Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pasta
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What’s not to love about this creamy Spinach Artichoke Pasta?!
It’s checking all the boxes for us. Creamy, cheesy, luscious, easy to make and oh, did I mention cheesy?!
It tastes just like your favorite spinach artichoke dip making this a dangerously delicious pasta.
Creamy pasta recipes are kind of a thing in our house and I’m guessing if you’re here, they are in your house too! For more delicious pasta recipes, try adding this one pot creamy chicken marsala pasta, creamy red roasted pepper pasta or this chicken alfredo pasta bake to your weekly pasta rotation.
If you really want to amp up the cheese factor, serve this spinach artichoke pasta with a side of my cheesy garlic bread and bread dipping oil!
In this easy weeknight meal, the orecchiette pasta gets tossed in a cheesy sauce filled with chopped baby spinach, artichoke hearts, grated parmesan cheese and cream cheese.
Dive in as is or enjoy with chicken breasts, ground turkey or ground beef, sausage or enjoy with baked salmon. Any way you enjoy it, you’ll be swimming in a meal of deliciousness.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Vegetarian: enjoy this creamy pasta dish as a delicious vegetarian meal or serve with your favorite protein like chicken, salmon or steak!
- Reheats great: just like most pasta recipes this pasta is even more delicious the next day! Enjoy the leftovers for a tasty lunch!
- Taste like the classic dip: if you love spinach artichoke dip you’ll love this incredibly tasty pasta version that’s perfect for enjoying for an actual meal.
Ingredient Notes
You can scroll down to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.
- Orecchiette Pasta: We love using this shape because we feel it captures the cheesy sauce so well, but feel free to use any small pasta shape: Penne, Ziti, Shells, Farfalle, Fussili etc.
- Spinach: You’ll need fresh spinach or fresh baby spinach. I have not personally tested this recipe with frozen chopped spinach but I think it would work just fine. Be sure to thaw it and squeeze out any excess moisture.
- Artichoke hearts: Using the canned artichoke hearts is perfect for this, just be sure to drain them and then chop em’ up!
- Cream cheese: Any cream cheese works well: low fat, reduced rat, etc. It’s best added to the sauce when it’s at room temperature.
- Greek yogurt: Instead of sour cream, we’re using a full fat, plain Greek yogurt. It adds so much creaminess to the sauce in addition to giving it an extra protein boost!
- Grated parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese: freshly grated is best!
Step by Step Directions
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe instructions.
Cook pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium high heat and cook the pasta according to package instructions. (al dente recommended) Be sure to reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining cooked pasta. Add pasta to a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside.
Saute spinach & artichokes
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions then add in garlic and seasonings. Add in spinach, stir until wilted. Then add in chopped artichokes, stir.
Add the rest of the ingredients
Add in the cream cheese, freshly grated parmesan cheese, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and milk/cornstarch mixture. Stir until melted and smooth. Lastly add in pasta water and mozzarella cheese. Simmer, then remove from heat.
Mix with pasta
Toss the spinach artichoke mixture with the cooked pasta noodles. Top with more mozzarella cheese if desired.
Bake & enjoy!
Bake for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Tips and Variations
- Fresh herbs: feel free to add your favorite herbs to the sauce: fresh basil, rosemary, Italian seasoning, etc.
- Add more veggies: when sautéing the onions, chopped mushrooms or sun dried tomatoes.
- Pasta water: don’t forget to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before you drain it. This starch-rich water helps the sauce stick to the noodles and we want that yummy cheesy sauce to bind to the orecchiette!
- Noodle size: use any small noodle shape, and use a gluten free noodle or veggie pasta if desired.
- Reheating: when reheating pasta, you may need to add a little water, broth or milk to thin out the sauce.
- Different cheese: experiment garnishing with different cheeses like goat cheese or feta cheese.
Ways To Serve
Enjoy this pasta recipe as a yummy side dish to your favorite protein like my roasted chicken or broiled flank steak.
You can also add the protein right into the pasta if you prefer! Toss in some cooked shredded chicken, ground meat, crumbled bacon, shrimp or sausage. Just be sure to cook the protein before hand and stir it in with the pasta and sauce before baking!
More Pasta Recipes You Will Love
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Creamy Spinach Artichoke Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz. orecchiette pasta
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 large white onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- salt, pepper, red pepper chili flakes, to taste
- 5-6 heaping cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1, 13.75 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish)
- 2 tsp. lemon juice, fresh
- 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch whisked together
- 1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium high heat and cook the pasta according to package instructions, being sure to reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining cooked pasta. (Cook pasta just shy of al dente. The pasta will tenderize in the oven even more later on).12 oz. orecchiette pasta
- Add pasta to a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add in garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper chili flakes. Stir for 1 minute.1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1/2 large white onion, diced, 3 cloves garlic, minced, salt, pepper, red pepper chili flakes, to taste
- Add in chopped spinach, stir until wilted. Then add in chopped artichokes, stir.5-6 heaping cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped, 1, 13.75 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- Add in the cream cheese, freshly grated parmesan cheese, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, and milk/cornstarch mixture. Stir until melted and smooth.3/4 cup Greek yogurt, 4 oz. cream cheese, softened, 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish), 2 tsp. lemon juice, fresh, 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch whisked together
- Lastly add in pasta water and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Simmer, then remove from heat.1 cup reserved pasta water, 1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
- Toss the spinach artichoke mixture with the cooked pasta noodles. Top with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese if desired.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until hot and bubbly and then broil for 1-2 minutes until the cheese on top is golden brown.
- Garnish with more cheese on top if desired, serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Balance the meal by adding protein: cooked chicken, ground meat, crumbled bacon, shrimp or sausage are all great options. I would stir it in right before you bake everything! (Be sure to cook meat/fish prior to adding in)
- Feel free to add your favorite herbs to the sauce: fresh basil, rosemary, Italian seasoning, etc.
- Add more veggies: when sautéing the onions, chopped mushrooms or sun dried tomatoes.
- Don’t forget to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before you drain it. This starch-rich water helps the sauce stick to the noodles and we want that yummy cheesy sauce to bind to the orecchiette!
- Use any small noodle shape, and use a gluten free noodle or veggie pasta if desired.
- When reheating pasta, you may need to add a little water, broth or milk to thin out the sauce.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
This was delicious! I added chicken to it.
Love it!! Thank you:)
Hi – Quick question – would this be impossible to freeze for later? Guessing with all the dairy it would separate. Have you tried it? LOOKS AMAZING!
thank you so much! I haven’t tried freezing this one actually. It might work okay since its soo creamy?! But I am not sure.
Me and my family are trying this tonight!!Looks and sounds so good..I thought your recipe stood out the most!!
Hi Melinda! Thank you so much, I can’t wait to hear what you think! xo, Tawnie
Spinach and artichokes are such a great combination, I like that you added them to pasta!
Great recipe! This pasta is seriously addicting and it was so easy to make. Will be making it again. Thank for such an amazing recipe!
I love this pasta! It’s so creamy and very tasty. Just the right amout of spinach and artichokes. Would definitely add a little Chicken for protein
My favorite dip in pasta form?! Heck yes!
I’m not using artichokes in my cooking all that often, but this dish looks so good that I’m putting this on my “to try” list asap. Very nice photos btw! 🙂