This gooey mac ‘n’ cheese combines all the things you love about spinach artichoke dip in one comforting side dish! Even kids won’t be able to resist this dynamite macaroni.
So I’ve got a story of woe to tell you guys today before we get to today’s recipe. Care to hear it? Beware ’cause it’s kinda lengthy.
Here we go: So this week started off so innocently. I didn’t have any huge plans except testing a bunch of new recipes, writing a few blog posts, photographing a few things, ect. My week was humming right along until Tuesday when…..
…disaster struck. Like LIGHTNING, disaster struck.
My oven died. My oven legitly and completely DIED. Poof. GONE. I had just put the chicken drumsticks for dinner in the oven, and was minding my own business making a salad when I heard a very peculiar and suspicious noise.
“sizzle, sizzle, POP, hisssssssss.”
I SPRINT over to the oven, yank it open and…..I’ll be honest, my first thought was that one of the kids had lit off firecrackers in my oven or something because there were sparks EVERYWHERE.
I more or less screamed for my mother at that point. MOM!!! THE OVEN IS ON FIIIIIIIIIRE! SAVE THE CHICKEN!!
We managed to save my poor chicken drumsticks (that were still raw but certainly on their way to becoming burnt to a crisp) Then my mom closed the oven (the sparks were slowly dying down by then) and said to me: “Well, there’s that…..do you want me to the store and stock up on canned tuna?”
Veeeeery funny. The tears were definitely flowing at this point.
The only good news in all of this drama is that I made this mac ‘n’ cheese you are seeing today BEFORE my oven bit the dust. So that was good. The bad news is that it is now Thursday and I am STILL without any oven until my dad gets the new part he needs to fix it. We’re currently living on stovetop food and I’m HANGRY.
Okaaaaaay, maybe I exaggerated that last part just a bit…I did make some pretty wicked stovetop chicken chimichangas last night and even with my broken, oven-less heart I managed to choke down a few.
A lot, okay? I managed to make a pretty nice dent in the chimichanga supply.
And that right there is the end of my tale of woe. Maybe we should talk about happier things now. Like cheese!
And spinach artichoke dip getting all close and personal with mac ‘n’ cheese.
Hoooooooold me.
Let me reiterate what exactly we have going on here in Carbo-Loaded Land today….
Gooey mac ‘n’ cheese + spinach + artichoke hearts + an ridiculous amount of cheese = Spinach Artichoke Dip Mac ‘n’ Cheese.
Otherwise known as the answer your mac ‘n’ cheese prayers. Friends, no lies: this mac is insane. Ridiculously awesome. Super-duper addicting. I mean, we ARE cramming two pretty epic comfort foods into one pan. Only glorious things could happen. ā„
Even kids will smack their way through firsts, seconds and maybe even sevenths of this macaroni. I promise they won’t even care that there’s green stuff hanging out in there.
It’s covered by cheese, yo! Sneaky, sneaky….
Friends: Avert your eyes away from all this cheesy insanity RIGHT.NOW if you have even a shred of self-control.
It’s too late for me, obviously. š
*smack, smack, gulp*
Seriously though, this mac will turn any bad week around. Cheese just does that to ‘ya even if you’re lacking an oven.
Go borrow your neighbor’s or something. š
Spinach Artichoke Dip Mac ānā Cheese
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 lb elbow pasta cooked according to package instructions
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach coarsely chopped
- 1 can 14 oz artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour until smooth, then slowly whisk in milk, cream, and mustard until combined. Stir frequently over medium-high heat until sauce starts to simmer and thicken. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper and stir in cheese until melted.
- Place pasta, spinach, and artichokes in a large bowl and pour sauce over top. Transfer to a greased 9x13 pan.
- Bake macaroni and cheese at 350F 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve immediately.
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
What a fun twist on traditional mac and cheese! I bet it was AWESOME!
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
Is it bad that I want this before it’s 10am?! This looks amazing!!!
Sarah says
Haha! No shame at all! I get mac ‘n’ cheese cravings pretty early in the day myself. š
Marta @ Foodaciously says
Hi Sarah, thanks for sharing this hearty and tasty recipe! Using spinach and artichokes is a great way to make a mac’n’cheese healthier, I also added some cherry tomatoes for a nice color contrast š
Thank you!