Description
A comforting and creamy Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Bake featuring rigatoni pasta tossed in a cheesy spinach and artichoke sauce, topped with mozzarella and pecorino cheese, then baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta and Vegetables
- 350 g dry rigatoni pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium brown onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
- 170 g baby spinach (about 5½ cups)
- 1 x 390 g can artichoke hearts (drained weight 240 g), roughly chopped
Cheese and Dairy
- 280 g light cream cheese
- 60 g pecorino cheese, finely grated (¼ cup plus ¾ of it for mixing and remainder for topping)
- 100 ml double cream (heavy cream, ½ cup)
- 125 g fresh mozzarella cheese, grated (just over half an 8 oz ball)
Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare Onion and Garlic: Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion with a pinch of sea salt and cook for 15 minutes until translucent and springy. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Cook Pasta: Meanwhile, cook pasta according to packet instructions minus 1 minute until almost al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water then drain the pasta.
- Cook Spinach and Artichokes: Add spinach to the onion mixture and cook until wilted. Stir in chopped artichoke hearts and cook for 2 minutes.
- Make the Sauce: Add cream cheese to the spinach mixture and stir until melted. Stir in ¾ of the grated pecorino until melted. Slowly pour in the double cream and mix well.
- Adjust Sauce Consistency: Gradually add reserved pasta water to the sauce while stirring continuously to create a smooth sauce.
- Season the Sauce: Add remaining ¼ teaspoon sea salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Toss Pasta in Sauce: Add drained pasta to the sauce in the sauté pan and gently toss to coat evenly.
- Assemble and Bake: Transfer pasta and sauce to a large casserole dish. Sprinkle grated mozzarella and remaining pecorino cheese evenly over the top. Cover with foil.
- Bake: Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes covered, then remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling.
- Serve: Remove casserole from oven and let it cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- Any short pasta can be used in place of rigatoni.
- Using full-fat cream cheese will alter nutrition; adjust accordingly.
- The casserole dish used was approximately 30 cm x 20 cm x 6.5 cm (12" x 8" x 2.5").
- Nutrition info is approximate, calculated via an online tool.
- For accuracy, weigh ingredients using a digital scale rather than relying solely on volume measurements.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
