Friday Flava Flave ~ 9/9/11

This was a recipe I've made a couple of times and it is always a hit, and it's always better the next day as leftovers.  You know, that flavor-melding that happens and all.  And really, you can't go wrong with cheesy pasta in my book.

This is from another one of my all-time favorite magazines: Real Simple Magazine.

Cheesy Baked Pasta with Spinach and Artichokes

Here's a direct link to take you right to Real Simple, right to this recipe

Ingredients

• 8 ounces mezzi rigatoni or some other short pasta
• 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered
• 1 9-ounce package frozen creamed spinach, thawed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
• 2 cups grated mozzarella (8 ounces)
• black pepper

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and return it to the pot.
2. Add the artichoke hearts, spinach, Parmesan, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to the pasta and toss to combine.
3. Heat broiler. Transfer the pasta mixture to a shallow 2-quart (or 8-inch square) broilerproof baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cup of mozzarella.
4. Broil until the cheese is browned in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.

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Delicious!  I also completely forgot about using the creamed spinach which would have been easier.  Instead, I used a box of frozen plain spinach and added a splash or two or three or four of milk until the consistency looked good.  Careful, you don't want soup!  Also, the recipe didn't call for it, but I love garlic so I sauteed up a good amount over medium low heat (you don't want it to burn) as my first step then added the artichokes, spinach, etc. 

I was so pleased that my picture came out looking like an identical twin to theirs!

Today I'm linking up with: