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One Pot Baked Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese.
You know those fallback recipes? The ones you make over and over again? Well, this One Pot Baked Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese is mine. It’s the easiest and best mac-and-cheese recipe. It uses just one pot, and the ingredients and methods are simple. My trick is to first boil the pasta in just enough water to start the cooking process, then add milk and cream cheese. That means there’s no boiling and draining the pasta, and no fussing around with making a roux either. Plus the cream cheese creates a light and creamy sauce without having to add any additional flour-like in a béchamel.
What’s really great about this recipe is just how adaptable it is. When my brothers are around, I omit the veggies, but I include a few chipotle peppers in adobo, and I use half pepper jack and half cheddar cheese. It’s one of their favorites!
Looking for other easy one pot pastas? Here are my favorites:
One Pot Creamy French Onion Pasta Bake
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
One Pot Creamy Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Lastly, if you make this One Pot Baked Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Baked Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 817 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
- 1 (1-pound) box short-cut pasta, such as macaroni
- 2 cups whole milk (see Note)
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cubed
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Ground cayenne pepper
- 2 cups packed fresh baby spinach, chopped
- 1 (8-ounce) jar marinated artichokes, drained and roughly chopped
- 1½ cups crushed Ritz crackers (about 1 sleeve) (about 1 sleeve)
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.2. In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Stir in the milk and cream cheese and cook until the cream cheese has melted and the pasta is al dente, about 5 minutes more. 3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 2 cups of the cheddar and 3 tablespoons of the butter. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stir in the spinach and artichokes. If the sauce feels too thick, add ¼ cup of milk or water to thin it.4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar.5. In a medium bowl, stir together the crackers, the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, and the garlic powder. Sprinkle the crumbs evenly over the mac and cheese.6. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the crumbs are golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve. Store any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Note: Have a little extra milk or water on hand. Once you’ve added everything, you can decide whether you’re happy with the consistency. If you need to thin the sauce out a bit, simply add more liquid.
Thinking of making this for Easter…do you think you could assemble and put in fridge over night? I’m thinking of doing through step 4, putting it fridge overnight, and then adding crackers and bake after church. Thoughts?
Hey Colette,
Yes, that should work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I love this recipe and have made it several times! I was wondering if it freezes well. Has anyone tried? Did you freeze it before baking it in the oven or after you baked it? How long did it take to reheat it in the oven? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Ingrid,
So glad to hear you have been enjoying this dish!! I would freeze after baking, cover with foil, and reheat on low. I hope this helps! xT
This recipe started me following you. Friends brought it to our home for dinner, they were generous enough to share the recipe, and the rest is history. It is fabulous, as easy as described, and is now the go-to dish we take when asked to bring a side. Your many “one pot” recipes are ingenious! I can’t imagine the cooking brainpower that goes into deciding these delicious dishes. I am in awe. I have many of your recipes pinned for future use. Thank you for continuing to share these gems!
Hi Gail,
Awesome! I love to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and your comment! Thanks for your kind message and making so many recipes:) xT
We carry cookbooks in our gift boutique and yours have always been good sellers. We just started a recipe challenge with our staff and I chose your Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese. Oh My Goodness…..got 5 star reviews from my whole family and two grandchildren went crazy for it. “Best mac and cheese we’ve ever had” from two girls, ages 10 and 7. Now I’ll share with staff and post on our shop socials. So good❤️
Hi Gail,
Thanks so much for your message! Awe, love to hear that this recipe was such a hit, thanks for making it! xT
This is the first recipe I’ve tried after getting your Super Simple cookbook. Pretty easy way to make mac & cheese and didn’t turn out dry like some other pasta bakes I’ve done. I used panko breadcrumbs instead of the crackers on top.
Hi Tasha! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and leaving a comment! Have a wonderful week! xT
Made this as the Vegetarian option for our Christmas Dinner. It was a big hit! I have a classic Mac and Cheese that I’ve been making for years but this one will definitely be going into the rotation! I recently acquired Half Baked Harvest Super Simple and look forward to trying more recipes from that book!
Your Healthier Homemade Hamburger Helper is a weeknight favorite as well!
Hi! Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Hope you have a wonderful New Year! 🙂 xT
You mentioned using chopped chipotles and pepper Jack cheese for your brothers. How many peppers do you use and how much pepper Jack?
Made this for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it! It was delicious heated up the next day too. This recipe is a keeper!
Hi Marcie,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and I appreciate you making it! xT
A friend gave us a pan of this recipe. My family devoured it, it is so good! I then made it and added chicken but used protein pasta – it’s such a huge hit with us. I can see this will be added to our weekly plan. Yummy!!
Thanks so much Julie! xT
Delicious recipe I love to make every year!
Thanks sooo much Kendra! Love to hear that! 🙂
I’m making this tonight & I’m so nervous about cooking one pound of pasta in 4 cups of water for 8 minutes. I don’t understand how that is going to work.😱 Is it a typo?
I’m making this for a thanksgiving side. But a bit confused when cooking the pasta in 4 cups of water. Do I not drain the remainder of the water after cooking the pasta?
Hi Fabi,
That is correct, there should be very little water left over which will become part of the sauce, no need to drain the noodles:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
My mom and I just love all of your recipes! I had a favorite things exchange with my girlfriends and I gave them your cookbooks. My friend made this dish for our last book club and it was delicious. Everyone is a big fan and we are so thankful to have your inspiration. I make your pizza dough once a week and we just tried the chocolate banana yogurt treats. HBH and “our girl Tieghan” never lets us down, thank you for sharing your gift with us!
Hi Sheri,
Happy Thursday! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it:) Thanks for your kind message! xT
I just discovered your beautiful cookbooks and I look forward to trying many of your recipes. This was my first: I found it simple and clear, and the results are delicious. I grated 3 cups of a cheddar-gruyere blend from Trader Joe’s and used their light cream cheese and 2% milk (and all the butter you specified) and it is still decadent. (Being lazy, I chopped the artichokes right in the jar, which saved me from washing another bowl.) Thanks for this, and for the many other tasty things to come!
Hey Lauren,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Best Mac & Cheese ever! 1st recipe I’ve tried of yours, & looking forward to buying your cookbook.
Hi Mary,
Happy Sunday!!🏖️🌤️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Could this be made as a freezer meal?
Hey Emilie,
Totally, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out super dry. No creamy sauce left. It was dry pasta and chucks of artichoke with crunchy crackers. What did I do wrong?
Hi Abbi,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you had some issues. What kind of pasta did you use? Did you follow the note for the liquid? Did you cook the pasta first? Let me know how I can help! x