Take the flavor of spinach artichoke dip and mix it with pasta for an easy dinner. Spinach-Artichoke Rigatoni is perfect for busy weeknights.
Jump to RecipeIn my family, there’s a grand tradition of making spinach artichoke dip for the holidays. My dad always made it for our Christmas Eve get-together. For a long time, that was the only way I would eat artichokes or fresh spinach. Over the past few years, though, I have branched out and have been trying new recipes with artichokes.
This spinach artichoke pasta bake has simple ingredients that can easily be found at the grocery store and comes together in just a couple of minutes. It’s a perfect pasta dish for a weeknight dinner that the whole family will enjoy. This is basically a spinach artichoke dip pasta and is comfort food at its best.
Most pasta recipes would have a pasta sauce made from tomatoes. But this one, as is typical for spinach artichoke dip, has a creamy sauce made from cheese.
While I used frozen spinach, you could also use 2 cups of spinach leaves instead. If you do, make sure to saute the leaves before adding them to the pasta recipe. I am going to try this next time since we really enjoy fresh spinach. But when I first made it we had an extra bag of frozen spinach in the freezer after making some stuffed shells.
When you purchase the can of artichoke hearts, you can get the ones that are already quartered. If you can only find them as whole artichokes, chop them up just a bit so they are in small pieces before adding them to the pasta.
Spinach-Artichoke Rigatoni Step by Step
Ingredients
- 16 oz rigatoni noodles
- 12 oz chopped spinach, frozen
- 13.75 oz artichoke hearts, quartered, drained
- 2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, optional
Preparation
Prepare the rigatoni until al dente according to the package directions, making sure to reserve 1/2 cup pasta water when you drain pasta.
Meanwhile, prepare the spinach according to the package instructions.
Return the pasta to the pan and add the artichoke hearts, cooked spinach, 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper, and optional red pepper flakes and toss to combine.
Add some of the reserved 1/2 cup of pasta water to thin it if needed.
Transfer to a greased 9×13 baking dish or casserole dish.
Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and black pepper on top of your pasta.
Broil for about 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
Spinach-Artichoke Rigatoni Leftovers
Storage: Leftover cooked pasta can be stored covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Reheating: Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat until warmed through, about 5-7 minutes. If the pasta is dry, add 1/4 cup of whole milk while the pasta cooks.
Freezing: Spinach-Artichoke Rigatoni can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw by bringing it to room temperature before reheating. You’ll need to add whole milk when you reheat as the pasta will absorb the liquid while it freezes.
Recipe
Originally Published On: September 25, 2023
Spinach-Artichoke Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 16 oz rigatoni noodles
- 12 oz chopped spinach (frozen)
- 13.75 oz artichoke hearts (quartered, drained)
- 2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Prepare the rigatoni until al dente according to the package directions, making sure to reserve 1/2 cup pasta water when you drain pasta
- Meanwhile, prepare the spinach according to the package instructions
- Return the pasta to the pan and add the artichoke hearts, cooked spinach, 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper, and optional red pepper flakes and toss to combine
- Add some of the reserved 1/2 cup of pasta water to thin it if needed
- Transfer to a greased 9×13 baking dish or casserole dish
- Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and black pepper on top of your pasta and broil for about 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is melted
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Other Spinach and Artichoke Recipes to try
- Spinach and Artichoke Bites
- Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Shells
- Creamy Artichoke Soup
- Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Spinach and Artichoke Quesadillas
- Chicken with Artichoke Sauce
- Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe 2 Ways
- Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Rigatoni Pasta
I have chicken defrosting in the kitchen right now, and this recipe is going to be the side. It looks so good!
Spinach and artichoke is one of my favorite flavor combinations. This sounds delicious, and a nice change from regular baked ziti.
I’ve always seen the spinach artichoke dip and I love that stuff! I would have not thought of adding it to pasta. But you’ve piqued my curiosity and I am looking forward to it! The flavors must be off the hook and so scrumptious!
It’s amazing how many people don’t like spinach, especially young people. Combining it with artichokes, pasta, and sauce should make even the most anti- spinach person come around.
This spinach artichoke pasta bake has so many of my favorite Ingredients. The instructions are perfect to try making it myself. I can’t wait to try it.
Yet another great recipe! I will be making this soon and will certainly add it to my recipe book.
Nnniiiccceeee…I always seeing different recipes on pasta. I am such a big lover of pasta and this one could make me fall in love with spinach…who knows?!
It is always hard to feed my kids spinach, but they love cheese and pasta. It looks like this recipe could be a big hit for our family. Thank you for recommendation.
I love making spinach artichoke dip for the holidays, but this Spinach-Artichoke Rigatoni recipe caught my eye. It combines the flavours of the dip with pasta, creating a comforting and easy-to-make meal perfect for busy weeknights. I’m excited to try it soon and experiment with fresh spinach. Thanks for the recipe and reminding me of the joy of family traditions through cooking!
Oh my! This is absolutely delicious and tasty! Can’t wait to try this awesome recipe
This is so yummy, ok I don’t think I ever tried spinach with pasta but it looks good. I would love to try it.
This sounds like such a gorgeous dish. It’s got loads of ingredients that I love too. I’ve not tried using artichoke in a bake before. I’m sure it really adds to the dish. Looking forward to trying it.
I think it would be an interesting dish, especially for vegetarians. Could you please suggest a healthier alternative to cheese? That would really help people with weight or cholesterol issues.
Wow, this dish looks so good. I haven’t tried any pasta with just veggies but I’m sure this will be delicious to try.
Oh this Cheesy Spinach-Artichoke Pasta looks so delish. This recipe is new to me and I think it will be a blockbuster at home when I make this. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
This looks so good. It made me hungry. It looks super rich, but love that it has healthy spinach in it to balance it all out. This only took 30 minutes? I might just have to try my hand at this because we’re big on cheese and pasta in my house and I need to switch up my cooking.