Imagine combining your favorite Spinach and Artichoke Dip and your favorite macaroni and cheese into one easy to make dish!!! This recipe, from the Half Baked Harvest cookbook, “Super Simple” is delicious! You mix it all up in one pan and then bake it – simple and so good!
Cream cheese and sharp cheddar cheese are both used to make a light and creamy sauce.
The original recipe is for a 9 x 13 pan, but I halved the recipe. Half a recipe provides four large servings and can be baked in an 8 x 8 pan or 4 individual ramekins. It also warms up beautifully, I did add a bit of milk when I warmed it up.
Enjoy!
Spinach and Artichoke Mac-and-Cheese Bake
A comfort food you will love!
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
- 1 (1 Pound) box short-cut pasta, such as macaroni
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, cubed
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Ground cayenne pepper
- 2 cups packed baby spinach, chopped
- 1 (8 oz) jar marinated artichokes, drained and roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers, (about 1 sleeve)
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes. Stir in the milk and cream cheese and cook until the cream cheese has melted and the pasta is al dente, about 5 minutes more.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 2 cups of the cheddar cheese and 3 tablespoons of the butter. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Stir in the spinach and artichokes. If the sauce feels too thick, add 1/4 cup of milk or water to thin it.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the crackers, the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, and the garlic powder. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the mac and cheese.
- Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the crumbs are golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve. Store any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
This recipe is from the Half Baked Harvest Super Simple Cookbook, by Tieghan Gerard.
When I made this recipe, I halved the recipe and baked it in an 8×8 baking dish. Half a recipe also fits into 4 ramekins.
