spinach artichoke mac & cheese

by Rachel McCarthy
spinach-artichoke-mac-and-cheese

I’ve had a serious craving for Spinach Artichoke Dip lately. Truthfully, it’s not even something I would order as an appetizer out at a restaurant, so it was definitely an odd dish to crave. Although, Wegmans has had an amazing selection of fresh artichokes that I have been drawn to over the past few weeks, so maybe we can blame it on that!

Regardless, I decided to combine my craving for this dip with one of my favorite foods of all time: macaroni and cheese. The possibilities are truly endless with mac and cheese, from using different kinds of cheese to the ingredients you add in to make it unique. I just love experimenting with different add-ins! I decided to go pretty traditional for the cheese aspect of the recipe, mainly to allow the spinach and artichokes to be the stars. I did incorporate cream cheese into the recipe to mimic the creaminess of spinach artichoke dip.

The best part about this macaroni and cheese is that it’s actually not that terrible for you! Arguably, the most questionable ingredients, when it comes to fat, are the cheddar cheese and the pasta shells. I love that mac and cheese can be a comfort food without being high in calories!

Spinach Artichoke Macaroni & Cheese

{what you will need}
1 pound pasta {I used shells}
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature {I used reduced fat}
1 cup white cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated {I used reduced fat}
3/4 cup fresh spinach
1 1/4 cups frozen artichokes, thawed & chopped
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1 3/4 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, thinly sliced
Dash of nutmeg
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper to taste

{recipe}
Preheat broiler. Cook pasta according to package instructions reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Combine the milk, onion, nutmeg and bay leaf in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Once it begins to simmer, remove from the heat and set aside for 15 minutes. Strain the milk into a separate bowl, discarding the solids. Wipe the saucepan clean and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly for about 1 minute to incorporate. Slowly add the milk and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 8 minutes until the mixture is thick. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cheddar, mozzarella and cream cheeses until melted. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the artichokes and pasta and combine completely. Add pasta water to thin out, if necessary. Transfer pasta to baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top and broil for 3-4 minutes until a brown crust begins to form. Enjoy! 



10 thoughts on “spinach artichoke mac & cheese”

  1. Rachel, this is brilliant! Combining 2 favorite flavors is awesome!! Pinning and cannot wait to make this. My husband doesn't like cooked spinach so this may be an alone night meal…all for me!!! Yay! Happy Tuesday!!

  7. What?!?!?!?! This looks absolutely amazing! Definitely trying this! I have an obsession with spinach and artichoke dip and mac & cheese so this combo is so brilliant! Sounds soooo amazing!!!

    <3 Shannon
    Upbeat Soles

  8. I honestly WISH I could make food that looked this good! The best I can do is your standard stir fry…! Loved this post, really helpful!! 🙂 xxx
    samanthalfrances.blogspot.com

  9. OMG I love spinach and artichoke dip AND mac and cheese, so this is like the best recipe ever! Can't wait to try it. Now I am super hungry.

    Nikki
    thefashionablewife.com

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