Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Alfredo Casserole
Jan 04, 2015, Updated Sep 19, 2021
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Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Alfredo Casserole – Delicious vegetarian dinner with Spinach, Artichokes and Orzo pasta mixed in a lightened-up, homemade Alfredo Sauce.
Happiest of Sundays, everyone! How’s it going?
It’s the first weekend of 2015 and I spent all of it inside the house. It’s winter-nasty around these parts.
Cold, icy, rainy… I need to move somewhere tropical. I even got a spray tan the other day to remind myself of summer time happenings.
I’m orange, but that’s okay. The fake tan looks better than that ghostly white [natural] color I had on before.
However, if I moved to a truly tropical place, I would really miss wearing boots and scarves. Coats, not so much. They get in the way of EVERY.thing. For instance, driving. Tugging, pulling…so uncomfortable.
Also? Can you eat casseroles in the tropics? Like, warm and gooey casseroles? ‘Cause that could be another deal breaker.
Which brings me to my next point; things are about to get scrumptious and savory.
Spinach and artichokes aaaand orzo mixed with alfredo sauce! And baked!! Dangerous. Delicious.
In the name of transparency, I gotta come clean. This casserole is a result of me trying not to eat an entire jar of artichokes from Cara Mia. My friends at Star Fine Foods sent it to me and, just after one try, I knew this could be dangerous. Therefore, to save myself, and to save a few artichokes for the rest of the household, I made us this insanely delicious casserole.
Remember that one time when we made the Skinny Chicken Fettuccine with Alfredo Sauce? Well, I kind of did the same thing here, except that I kinda didn’t…
I used that same lightened-up Alfredo Sauce, but mixed it with the best pair of all; spinach and artichokes. What a partnership those two are. Right? No matter where you put ’em, together, they are always delicious.
Now, here’s the deal about that sauce. When I say “whisk it” I mean “WHISK it!”. I mean, use a whisk and not a wooden spoon. I had tons of emails about that sauce “looking kinda chunky”. It was chunky because you didn’t use a whisk, m’kay? Good.
You know what else is pretty cool about this dish? You can use long grain rice instead of orzo. Yaha! I don’t because my other-half cringes at rice. At rice!! He’s so weird… I love that guy, but still. Rice?! I digress…
So, this casserole! It is simple, yet full of deliciousness and comfort. I hope you will love it, too!
P.S. My apologies for the 3-4 pots and pans you’re about to use. BUT it’s worth it!! ♥
ENJOY!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE SPINACH ARTICHOKE PASTA ALFREDO CASSEROLE
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Spinach and Artichoke Pasta Alfredo Casserole
Ingredients
- FOR THE PASTA
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- water, , for boiling pasta
- FOR THE ALFREDO SAUCE
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, , minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup plain, , nonfat yogurt
- salt and fresh ground pepper, , to taste
- FOR THE SPINACH AND ARTICHOKES MIXTURE
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, , sliced
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 bag, (6 to 8 ounces) spinach leaves
- 1 jar or can, (14-ounces) quartered artichokes, drained
- 1/2 cup shredded italian-blend cheeses, , for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Lightly grease casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook orzo according to the directions on the box; drain and set aside.
- Make The Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Stir in flour; stir until combined.
- Slowly whisk in vegetable broth.
- Cook and whisk until mixture boils and thickens; remove from heat.
- Stir in parmesan cheese; stir until melted.
- Whisk in yogurt; whisk until combined.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Sauce will continue to thicken as it stands. If sauce is too thick, add a little water. Set aside.
- Make the Spinach and Artichokes
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan.
- Add onions and salt; cook for 2 minutes, or until just tender.
- Add spinach and cook for 2 more minutes, or until wilted.
- Stir in artichokes and continue to cook for 1 more minute.
- Add orzo to the skillet.
- Stir in prepared sauce.
- Remove from heat and transfer to previously prepared casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the top with shredded cheese.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until top is lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes.
- Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
I used Quinoa and brown rice pasta, cut the oil in half and added mushrooms. This was amazing! Thank you for an awesome recipe!!!
How would you suggest we go about adding chicken to this recipe? Would the amount of the other ingredients need to change? And would you add the chicken before placing it in the oven?
LOVE this recipe the way it is! One of my faves!
Hi Katie!! I would just season a few chicken breasts with salt and pepper; cut them up into about 1 to 2 inch cubes, and cook that in a pan with olive oil for a few minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Set that aside and then follow the above recipe from the very beginning. If you look at step 19 on the recipe, that is when I would add the cooked chicken back to the mixture and continue from there. I hope I am making sense! 😀 Let me know if this helps, at all.
Looks fantastic – do you think it’s something you could make the night before and warm up when ready?
Hi Laurel! I think that’s fine. It’s what I do with the leftovers, and it still tastes really good.
Everyone went for seconds at my house! Next time though, I think I’m going to sprinkle some crumbled feta on top!
Great idea!
Thank you for this recipe! I absolutely loved it even more than I thought I would (and I thought it would be good lol) and can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
what size casserole dish did you uses? 8 inch or 9x 13?
Hi Carol! I use my 9 x 9 casserole dish for this particular recipe, only because I like the height. 🙂 You can also use a 9 x 13.
Delicious! I added mushrooms when I sautéed the onions. It was so good!
That’s great! I’m really glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Nice recipe but I will be using Kerrygold butter and full cream. More satisfying in my opinion and I eat less. Weight gain and belly fat are caused by carbs like pasta and rice. I make my own yogurt but keep it for enjoying for breakfast or dessert.
I have all the ingredients on hand for this recipe so I may make it tonight. Thanks for the recipe. : )
This was so good for dinner! My 2.5 year old gobbled it up! Think it may be even better with penne instead of orzo!
Hi Kayla!! So glad you all enjoyed it! Thank you!! I have made it with penne pasta, as well, and it is very good.
This looks delicious. I want to make it soon but had one question. Are the artichokes plain or marinated? I can’t tell from the picture of the jar. Thanks, Kit
Hi Kit! The artichokes weren’t marinated, but if that’s what you want to use, go right ahead. It will probably turn out even better. 🙂
Was looking for something to take to my family reunion this coming weekend and found this! Made it tonight as a test run and YUMMMM! I made VERY few changes (added some fresh basil to the spinach and artichoke), used whole yogurt (was on SALE!), and I had bought some new hard cheese (a smoky, semi-sharp) that grated nicely on top. Wow. just wow. I do wish I’d thought to add some mushrooms—will definitely add those to my next batch!