted Chicken.
You may also like...
- Spinach Artichoke Chicken
- Spinach Artichoke Salmon
- Spinach and Artichoke Gnocchi
- Creamed Spinach (with Frozen or Fresh Spinach!)
- Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta
Questions about this spinach artichoke pasta recipe? Did you make it? Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram and leave me a comment/review below. 🙂
Spinach Artichoke Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces uncooked pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 block Philly) softened
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- 3 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Ensure the cream cheese is very soft (you may want to microwave it for 30 seconds or more if you haven't had it sitting out on your counter for a couple hours).
- Boil a pot of salted water for the pasta and cook it al dente according to package directions. You will need to reserve some pasta water before draining it.
- Meanwhile, add the oil and onion to a skillet and sauté over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the broth, cream cheese, and Italian seasoning to the pan. Stir until the cream cheese has mostly melted in (some lumps are ok)... this should take about 3-4 minutes.
- Reserve about a cup of the hot pasta water prior to draining the pasta (you likely won't use it all).
- Take the skillet off the heat, then add the artichokes and spinach, along with a few tablespoons of the hot pasta water. Toss (either use tongs or two fairly large spoons) and add more of the pasta water gradually until the sauce is thinned to your liking and the spinach is starting to wilt.
- Stir the parmesan into the sauce.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss. Add a splash more of the hot pasta water if needed. Season with salt & pepper (I'm generous with both). Serve immediately.
Notes
- 8-12 oz. of pasta will work for this recipe as it makes quite a lot of sauce. (that's about half to 3/4 of a standard one pound box of pasta).
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
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