Spinach and Artichoke Pasta

There are lots of spinach and artichoke pasta recipes out there trying to take our favorite spinach and artichoke dips and turn them into pastas so we can enjoy that cheesy, salty, wonderful goodness as our main meal. I've tried some of those recipes and, to be honest, they weren't satisfying for me....

(WARNING: boasting below)

So tonight I was trying to think about what to make for dinner with what I had in the house and I remembered the artichoke hearts I got on sale last week and the spinach I had in the freezer. So I decided to tackle the Spinach Artichoke Pasta...without a recipe. And guess what?! It turned out great! So below you have my very own original recipe that I made up tonight to feed my family. I feel proud. I told my husband twice that I didn't follow a recipe. He wasn't as laudatory as I thought he should have been, but my 4 year old actually ate it, so there's that...

I always keep a bottle of minced garlic in my fridge to have on hand when I don't have fresh garlic. That is what I used in this recipe and it turned out great. I used approx. 2 tsp. Also, make sure you're using freshly grated parmesan cheese off the block. It's SO MUCH better than the pre-shredded or stuff in the green bottle. Trust me. Once you use the real stuff you'll never go back! And lastly, this recipe is NOT for the dieting crowd. BUT, you can always switch out the cream for milk in the sauce. If you really want to take out all the fat, go ahead and use skim milk, but I would recommend using milk with some fat in it. It just makes the flavor so much better.


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Spinach and Artichoke Pasta
Prep time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Servings: 6

1 12oz box of bowtie pasta
2 TB butter
1/2 large onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 TB flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 14oz can artichoke heart quarters, chopped
1 10oz package frozen spinach, defrosted and water squeezed out
salt & pepper to taste

• Start by bringing a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions
• While the water boils, melt butter in saute pan over medium high heat
• Add onions to melted butter and cook 3-5 minutes or until onions are translucent, then add garlic and cook an addition 1-2 minutes. Do not burn the garlic. It is not a pleasant taste. 
• Add flour to onions and garlic, whisking vigorously
• Keep whisking and cook for 1 minute. The mixture will clump together (this is called a roux) but keep moving it around the pan so it won't burn. 
• Then slowly add cream and milk to roux while you continue to whisk the mixture. As the mixture comes to a boil it will thicken
• Once the mixture has thickened, add parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese (this is now a mornay sauce) and whisk into the sauce
• If the sauce seems too thick at this point you can always add a little of the pasta liquid or some extra milk to thin it out to your liking
• Season with salt and pepper to taste
• Combine, spinach, artichokes and sauce with pasta and enjoy!