Spinach and Artichoke Dip Mac and Cheese
Oh my, oh my — this cozy comfort food is the best of both worlds! It’s a delicious mash-up of creamy spinach and artichoke dip with rich, cheesy mac and cheese. Pro tip: have all your cheese grated and ingredients prepped ahead of time — the sauce comes together fast, right around the time your pasta finishes cooking.
Spinach and Artichoke Dip Mac and Cheese
Serves Makes 4-6 servings | Prep time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min
Ingredients
- 8 oz gluten free elbow macaroni
- 2 Tbl unsalted butter
- 1/3 c onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3 Tbl Better Batter All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 c milk
- 3/4 c reserved pasta cooking water
- 2/3 c shredded Swiss cheese
- 1/3 c sour cream
- 1 c shredded mozzarella, divided
- 4 Tbl grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 5 oz fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 9 oz box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and roughly chopped (or substitute artichoke hearts from a jar, drained)
- 1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Cooking spray
Note: It is always my preference to purchase blocks or chunks of cheese and grate them myself. I think pre-shredded cheese contains some additional ingredients which help with anti-caking yet makes melting more difficult. This creamy sauce does really well with freshly grated Swiss, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
Instructions
Preheat and Prepare. Preheat the broiler. Spray a heat-proof baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
Boil the Pasta. In a large pot, fill with water and bring to a boil according to the instructions on the package. Reserve 3/4 c cooking liquid to use in the sauce, then drain the macaroni and set aside.
Make the Pasta Sauce. In a large skillet, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent about 4 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add the garlic and cook one additional minute.
Whisk in the flour and cook, forming a thick paste, until everything is incorporated, and no dry flour remains, about one minute. Whisk in the milk and reserved pasta cooking water and cook for 3-4 minutes until a thick, smooth mixture forms.
Add the Swiss cheese, sour cream, 2/3 c of the mozzarella, and 1 Tbl of the Parmesan. Continue to whisk until the cheeses have completely melted into the sauce.
Add the baby spinach and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix the cheese sauce and baby spinach together. Stir in the artichoke hearts, cooked macaroni, lemon zest, and 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
Transfer the sauce to prepared dish. Prepare the cheese topping. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/3 c mozzarella and 3 Tbl Parmesan.
Sprinkle over the macaroni.
Broil. Broil until golden on top and bubbling, about 2 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve.
Adapted from Food Network
