Creamy Spinach Artichoke Baked Pasta

If you have ever stood at a party scooping spinach artichoke dip onto chip after chip, this one’s for you.

This Creamy Spinach Artichoke Baked Pasta takes all those flavors you love—creamy, cheesy, garlicky, with tender chunks of artichoke and bits of spinach—and turns them into a proper dinner. It’s comfort food that just happens to be lighter than it tastes.

At 284 calories and 8 WW Points per serving, it’s the kind of dish that makes you feel like you didn’t compromise at all.

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Why I Love Spinach Artichoke Baked Pasta

• It tastes like your favorite dip became dinner. In the best possible way.
• Creamy without being heavy. Greek yogurt and light cream cheese do the work that a full jar of cream would usually do.
• Perfect for Meatless Monday. Filling, satisfying, and nobody misses the meat.
• Easy to customize. Add chicken, swap the greens, use whatever pasta shape you have—it is very forgiving.
• That golden broiled top. Just five minutes under the broiler and the cheese turns gloriously bubbly and brown.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Short pasta — Penne and rotini are my favorites here, but shells, macaroni, ziti, or gnocchi all work beautifully. Even filled pasta like tortellini or ravioli would be delicious.
• Olive oil — Just a small amount to soften the onion and garlic.
• Small onion, finely chopped — Takes a few minutes to cook down properly but adds a wonderful savory base to the sauce.
• Garlic, finely chopped — Fresh garlic is best here. But of course jarred or garlic powder will work in a pinch.
• Non-fat Greek yogurt — The secret to keeping this creamy and light. If you don’t have it, substitute with more reduced-fat cream cheese or reduced-fat sour cream.
• Low-fat cream cheese — Adds richness and body to the sauce. Let it soften slightly before mixing for the smoothest result.
• Grated Parmesan — Use the real thing if you can. A little goes a long way in a sauce this simple.
• Fresh lemon juice — Just a squeeze brightens everything up and keeps the sauce from feeling heavy.
• Frozen chopped spinach, thawed — Make sure to squeeze out as much moisture as possible before adding — this is the key to keeping the sauce creamy rather than watery. Chopped cooked broccoli is a great substitute if you prefer.
• Canned artichoke hearts, rinsed and roughly chopped — Squeeze out excess moisture here too. They add wonderful texture and that classic artichoke dip flavor.
• Low-fat shredded mozzarella — Half goes into the pasta, half gets sprinkled on top for that irresistible golden crust.

Calories and WW Points?

According to my calculations, each serving has 284 calories.

WW Points: 8

To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)

7 PointsPlus (Old plan)

How To Make Artichoke Spinach Baked Pasta

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Before draining, reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.
3. Heat the broiler. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, cream cheese, Parmesan, and lemon juice until well blended. Add the onion mixture and stir to combine.
4. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Stir in the spinach, artichokes, and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water, adding more if the mixture seems dry. Gently fold in ¼ cup of the mozzarella.
5. Transfer the mixture to a broiler-proof 9-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella evenly over the top.
6. Broil until golden and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Watch it closely—it goes from golden to overdone quickly!

A Few Cooking Notes

The most important step in this recipe is squeezing the moisture out of both the spinach and the artichoke hearts. It only takes a moment but makes a real difference—too much moisture and the sauce turns thin and watery instead of creamy and luscious.

This is a wonderful Meatless Monday dish as written, but it would also be delicious with some cooked chicken stirred in if you want to add protein. A simple green salad alongside is all you need to round out the meal.

If you’ve made this Baked Vegetarian Spinach Artichoke Pasta, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

4 from 36 votes

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Baked Pasta

By Martha McKinnon | Simple Nourished Living

Creamy baked pasta with artichokes and spinach this skinny artichoke spinach baked pasta is easy and delicious.

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 5 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Equipment

• 6-Quart Dutch Oven
• Skillet
• Baking Dish

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 6 ounces short pasta, such as penne or rotini
• ▢ 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 small onion, finely chopped
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ▢ 6 tablespoons non-fat Greek yogurt
• ▢ 2 ounces low-fat cream cheese
• ▢ 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 5 ounces (half of 10-ounce package) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess moisture
• ▢ 1 can (13.5 ounces) artichoke hearts, rinsed, squeezed of excess moisture and roughly chopped
• ▢ 2 ounces low-fat mozzarella, shredded (about 1/2 cup)

Instructions 

• Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 1 more minute.
• Heat the broiler. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, cream cheese, Parmesan, and lemon juice until well blended. Add the onion mixture and stir until combined.
• Add the pasta to the bowl and toss to coat. Stir in the spinach, artichokes and 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. (Add more liquid if the pasta seems dry.) Gently stir in 1/4 cup of the mozzarella.
• Transfer the pasta mixture to a broiler-proof 9-inch square casserole dish (affiliate link). Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella.
• Broil until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Notes

Serving size: 1/4th recipe

WW Points: 8

Check the WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app.
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)

7 PointsPlus (Old plan)

Variations

• No Penne or Rotini: Use whatever short cut of pasta you prefer. Shells, macaroni, ziti. This would also be good with gnocchi or filled pasta like tortellini or ravioli.
• No Greek Yogurt: Substitute with more reduced fat cream cheese or reduced fat sour cream.
• No Spinach: Chopped cooked broccoli or frozen defrosted chopped broccoli would be nice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4th recipe, Calories: 284kcal, Carbohydrates: 39.2g, Protein: 18.9g, Fat: 6.9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 507mg, Potassium: 343mg, Fiber: 6.3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 4357IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 274mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Tried this recipe?Mention @simplenourishedliving or tag #simplenourishedliving!

More Easy WW-Friendly Pasta Recipes

If You Like Spinach Artichoke Baked Pasta You May Also Like

• Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta Recipe
  Quick, easy, and impressive enough for company with just 5 WW Points.
• One Pot Creamy Pasta Recipe
  Easy, creamy, and delicious with minimal cleanup.
• Mom’s Easy Baked Ziti
  Pasta baked with spaghetti sauce, ground turkey, cottage cheese, and Parmesan until bubbly and golden—just 6 WW Points.
• Spinach Artichoke Dip Ravioli Soup
  All the flavors of this dish in a cozy, warming soup.
• Mom’s Easy Alfredo Ravioli Casserole
  Rich, comforting, and surprisingly simple to pull together.