A little creamy, a little crispy, and a whole lot of delicious, my Baked Artichoke Spinach Pasta is one you’ll crave constantly. This simple baked pasta combines artichoke hearts, spinach, and three cheeses and couldn’t be easier to put together.
This post may contain affiliate links. Our disclosure policy.
Dip-inspired pasta bake
I love a good spinach artichoke dip, and our readers adore my baked artichoke heart casserole (it’s one of the most highly rated recipes here at Sip and Feast). So I decided to combine the two into this incredibly delicious Spinach Artichoke Baked Pasta.
It’s everything I love about both recipes, plus pasta. What could possibly be bad?
This one’s great for gatherings or weeknights, and while it’s definitely hearty enough to be the main course, I like to serve it as a side with a lighter main, like marinated grilled chicken breasts or easy baked chicken legs.
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Artichoke hearts. I’m using canned artichoke hearts. I love them and always have them on hand for recipes like artichoke pesto, pasta with artichokes and breadcrumbs, and artichoke parmesan. You can use the jarred hearts packed in oil, but I recommend rinsing them first. You can also use thawed frozen artichoke hearts.
- Spinach. Frozen spinach works best for this recipe and is recommended, but you could also use fresh baby spinach, as I do in my creamy mushroom pasta bake. Feel free to use more spinach, too, if you’d like.
- Cheese. I’m using a combination of ricotta, fontina, and Parmigiano Reggiano. If you can’t find fontina, you could use block mozzarella in its place, though the flavor will change since fontina is known for its pungency.
- Pasta. Any tubular pasta like rigatoni, ziti, or penne will do.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Want To Save This Recipe?
Enter your email and we'll send it to you. Plus, get great new recipes from us every week!
How to make baked artichoke pasta
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until very al dente (about 2 minutes less than package instructions). In a large pan over medium heat, saute the onions in olive oil with a pinch of salt.
- Once the onions are soft, add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the spinach and artichoke hearts and cook for another minute, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the contents of the pan to a large mixing bowl.
- To the bowl, add 1/2 cup of pasta water, the heavy cream, ricotta, fontina, and 1/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano and mix together. Add the pasta to the bowl and mix once more.
- Taste test and adjust salt and pepper as needed, then transfer the contents of the bowl to a 9×13 baking dish.
- Top with the remaining parmesan and sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly.
- Cover with a layer of parchment paper followed by a layer of foil and bake for 15 minutes in a 450°F oven.
- After 15 minutes, remove the covering and bake for 5 minutes more until golden. If desired, broil for the last 1-2 minutes for more color, but watch carefully to prevent burning. Wait at least 20 minutes for the pasta to settle, then serve.
Top tips
- Undercook the pasta. As with any baked pasta, I recommend undercooking the pasta when boiling since it will continue to cook when baked in the oven. Undercooking helps prevent mushy pasta.
- Drain the spinach. Make sure to thaw and drain the spinach very well. Skipping this step may lead to an over-liquidy pasta.
- Parchment paper trick. Placing the layer of parchment paper between the pasta and the foil helps prevent the cheese from sticking. I love this trick and recommend doing so for any baked pasta or cheesy casserole that requires covering when baking.
More baked pasta recipes
If you love the simple comfort of baked pastas, give these other favorites a try.
If you’ve enjoyed this Spinach and Artichoke Baked Pasta recipe, give it a 5-star rating.
Watch us on YouTube, follow along on our Facebook Page, and become a Patreon member to receive access to exclusive full-meal videos and content.
Baked Artichoke and Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound rigatoni or other tubular shaped pasta
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 10-ounce block frozen spinach thawed and water squeezed out
- 3 14-ounce cans artichoke hearts quartered, drained
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta
- 2 cups shredded fontina cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano divided
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/3 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
- salt and pepper to taste
Want To Save This Recipe?
Enter your email and we’ll send it to you. Plus, get great new recipes from us every week!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook the rigatoni until very al dente. About 2 minutes less than package instructions.
- Heat the olive in a large pan to medium heat then add the onions and a pinch of salt. Once the onions are soft, add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or until very fragrant. Add the spinach and artichoke hearts and cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste then set the pan aside.
- Add the contents of the pan to a large bowl along with a 1/2 cup of pasta water, heavy cream, ricotta, Fontina cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano and mix together.
- Add the pasta to the bowl and mix once more. Taste test and adjust salt and pepper as required. Place contents of the bowl in a 9 by 13 baking dish. Top with the remaining parmesan and sprinkle the breadcrumbs. Cover with parchment paper then foil and bake for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes remove covering and bake for 5 minutes more until golden. For even more color broil for the last 1-2 minutes but watch very carefully.
- Wait 20 minutes before serving so that the pasta settles. Enjoy!
Notes
- Servings. The recipe makes 4 very large or 6 normal size servings.
- Pasta. Undercook the pasta by about 2-3 minutes, since it will cook longer in the oven.
- Cheese substitutes. Mozzarella, soft provolone, or swiss can all be substituted for Fontina cheese.
- Drain the spinach. Make sure to drain the spinach by squeezing the water out. This will prevent the baked pasta from becoming too liquidy.
- No sticking. Placing parchment paper then foil over the pasta will ensure no sticking.
- Leftovers. Baked artichoke and spinach pasta can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Follow Me
The Sip and Feast Cookbook
- 100+ recipes
- Essential tools and ingredients
- Entertaining ides
- Stunning photography
How should we adjust this recipe to use fresh, raw, spinach leaves?
Hi Anthony, you’ll need about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of raw spinach to equal the 10 ounces of frozen spinach we used in this recipe. You can then cook the spinach for 30 seconds in boiling water and drain. Once able to handle, squeeze the water out then chop.