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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.
Looking forward to making this for our *hopeful* winter snowstorm this week in DC! Any advice for a gluten free cracker substitute? Was thinking I’d just use some GF breadcrumbs since a good buttery GF cracker is hard to find 🙂
Hey Laura,
Yes, GF breadcrumbs would be a great option! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Wondering if I could use frozen spinach in place of fresh? Would I proceed as normal? Thanks!!
Hey Lindsay,
Yes you can use fresh but you will want to cook it down and drain first. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Made this for an annual Mac off my friends and I have and it won! I had to share the recipe with them as they loved it. Going to try different cheeses next time to switch it up ☺️. What will I make next year? Maybe a curry Mac recipe could be made by then?! ?
I am so happy to hear that!! Thank you for trying this one, Samantha! xTieghan
Great recipe, super easy to follow! My mom was especially pleased with the addition of artichokes to this classic dish. Thank you! Will definitely be making this again in the future.
Thank you so much Cassidy! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this for the first time tonight, it for sure won’t be my last. Absolutely loved it, great flavour and it was fun to make with my boyfriend who has never enjoyed cooking … that was until your cookbook arrived in the mail after me spamming him with your Insta stories. You’ve inspired him to cook and that makes me beyond excited! We now have a new activity to do together, so thank you for making everything look so delicious to a dedicated meat and potatoes only kind of guy!
Hi Jenna! I am so happy this recipe turned out so amazing for you!! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Total comfort food. This was one of the best Mac snd cheese recipes I have ever had Delicious
Thank you so much Marie!! I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
Hi – Can I use saltines instead of Ritz crackers?
Hey Caroline,
Sure that will work. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
I made this this weekend and it was a hit! Incredibly delicious and a family favourite now. Will definitely keep this in the books for future family dinners!
This looks delicious! For baked pasta dishes, do you recommend dry pasta over fresh?
Hey Hillary,
Yes that is what I would recommend:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi, could I use a milk substitute for this? Like oat milk? Thank you!
Hey Kiera,
Yes, that will work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
We enjoyed the mac and cheese on a cold, windy, and rainy day in Michigan. We increased the amount of and added some diced grape tomatoes. So yummy!
Thank you so much Karen! xTieghan
Can I make this in my Dutch oven
Hey Justine,
I would recommend transferring to an oven safe baking dish. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! Love your recipes! Can you half the recipe? Also, to add “spice” which chillies would you add? Thanks!
Hey Jag,
Yes you can cut the recipe in half and I would use some red pepper flakes. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
So easy and so delicious!! Loved that you don’t have to drain the pasta — although these days that’s the only way I’m able to get a facial! My family could not stop raving about it and my 7-year old, who does not like baked pasta, cleaned his plate!
Wow that is so amazing! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Selena! Thank you! xTieghan
Awesome and comforting recipe! I was nervous about not draining the pasta water but it worked out perfectly and saved some time! Overall this recipe took me about 30 min to prepare and everyone loved it. Thanks so much 🙂
Thank you Lindsay! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan