Brian Boitanos Artichoke And Spinach Pasta Recipes

SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE PASTA RECIPE

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water to desired doneness (I added 1/2 Tbsp salt for a soup pot half filled with water. Drain pasta and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water (DONT FORGET).
• In a large pot, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Once hot, add spinach and stir until slightly wilted. The spinach wilts fast (about 1 minute) and I might have overdone it because I was snapping the picture rather than removing it right away. Notice how much it shrinks - wild eh?! Transfer wilted spinach to a colander and let it drain while preparing the rest of the recipe.
• Add 4 Tbsp butter to the same now empty pot along with 4 oz cream cheese cut into pieces, 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup parmesan and stir until everything melts together and starts to bubble.
• Stir in drained artichokes and cook an additional 1-2 min then add drained spinach, pressed garlic and jalapeños (if using). Cook until hot then toss in the cooked, drained pasta. Stir in reserved pasta water if desired (I added at least 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid - this makes the sauce a little lighter and creamier and helps to keep the pasta moist when it's reheated).

BRIAN BOITANO'S GARLICKY WHITE BEAN ARTICHOKE DIP

Steps:

• Place garlic cloves in bowl of food processor.
• Pulse in short spurts until garlic is minced.
• Place cannelini beans, artichoke hearts, lemon juice and salt and pepper in bowl.
• Process until all ingredients are well mixed.
• Pour olive oil through food chute and process until mixture is creamy.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Serve with pita chips or fresh vegetables.

CHEESE, ARTICHOKE AND SPINACH FILLED MANICOTTI

Steps:

• Boil manicotti shells until almost done, about 7 minutes. Shells should be somewhat soft but still have some rigidness to them.
• In a bowl, mix ricotta cheese, one egg, spinach and artichoke hearts, salt & pepper until well combined. Spoon mixture into a ziplock back and cut off one corner.
• Cover the bottom of a rectangular baking pan with some of the spaghetti sauce.
• Using the plastic baggie like a piping bag, squeeze mixture into each manicotti shell until full. Place on top of spaghetti sauce, leaving space in between each shell. Leaving space will help with serving later. Cheese mixture should fill approximately 8-10 shells.
• Top the shells with more of the spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with parmesan.
• Cover with foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.