Recipe Wednesday

I LOVE the spinach-artichoke dip at Olive Garden!

This delicious recipe from Budget Savvy Diva 

really put us in mind of that awesome dip.

I did make a few changes: I used mini-penne pasta instead of Orecchiette. I also used an Italian cheese blend in place of the Parmesan and mozzarella. And the baking time is definitely off - it is not even going to be heated through in 10-15 minutes. I suggest covering the pan with aluminum foil and baking at least half an hour, then removing the foil, sprinkling the cheese on top and popping it back in to melt the cheese. I actually ran it under the broiler to brown.

YUM!! Let me know if you make it and love it!

Spinach and Artichoke Baked Pasta

Ingredients

• 14 oz of Orecchiette Pasta ( or short pasta)
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Cup of Chopped Onion
• 3 Cloves of Garlic ( Minced)
• 1 Cup of Sour Cream
• 4 oz of Cream Cheese ( Room Temperature)
• 3/4 Cup of Parmesan Cheese
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice + Zest
• 10 Oz of Spinach ( Make sure to squeeze excess moisture, after it has been thawed of course)
• 13.5 Can of Artichoke Hearts rinsed and chopped
• 1 Cup of Mozzarella
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
• 1 Teaspoon of Pepper

Instructions

1.    Preheat Oven To 425

2.    Cook pasta according to the box. Keep 1/4 Cup of the Pasta Water before you drain the cooked pasta.

3.    Heat oil in pan and cook onions for 8 – 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute.

4.    In a large bowl – Mix Sour Cream, Cream Cheese, Parmesan, Lemon (juice and zest), onions, and garlic. Add Pasta and mix.

5.    Stir in spinach, artichokes, 1/4 cup of cooking liquid from the pasta, salt, pepper, and 1/2 Cup of Mozzarella

6.    Place mixture into greased 2.5 – 3 qt casserole dish and place the rest of mozzarella cheese on top

7.    Place in the oven till golden brown on top – about 10 – 15 minutes.