wine night: spinach artichoke pasta bake

Happy Wine Night y'all!

I created this little recipe last week.  

Based it off of my cousin Allison's spinach artichoke dip. 

Made a few adjustments, added in penne, baked it and done.

Now you really can eat spinach artichoke dip for dinner!

Spinach Artichoke Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

• 14 oz. whole wheat penne
• 1/2 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 t. crushed red pepper flakes (or more to your preference)
• salt and pepper
• 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, cooked to package directions and thoroughly drained
• 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• 6 oz. non-fat plain Greek yogurt (or use sour cream)
• 1/4 c. reduced fat grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 C. part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
• non-stick spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a 13" x 8" casserole dish lightly with non-stick spray.
2. Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions. Reserve 3/4 C. pasta water. Drain.
3. While pasta cooks, heat large skillet to medium-high heat and add olive oil. When oil is hot, add garlic and red pepper flakes.  Cook one minute, until fragrant. 
4. To the skillet, add in cooked and drained spinach, artichoke hearts, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low until pasta finishes cooking. 
5. Once pasta is cooked (don't forget to save some of that pasta water!), add pasta, pasta water, Parmesan, and 1 C. of mozzarella. Stir until cheese melts and noodles are coated with the sauce.  (Start by adding in just 1/2 C. of the pasta water.  If mixture still seems too thick, add in remaining 1/4 C.)
6. Pour pasta mixture into sprayed casserole dish. Top with remaining 1/2 C. mozzarella. 
7. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until top is bubbling and brown. 

Nutrition:

Serves:  6

Calories:  492

Carbs:  55

Fat:  19

Protein:  28

Enjoy!

xoxo,

K

{all photos by me}