One Pot Baked Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese.

From: Half Baked Harvest

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!


Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: makes 6

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

Method

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

• 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.

• 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.

• Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar.

• 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.

• 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.

Recipe 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.

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