Tonight's casserole is a take on one of my favorite appetizers, spinach-artichoke dip.
I guess I could just eat a boatload of spinach-artichoke dip for dinner, but somehow a casserole seems more respectable. (A bit dowdy, perhaps, but respectable.)
2 cups of pasta (I like a short, twisty kind), cooked and drained
1 onion and 1 clove of garlic, chopped and sauted
10 ounces (1 box) of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
14 ounces (1 can) of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
10 ounces (1 tub) of Alfredo sauce (the refrigerated kind)
White cheese...Mozzarella , Parmesan, Reggiano, Monterey Jack...you get the idea
The easiest way to mix this is to toss the pasta through the sauce in a big bowl, put on gloves, and mix it up with your hands. Then layer the mixture in a baking or casserole dish with the cheeses of your choice, ending with a layer of cheese.
Bake until hot. Casserole recipes almost always say 350 degrees for 45 minutes, but since I usually make the actual casseroles a few days ahead refrigerate them, it's usually more like 375 for an hour.