This vegetarian spinach artichoke baked pasta is decadent, flavorful, and packed with secret protein thanks to white beans and Greek yogurt.
Jump to Recipe
This spinach artichoke baked pasta is basically spinach artichoke dip with some pasta thrown in, and I’m not mad about it. The key change in this particular dish is some secret protein that takes everything to the next level. That’s right, we’re going to purée an entire can of white beans and throw in some Greek yogurt to make sure that this meal is truly satisfying for everyone. So without further adieu, let’s talk ingredients!
Spinach Artichoke Baked Pasta Ingredients
Pasta Shells: My favorite noodle shape for bakes like this one. The sauce gets in all the nooks and crannies and is just oh-so-satisfying. You can definitely use gluten-free pasta if needed. My favorite is Banza.
Baby Spinach: As you know, I love to add as many veggies as possible! An entire 5 oz container will be sautéed with garlic before being added to the baked pasta.
Garlic: Necessary.
Olive Oil: Just a splash to cook down the spinach and garlic.
Canned Artichokes: I like to buy the already quartered artichokes to save some time because I’m lazy, but either way you will need to drain and chop these babies before adding them to the pasta bake.
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese: To make our baked pasta ooey-gooey, cheesy, and golden brown.
Sauce Ingredients
White Beans: If you can’t tell, I love beans, and I love sneaking ’em into recipes. Beans are packed with fiber and protein and generally wonderful for you. There are several varieties of white beans, so get whichever you can find. The three most common types are cannellini, navy, and great northern.
Milk of Choice: Any unsweetened dairy or plant-based milk works here. I used almond milk because that’s generally what I have on hand.
Cream Cheese: I played around with the amount of cream cheese in this recipe, and in order to receive the full spinach artichoke dip experience, a full 8 oz block is required.
Greek Yogurt: Full fat per usual.
Parmesan Cheese: Just a quarter cup to really drive the spinach artichoke dip vibe home.
Worcestershire Sauce: Use the vegan variety to keep things vegetarian! I recommend Annie’s or Wizard’s. This may feel like an unnecessary ingredient, but it truly adds that indescribable umami flavor. I tested without it, and I felt it was necessary.
Garlic Powder: To take the garlic flavor to the next level.
Red Pepper Flakes: For a little kick! If you’re sensitive to spicy food, you can omit.
Sea Salt and Black Pepper: To finish everything off and enhance the flavors.
Meal Prep Tips
Some components of this recipe can certainly be prepared ahead of time. Here are my best tips:
- Cook the pasta ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Make the sauce in your food processor in advance and store in the refrigerator for a couple days.
- You could certainly drain and chop the artichokes and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days prior to making your pasta bake.
All that being said, I do recommend waiting to sauté the spinach until just before assembling the pasta bake, as it will likely get soggy and unappetizing if it sits in the fridge too long.
If you make this vegetarian spinach artichoke baked pasta, be sure to leave a rating and review! It means the world to me and encourages others to give the recipe a try!
More Casserole Ideas:
- Vegetarian Barbecue Quinoa Casserole
- Easy and Healthy Cauliflower Gnocchi Bake
- Arugula Goat Cheese Frittata with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Spinach Artichoke Baked Pasta
Equipment
- Food Processor
- 9×13 Casserole Dish
Ingredients
- 10 oz pasta shells (gluten-free if needed)
- ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 5 oz container baby spinach
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 14 oz can or jar artichokes drained and chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
For the Sauce:
- 1 15 oz can white beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup milk of choice
- 1 8 oz package cream cheese
- ½ cup full fat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Cook pasta according to package directions.
- While pasta is cooking, place white beans and milk of choice in the bowl of a food processor and process until completely smooth. Add in remaining sauce ingredients and process until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
- Next, heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and baby spinach and sauté until spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes.
- Place cooked pasta, wilted spinach, artichokes and sauce mixture in the casserole dish and stir until well-combined and evenly distributed. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake 20-25 minutes or until the mozzarella is golden brown and the pasta bake is bubbling. Let cool 5 minutes and enjoy!
Notes
Photography by Hope Agresti
As a parent of a picky eater, this was an awesome dinner. I actually put extra spinach and little more greek yogurt to try to get more protein and greens in their system, it worked and they loved this pasta and ask me to make it all the time now.