Artichoke Florentine Pasta

By sassy47

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 12 ounces fresh baby spinach (about 16 cups)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups 2% milk
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cans (14 ounces each) water-packed artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup Italian-style panko (Japanese) bread crumbs

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 35mins

Preparation

Step 1

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a 6-qt. Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook and stir 30 seconds. Add spinach; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or just until wilted. Remove from pot.
In same pot, melt remaining butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Add Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, wine and seasonings; stir until smooth. Stir in artichoke hearts; heat through.
Drain pasta; add to sauce, tossing to coat. Stir in spinach mixture. Transfer to a serving dish; sprinkle with bread crumbs. Serve immediately.