Effortless and delicious, this pasta bake makes a super-easy weeknight dinner. Who can say no to the savory taste of their favorite spinach artichoke dip?You can make this spinach artichoke pasta casserole in under 45 minutes, from start to finish. Say goodbye to hours of tedious meal prep and hello to easy eats!You can adjust this vegetarian recipe to fit countless diets, from vegan to low-fat to even gluten-free.
Pasta: I use ziti in this recipe, but medium pasta shells or short, tubular pasta will work. Penne, mostaccioli, and rigatoni pastas are other delicious options.Make it vegan: Transform this vegetarian dish into a vegan pasta recipe by using vegan cream cheese and vegan parmesan cheese. If you don’t have vegan parm, you can even use nutritional yeast.Make it gluten-free: All you have to do is use gluten-free pasta to make this delicious dish safe for gluten-free diets.Frozen spinach: If you don’t have fresh spinach on hand, use 10 ounces of frozen chopped spinach instead. Simply add the frozen spinach to the cooked pasta dish instead of fresh baby spinach and use a wooden spoon to break up any clumps.Red pepper flakes: Want to add some spice to your creamy pasta? If you can handle a little bit of heat, top off your baked artichoke pasta with red pepper flakes.Make it low-fat: For a lighter twist on this vegetarian dish, use low-fat cream cheese and skim mozzarella. You can also omit the parmesan cheese for an extra-lean variation.
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How to Make Ahead & Store
Make Ahead Instructions: To make ahead, make the spinach artichoke pasta sauce a day in advance. Cook the pasta, assemble and bake it right before serving. Best way to store: Like any pasta dish, this baked artichoke pasta is best the day you make it. However, this pasta will stay fresh for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container. Remember to let it reach room temperature before storing it.When reheating the pasta, you may have to add a little extra water. Adding this liquid will help restore the dish’s tender, moist texture.Freezing: You can technically freeze this pasta dish. However, I am not a fan of thawed pasta as it gets mushy. Since pasta cooks very quickly and the recipe is an easy one, I would recommend making it fresh rather than freezing it for later.
Skip the baking: Cut your cooking time in half by skipping the last 15 minutes of baking. Just top your cooked pasta with the spinach artichoke pasta sauce for a 30 minute meal.Make spinach & artichoke chicken penne: Add cubed, baked chicken breasts to make a protein-packed spinach artichoke chicken pasta bake. You can even use leftover rotisserie chicken for this finger-licking variation.Try spaghetti: Do you love the long, delicate texture of spaghetti? Simply swap out your ziti for a spinach artichoke spaghetti pasta-lovers will adore.Add crumbled turkey bacon: Give your pasta a kick of smoky, salty flavor when you add a bit of baked turkey bacon to your pot.Make it greener: Alternatively, you can use my Green Pasta Sauce recipe to make it even more nutritious. If you decide to go in that route, you can add the sauce instead of sauteing spinach along with the rest of the ingredients.
Salt your pasta water: To give your pasta a rich, salty flavor, make sure you season your pasta water well. The liquid should taste like seawater when you add your ziti.Cut down your cook time: Multitasking is the key to making this recipe in no time. I suggest preparing your spinach artichoke sauce while your pasta boils to minimize your time in the kitchen.Use an oven-proof skillet: If you have one, I suggest using an oven-proof skillet for this dish. This Le Creuset Braiser (affiliate link) is the one that I use and recommend. Not only will it cut your clean-up time in half, but it’ll also make your pasta photo-ready the moment it comes out from the oven. If you don’t have an oven-proof skillet, transfer your pasta to a 9 x 13 baking dish before putting it in the oven.
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