Creamy Spinach & Rigatoni Bake

Name: Creamy Spinach & Rigatoni Bake
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 10 servings.
Cuisine: Asian Appetizers, Asian Dinners, Comfort Food Dinner Recipes, Comfort Food Recipes, Indian Recipes, Italian Dinners, Italian Recipes
Ingredients: 1 package (16 ounces) rigatoni; 8 ounces sliced pancetta, chopped; 3/4 cup butter, cubed; 1/2 cup chopped onion; 3/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1-1/2 teaspoons salt; 3/4 teaspoon pepper; 5-1/4 cups 2% milk; 4 cups shredded Italian cheese blend; 1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped; 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry; 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Macaroni and cheese is one of the ultimate comfort foods. My recipe gives it an Italian twist. —Tammy Rex, New Tripoli, Pennsylvania

Ingredients

1 package (16 ounces) rigatoni
8 ounces sliced pancetta, chopped
3/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
5-1/4 cups 2% milk
4 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
1 can (14 ounces) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. Cook rigatoni according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook pancetta over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard drippings; wipe skillet clean.
In same pan, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until blended; gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in cheese blend until melted.
Stir in artichokes, spinach and pancetta. Drain rigatoni; add to cheese sauce. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake, uncovered, until golden brown and bubbly, 20-25 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

1-1/4 cups: 643 calories, 35g fat (20g saturated fat), 99mg cholesterol, 1438mg sodium, 53g carbohydrate (8g sugars, 3g fiber), 28g protein.

Reviews

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Average Rating:

JTCooksOK

Apr 9, 2020

Reminded me of the spinach/artichoke hot dip that I made baked in the oven. It is rich and delicious. Lots of cheese just the way I like it. What can I say better than fried pancetta, and pasta, nothing better.
Kelly

Dec 8, 2019

This was really good, but the amount of béchamel was way too much. The pasta was almost lost in all of it. If I made this again I would cut it in 1/2 so it would be a little lighter. I also used chicken instead of pancetta. I would increase the artichoke hearts too since they got lost in all the pasta and sauce.
Lisa

Oct 27, 2019

I used evaporated milk because that is what I had on hand... not a good substitution. Yuck.
dinglefritz

Feb 14, 2019

Absolutely excellent! I didn't have pancetta, so I used bacon. I will be making this again and again and again.
Albert

Jan 7, 2019

Turned out amazing would definitely recommend this!
Patricia

Feb 27, 2017

I followed the directions. It was great. We called it Adult Mac n Cheese. Will make again.
brianneosborn

Feb 5, 2017

This was great!I did make some changes:I added diced portobello mushrooms, used a 12 oz bag of spinach instead of 10, and subbed turkey pepperoni because pancetta in our area stores is outside of our budget. I also didn't buy enough of the Italian cheese blend, so I used a Mexican blend we had on hand to make up the balance.It still turned out delicious, and it made enough that I divided it into three pans, giving us supper plus two freezer meals.