Imagine if your favorite spinach and artichoke dip dove inside some super creamy pasta shells, which then were topped with crunchy breadcrumbs reminiscent of crostini. The result? Cheesy, gooey heaven.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 24 jumbo pasta shells (about 12 ounces)
- 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
- One 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup panko
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Mix together the spinach, artichokes, ricotta, 4 ounces cream cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk together the half-and-half, mozzarella, remaining 4 ounces cream cheese, remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl until smooth and combined. Heat in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until warm and smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Spread 1/2 cup cheese sauce on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Stuff a heaping tablespoon of the spinach mixture into each shell and arrange them in the baking dish seam-side up. Pour the remaining cheese sauce over the shells, cover with foil and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 13 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the olive oil, breadcrumbs and parsley, if using, in a small bowl until well combined. Remove the foil from the baking dish and sprinkle the mixture over the shells. Bake until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 714 |
| Total Fat | 36 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Carbohydrates | 70 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 30 g |
| Cholesterol | 99 mg |
| Sodium | 806 mg |
Reviews
My family really loves it. It’s easy to make, just takes some time to make.
My family loves this it’s easy and Delicious
I love this recipe! I actually add sweet Italian sausage and it’s always a hit!
Delicious. I cooked too much for the two of us but this was an unexpected side dish winner!
Terrific dish as written! If you have to be gluten free, Tinkiyada large shells worked great. I have people who don’t usually like ricotta, but loved this, it’s so creamy. I have tried capers, garlic powder, fresh nutmeg (goes so well in any white sauce) red pepper flakes and a bit of cayenne. All worked really well. Smoked cayenne wasn’t quite as appreciated. Make the recipe as is, then next time try your own tweaks.
Good base recipe but needed help in flavor and as other reviewer said too much salt. I cut to half and it was plenty. Recipe ingredients say 1 cup whole milk, should say whole milk ricotta. I also added a minced clove of garlic to the filling as my spinach artichoke dip always had garlic. Overall I would make it again.
Daughter made this using her homemade ricotta…delicious! I’m wondering if I could adapt this to mac n cheese by just mixing the filling into macaroni and cover with the sauce then the crumb top. Might stir in some lobster or crab to snazz it up a little. OR maybe I’ll just leave as is. So good!
My husband loved this dish, I substituted fresh spinach as I didn’t have frozen.
This was delicious and a huge hit! The only change that I made was doubling the breadcrumb topping as it really needed the addition of texture.
The filling needed more acid – perhaps red pepper flakes?