ONE-POT SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE PASTA is the easiest meal ever and will have the pickiest eaters begging for seconds!
Some people tend to shy away from one-pot dishes, especially pasta because they think they are boring or too bland. I am here to tell you, my friend, you are completely wrong. If you haven’t tried a one pot pasta dish before you are missing out because they are quick for a busy weeknight or even weekend. We are talking about having dinner on the table in only 20-minutes! My real love for one-pot pasta dishes came from my 20-minute Tuscan chicken with penne pasta. It’s one of the best almost one-pot pasta meals out there!
So this one-pot spinach and artichoke pasta reminds me of a spinach and artichoke dip mixed with alfredo. Sounds delicious, right? It is!
It’s creamy, it’s spinach-y (not a word, but it seems right for this meal!), and garlicky like an alfredo sauce. Each bite contains the perfect balance of spinach, artichokes, and parmesan cheese. Can’t forget about the cheese!
With all one-pot pasta meals, you start with noodles, seasonings, and spices. I didn’t want onions in the pasta, but I did want the flavor, so I added onion powder. Want to use onions, no problem, you will see how much to see in the recipe down below. Want to add a little more protein, add rotisserie chicken or any chicken you prefer. Rotisserie chicken is a great addition to those busy nights. Been there before. It can get a little chaotic, and the last thing you want to do is worry about dinner.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces penne pasta
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon onion powder or 1/2 onion diced
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 14 ounce quartered artichoke hearts drained
- 4 ½ cups water
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Place the penne pasta, minced garlic, onion powder or diced onion, parsley, thyme, artichoke hearts, and water into a large pot. Broil to a boil and cover for 12-15 minutes or tender the pasta is tender.
- Add the heavy cream and spinach to the pasta; mix together. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Top with parmesan cheese.
Lori says
This is such an easy and yummy recipe! My husband loves it and he’s more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy.
Elizabeth Smith says
Do you drain the pasta before adding cream and spinach
Real Housemoms JK says
Hello Elizabeth! No. You don’t drain the water. There’s just enough to cook the pasta and the excess water becomes part of the sauce. Hope this helps!
Verna says
Sounds wonderful! Could you substitute frozen spinach, maybe if you thawed and drained first?
Julie @Real Housemoms says
You could, but you’d want to add it at the end just to warm through. And you won’t need as much since the fresh spinach wilts down.