Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Bake
This recipe first appeared in my recipe column ‘Mixing with Zest’ in The Westfield Leader, Page 12 on Thursday, February 18, 2021.
This pasta is savory, smooth, and flavorful. Walnuts give it an ‘umami-like’ flavor and the artichokes give it a bit of earthiness. The spinach is completely blended, so this is a kid-friendly dish if you’re trying to sneak in some healthy veggies! It stores well and can be heated up for leftovers. If you don’t feel like adding the extra step of baking the parmesan cheese on top of the pasta, it’s delicious on its own so you can eat it straight from the pot!
Ingredients:
1 box of bowtie pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (+ a little extra to grease your 13x9 pan)
1 shallot
6 garlic cloves
2 (14 oz.) cans of artichoke hearts
1 cup raw walnuts
½ cup olive oil
Three handfuls of baby spinach
2 cups parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 cup oat milk (or nut milk of your choice)
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (you’ll use it later)
Bring salted water to a boil. Cook the bowtie pasta and set it aside.
While your pasta is cooking, rinse the artichokes with water. Once they’re rinsed, squeeze each one to remove as much water as possible before setting it aside.
Melt the butter in a large skillet or pot.
Add chopped shallot and garlic. Mix with a wooden spoon for a few minutes until soft and translucent.
While that’s cooking, add the walnuts to a food predecessor and blend until smooth (I blend it until it’s about the consistency of sand, but if you would like more texture, feel free to leave it chunkier)
Add olive oil and spinach to the food processor and blend.
Add 1 cup of the parmesan cheese, 1 can’s worth of artichoke hearts, and a dash of salt and pepper to the food predecessor. Blend until creamy.
Add the mixture from the food predecessor to the pot with onion and garlic. Stir to combine.
Add the corn starch. Mix to combine. (This will help thicken the sauce later)
Add the oat milk and remaining spices, including cayenne, red pepper flakes, and additional salt and pepper (if you would like any). Mix every few minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Chop the artichokes from your second can and add them to the sauce.
Add your pasta to the sauce. Mix to fully coat the pasta in the sauce.
Grease a 13x9 baking dish with butter. Pour your pasta into the baking dish and top with the remaining cup of shredded parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve hot.