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Did I ever tell you guys about that (one) time my kids ate spinach?
Like, they looked at the plate of food with the green stuff in it. They sniffed around the plate for an offensive smell. They tentatively raised a forkful of the green stuff to their whine-hole. They put the vegetable in their mouth and chewed. They swallowed.
You guys, will never even believe what happened next.
No, they didn’t puke. They DID IT ALL AGAIN. Repeatedly. They ate the spinach.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that the spinach was wrapped around pasta and coated with cheese.
Yeah. My kids ate spinach and that basically makes me a super mom. The icing on the proverbial cake was watching my children gobble it all up without a single complaint. And then get seconds.
Anyway, I turned my favorite dip into dinner which has always been a lifelong dream.
Spinach Artichoke Dip, meet pasta and chicken (or not, if you want a meatless meal). Hello, dinner.
Spinach Artichoke Dip Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 14 ounce can artichoke hearts diced
- 10 ounces ricotta cheese
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese not the powdery kind
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups cooked diced chicken
- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta for one minute less than the package states for al dente pasta. Drain and return to the pan.
- While the pasta is boiling, combine the artichoke hearts, ricotta, spinach, cream cheese, Parmesan, sour cream, mayonnaise egg, and Italian seasoning.
- Add the cheese mixture and chicken to the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish and top with the grated mozzarella and cheddar.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Julie Hogue says
I cheated and used the spinach and artichoke dip from Costco with the Costco rotisserie chicken. Made a quick delish dinner. Thanks for the idea!!
Karly says
Sounds tasty!
Ann Dee says
Any chance their is a low cal version? Sounds yummy but just can’t get past the carbs!
Karly says
Hi Ann! Low cal or low carb? Two different things. 🙂 You could use low fat cheeses or low carb pasta.
Thomas O Nails says
Looking to make this soon. Question, would you recommend adding some shredded chicken to this for a protein boost? As a carnivore husband who loves to cook for his wife, this sounds delicious but seems a bit short on the protein. Looking forward to an updated review.
Thomas O Nails says
disregard my last. I overlooked the diced chicken while skimming over the recipe. Carry on. I’ll update with a review later. LOL
Felicia says
Mayo was listed in the ingredients but not the directions, so when I was assembling, I accidentally skipped it! Whoops! Other than being a bit dry (probably due to lack of mayo lol) it was quite bland. I’ll probably try it again, adding some onion and garlic powder.
Karly says
Sorry about that! I’ll get the mayo added to the directions.
MaryAnn Amato says
I see mayo in the video but it’s not in the written ingredients!!!! Do you use mayo and how much?
Karly says
Whoops! Should be a quarter cup of mayo.
Teresa says
Hi,
Do I cook before freezing or do I just freeze. I would like to make this for my daughter and son in-law when they bring home their new baby.
Karly says
I would freeze before cooking.
Rachel says
I made this for dinner on Thursday night. It had been a long day. I had been stuck in a work training, then went to exercise class and finally had to drive from one end of town to another. It was 7:30 when I finally made it home. I almost debated skipping a home cooked dinner that night in exchange for something from the freezer. A burrito or a bunch of pizza rolls. Thank goodness I didn’t. I had pinned your recipe a few weeks ago and wanted to try it. I happened to have some fresh spinach on hand and everything else. I used whole wheat pasta and reduced fat cheeses. It was delicious! My roommate and I both ate more than we should have. I think I went back for thirds. It tastes just like the dip! I will be doing this one often, thank you!
Karly says
@Rachel,
So glad to hear that! 🙂
Jenn says
Made this tonight…YUMMY!!!!! Everyone liked it. The only complaint was that it seemed a little dry…..The Hub said Alfredo sauce on or in it would be good. Having leftovers tomorrow & gonna heat some Alfredo to put on top to try.
Karly says
@Jenn,
I bet it’s delicious with Alfredo!
cloey says
Can i use fresh spinach instead of using frozen one? thanks!
Karly says
@cloey,
I don’t see why not! 🙂
Amanda says
I made this tonight but with some modifications. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why a egg was necessary so I omitted it. After tasting the mix I felt it to be a bit bland so I added some mayo and garlic garlic. Turned out pretty good!
Kelly Johnson says
I made this for dinner last night and it was so good. I loved it and my daughter who doesn’t like spinach and cheese loved it. (Yeah I know what is wrong with that kid!!) lol Thanks for this recipe. It was so quick, easy, and cheap!!
Shareba @ In Search Of Yummy-ness says
This is such a great idea, no wonder your kids ate it!
Allie | Baking a Moment says
Omg I laughed out loud at the whine-hole bit! Great dish Karly, anything Spinach Artichoke and I’m there 😉
Chantal says
What a wonderful and so yummy dish Karly!
Chantal