Creamy Spinach Artichoke Penne
 
 
by:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • Salt
  • 12 ounces (3 cups) Dreamfields penne
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 5 minced garlic cloves, divided
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • Ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces light (Neufchatel) cream cheese
  • 1 pound frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • 1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
  • 6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
Instructions
  1. Bring 2 quarts of water and 2 teaspoons of salt to boil a large pot. Add pasta and, using back-of-the-box times as a guide, cook, stirring frequently at first to prevent sticking, until just tender. Reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid, drain pasta and return it to the pot.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan or small Dutch oven over medium heat. Add panko and toast, stirring frequently, until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 of the garlic cloves, thyme, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper; continue toasting until fragrant and golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
  3. Return saucepan to skillet. Add remaining tablespoon of oil and remaining garlic cloves and cook until garlic sizzles and turns golden. Add cream cheese, spinach and its liquid, and the artichoke hearts and cook until mixture melts to a simmering sauce; whisk in Parmesan cheese. Add sauce to pasta and toss to coat, adding enough of the pasta cooking liquid to make a light creamy sauce. Serve immediately sprinkling generously with breadcrumbs and a little Parmesan cheese.
Notes
If you can’t find chopped spinach, buy cut-leaf instead. Once the spinach has thawed, squeeze out and reserve the liquid and chop the spinach. Add it and the reserved spinach liquid to the warming cream cheese.
Recipe by Three Many Cooks at https://threemanycooks.com/recipes/strictly-vegetarian/creamy-spinach-artichoke-penne/