Spinach Artichoke Alfredo Pasta
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This Spinach Artichoke Alfredo Pasta is the most indulgent and luxurious dinner ever. Based on everyone’s favorite spinach artichoke dip, this alfredo pasta is a restaurant-quality meal. Frozen spinach and artichokes are cooked with cream cheese and garlic in a homemade alfredo sauce that tastes sooo much better than any store-bought jar of alfredo sauce. It’s rich, creamy and tastes like spinach artichoke dip tossed with pasta. DIVINE!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.
Why This Recipe is So Good
- It’s an indulgent pasta dish that is restaurant quality but sooo easy to make in your own kitchen. If you are looking for a real comforting dinner, this is it. The sauce is so creamy and decadent that everyone will want seconds!
- It’s easy to grab a jar of Alfredo sauce off the shelf, but it’s VERY easy to make at home with just a couple of ingredients. Heavy cream, butter, and grated parmesan cheese is the base of the alfredo sauce and it comes together in just a few minutes. Cream cheese helps to thicken the sauce so it tastes more like spinach artichoke dip, it’s not imitating to make at all!
- This recipe makes 5 – 6 servings. You can make the sauce in advance and store it in the freezer for easy meal prep, or stir in the pasta and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days for simple lunches or weeknight dinners.
Recipe Ingredients
- Spinach – Fresh or frozen. If you are using frozen spinach make sure it’s thawed with as much of the water squeezed out as possible.
- Artichokes – I used frozen artichoke hearts. They need to be boiled before adding to the sauce.
- Pasta – I used fettuccine pasta. Linguine, Penne, Farfalle, etc really any shape of pasta will work here.
- Cream – Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. Half-and-half or milk will not work, both lack a high fat so your sauce won’t be nearly as rich and creamy as with cream.
- Cream cheese – Thickens the alfredo sauce giving it a truly spinach artichoke dip flavor and creaminess.
- Parmesan cheese – Used to make the alfredo sauce. Use the good stuff here – freshly grated parmesan will give the best flavor. I like to use a microplane, but the small side of a regular box grater will work too!
- Lemon juice – A little bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice helps to balance out the richness of the alfredo sauce.
How to Make Spinach Artichoke Fettuccine Alfredo
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Boil your pasta of choice according to the package instructions. Once cooked to al dente, reserve ½ cup of pasta water, drain the rest then drizzle the pasta with olive oil or toss with 2 tablespoons of butter, cover then set aside while you make the alfredo sauce.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, cook frozen artichokes for 5 minutes. Drain then set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a little bit of olive oil. Saute spinach for 5 minutes or until the spinach is cooked down and most of the water is gone. Mix in minced garlic, cook for 1 – 2 minutes until fragrant then transfer spinach to the pot with the artichokes, set aside.
- In the same skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted stir in the cream. Allow the butter and cream to cook until it reaches a gentle simmer, about 2 – 3 minutes. Now stir in the cream cheese and grated parmesan cheese. Continue cooking and whisking until the cream cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened, 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper, the cooked spinach and artichokes and lemon juice. Stir everything together then toss with the pasta. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water as needed to the sauce to help thin it out some and coat the pasta.
- Divide spinach artichoke alfredo pasta among plates then serve topped with more freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Variations
- Add grilled or blackened chicken
- Add chopped or fire-roasted tomatoes
- Take out the artichokes
- Add sauteed mushrooms
- Switch up the pasta. Use Linguine or Farfalle instead of Fettuccine.
- Used white cheddar cheese instead of parmesan for an even more indulgent alfredo pasta
Frequently Asked Questions —
What is an alfredo sauce made of?
This is a traditional white cream sauce made of butter, cream and parmesan cheese. I often love to add minced garlic and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Why add pasta water to the sauce?
This helps to thin out the sauce without making it watery since it contains the starches from cooking the pasta. Using the pasta water also helps the sauce stick to the pasta better.
Looking For More Recipes?
- 3 Ingredient Alfredo Sauce
- Linguine with Red Cabbage and Kale
- The Best Homemade Lasagna
- How To Make Homemade Pasta without a Pasta Machine
- How To Make Homemade Ravioli
- Chicken and Broccoli Noodle Stir Fry
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Spinach Artichoke Alfredo Pasta
This Spinach Artichoke Alfredo Pasta is the most indulgent and luxurious dinner ever. Based on everyone’s favorite spinach artichoke dip, this alfredo pasta is a restaurant-quality meal. Frozen spinach and artichokes are cooked with cream cheese and garlic in a homemade alfredo sauce that tastes sooo much better than any store-bought jar of alfredo sauce. It’s rich, creamy and tastes like spinach artichoke dip tossed with pasta. DIVINE!
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Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 901kcal
Cost: $15
Equipment
- 1 medium pot
- 1 Large skillet
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta linguine, fettuccine, or penne pasta
- 1(12) ounce bag of artichoke hearts frozen
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more as needed
- 1(16) ounce bag of spinach thawed and squeezed
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup butter unsalted
- 2 cups heavy cream cold
- 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese , ½ brick
- 2 cups parmesan cheese freshly grated
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
Serving
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Lemon juice
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta then add 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil, toss to coat then cover with a lid and set aside.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add frozen artichoke hearts then boil for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet set over medium-high heat add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet with thawed spinach that has been squeezed to remove excess water. Cook for 5 minutes, most of the water should be cooked out. Add more olive oil if the skillet starts to look dry and the spinach starts to stick to the skillet. Add in minced garlic, cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant then transfer it to the pot with the cooked artichokes.
- In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat, once melted add in heavy cream. Cook until the butter and cream come together and you don’t see any butter sitting on top. This takes about 2 – 3 minutes.
- Next stir in cream cheese and grated parmesan cheese. Cook for another 5 minutes stirring until the cream cheese is melted. Stir in salt and black pepper and the cooked spinach and artichokes. Taste and adjust for seasoning then add in lemon juice and the cooked pasta. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce and coat the pasta as needed.
- Divide spinach artichoke alfredo pasta among bowls serving topped with more freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
How To Store/ Make Ahead
- Store spinach artichoke pasta for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Reheat in the microwave or over the stove over medium heat with a splash of heavy cream. Serve with extra parmesan cheese and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Make Ahead: Make the sauce, allow it to cool, then store in the fridge until you are ready to enjoy – up to 1 week. From here, boil the pasta then toss with the sauce. Freeze sauce into individual freezer-safe bags or storage containers. Then reheat sauce over the stove over medium heat with a splash of heavy cream and/or pasta water.
Tips and Tricks
- Reserve some of the pasta water: If your sauce ever gets too thick it helps to thin it out and stick to the pasta better.
- Spinach: Fresh or frozen spinach will work here! If using frozen, make sure to squeeze out as much of the water as possible so it doesn’t take forever to cook and/or make your Alfredo sauce watery.
- Artichokes: I used frozen artichoke hearts. They need to be boiled for a few minutes before they can be added to the sauce. You can use jarred artichoke hearts if you want instead. Leave them whole or cut them up and add them to your sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: Use the good stuff! Freshly grate a block of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese; it will melt better and have a more intense flavor.
- Cream: Don’t substitute with milk or half-and-half, your sauce won’t be as rich and creamy. Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream is best for this recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 901kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 65g | Saturated Fat: 38g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 172mg | Sodium: 1210mg | Potassium: 676mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 11107IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 594mg | Iron: 3mg
All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.
