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.
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!
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!
