Do you love Spinach and Artichoke Dip? Well now you’re gonna have to love Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Bake too. So love away. It’s inevitable.
I’m obsessed with turning things into pasta bakes. It’s usually because I have leftovers and want to just toss it all together in a pan and be done with making dinner. Yes, I totally do that. All the time.
I cook up some pasta, put it in a big casserole dish with whatever the leftovers are (think roast chicken and steamed broccoli). Then I add some tomato sauce and cheese and bake it up.
What’s A Spinach And Artichoke Pasta Bake?
Today’s Spinach and Artichoke Dip originated because there was a tub of spinach artichoke dip in the fridge that was about to reach its expiration date. I added it to a baked pasta dinner. It was so good. I decided that I just had to recreate that, but I didn’t want to have to buy several tubs of pre-made dip to do it.
This version uses cream cheese, mayonnaise, frozen spinach, and canned artichoke hearts to get that spinach and artichoke dip flavor. There’s also some cooked chicken meat and mozzarella in there. It’s super tasty and filling.
How To Make Spinach Artichoke Pasta
Preheat your oven to 350ºF while the pasta cooks in a large pot of salted water. I like to use penne pasta for this one, but ziti, rigatoni, or even shells would work. When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, put the frozen spinach in a large microwave-safe bowl and defrost in the microwave. Add in the cream cheese and warm in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat for another 30 seconds. Stir until smoothly combined with the spinach.
Add mayonnaise, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the bowl and stir.
Return the drained pasta to your pot along with the spinach sauce, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella, diced cooked chicken, and baby artichoke hearts. Stir until all the pasta is thoroughly coated. Pour into a 13×9″ baking dish and spread out.
Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and with the Parmesan cheese. Bake until heated through and browned a bit on top, about 30 minutes.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
Want to try a pasta bake where you don’t even have to boil the pasta first? My No-Boil Pasta Bake is sure to please. Here’s even more great pasta dinners.
Podcast Episode: Making Spinach Artichoke Pasta Bake
Listen to learn how to make this recipe, along with some great tips from Christine:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
PrintSpinach and Artichoke Pasta Bake Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Do you love Spinach and Artichoke Dip? Well now you’re gonna have to love Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Bake too. So love away. It’s inevitable.
Ingredients
- 12 oz. uncooked penne pasta
- 2 (10 oz.) boxes of frozen spinach
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (you can substitute low-fat)
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- 1 and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 lb. diced cooked chicken (about 3 medium breasts)
- 2 (14 oz.) cans baby artichoke hearts, drained
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Cook penne pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, put spinach in a large microwave-safe bowl and defrost in the microwave.
- Add cream cheese and warm in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat for another 30 seconds. Stir until smoothly combined with the spinach.
- Add mayonnaise, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Return drained pasta to pot along with spinach sauce, 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella, diced chicken, and baby artichoke hearts. Stir until all the pasta is coated. Turn into a 3-quart, 13×9″ pan.
- Top with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and with the Parmesan cheese.
- Bake until heated through and browned a bit on top, about 30 minutes.
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This post was originally published in October 2015 and was fully revised in October 2022.