Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese

Hello, friends! Please excuse me while I dust off my blog. It’s been idle for a week after all. But I’m so glad for things to be back to normal. I’ve been exhausted after a crazy couple of weeks. Good thing I had this Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese to turn to because it is made for weeknights. Seriously. It’ll make you like weeknights more than weekends. Bit of a stretch? Just wait until you try it.

So have you noticed I lied in the title? See it? It’s like a Where’s Waldo in blog form. Mac and cheese usually consists of macaroni. This dish, as you can see from the picture, has none of that. Because I prefer rotini. It’s just fancier. 😉 But if you want to use elbow noodles to make it a full-blown mac and cheese, that’s totally fine. Barilla has elbow Pronto Pasta noodles, too. I recently did a sponsored post about Tyson grilled chicken strips and Barilla Pronto pasta and my friends, I am a total lifer. I drank the Kool-aid and I’m never looking back. Because if I ever want to make a chicken + pasta dish (which is like every day for me), they make it so much easier and faster. If you’d prefer to use a regular pasta and cook your chicken beforehand, you can certainly do that, too. Either way, this recipe is gonna blow you away.

You know how spinach and artichoke dip is like the best thing on the planet? And you know how we all have a sweet spot for that creamy mac and cheese we enjoyed as kids (and still do to this day)? Well, this pasta combines the two into an incredibly delicious, rich, and creamy pasta that proves that grown-ups can be as giddy as kids about mac and cheese. In fact, the nickname for this recipe should be Grown-Up Mac and Cheese. The fontina and asiago cheeses provide a sharp, indulgent richness that will tickle your taste buds for an elegant version of mac and cheese you’ll love. Best part? Unlike other mac and cheese dishes that curdle and dry out, this one stays creamy and delicious—even after reheating. So it’s perfect for leftovers! Whip it up likety-split tonight and satisfy the kid (and adult) in you.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

13 mins

Total time

23 mins

 

A rich, creamy, and delicious pasta dish inspired by spinach and artichoke dip and mac and cheese!

Author: Erin

Recipe type: Main Dish, Chicken

Cuisine: Pasta

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 12-oz. package Barilla Pronto rotini pasta (or pasta of your choice, prepared according to package directions)*
• 3 cups cold water
• 2 cups spinach, cut into strips
• ½ package of frozen Tyson grilled chicken strips (or 2 cups cooked chicken cut into chunks)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 cups (1/2 lb.) Fontina cheese, grated
• 1 cup (1/4 lb.) Asiago cheese, shredded
• 1 6.5-oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, sliced and ½ marinade reserved
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

1. In a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, combine rotini and the 3 cups of water, making sure all noodles are covered. Set timer to 10 minutes. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring pasta occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, place chicken strips on a microwave-safe plate and cook in microwave for 3 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut strips into chunks.
3. With 3 minutes remaining on timer, add spinach to pasta and cook, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and transfer pasta and spinach mixture to a bowl.
4. In same pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk constantly, about 3 minutes. Remove from stove and stir in cheeses, chicken, artichoke hearts, reserved marinade, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Notes

*If using another kind of pasta, once the pasta is cooked, drain it and pour it into a bowl. Before adding the butter and flour to the pan in step 4, add about 1 Tbsp butter to pan and saute spinach over medium-high until wilted. Add it to the cooked pasta and proceed to step 4.

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