Spinach mac and cheese is a simple 3 ingredient dish that takes moments of prep work but delivers flavor and uniqueness.
Finding minimal ingredient recipes is sometimes a challenge but I have to admit this baked spinach mac and cheese works out pretty well. While I enjoy my spinach artichoke mac and cheese with a sprinkling of salt at the end, my kids enjoy it as-is. Yes, even the picky kids are enjoying the veggie macaroni and cheese. Win-win.
I like meals that don't require much effort or prep work, which is probably why I keep making this tasty 3 ingredient macaroni and cheese recipe. While it's not the traditional orange cheddar we expect, the flavors are good and the comfort meal feeling is still abundant.
For more mac and cheese recipes, check out my 5 Ingredient Mac and Cheese, Instant Pot Kraft Mac and Cheese, and Mac and Cheese Quesadilla.
Why This Recipe Works
- It's easy. With just 3 ingredients, this recipe doesn't require much, and with the easy to follow steps, this recipe is perfect for anyone to make!
- It's healthy. Well, probably not "too healthy," but it is a fun way to get in some extra veggies.
- It looks fancy. This dish is great for bringing out and showing off to others when you want to look like an expert in the kitchen.
🥘 Ingredients
Spinach dip- You can use any spinach dip, but my favorite one to use is the Marketside Premium Heatable Spinach Artichoke Dip from Walmart.
Mozzarella cheese- Using a melting white cheese will help to make the colors in this dish stand out and shine.
Elbow noodles- You can use any noodle choice of preference, but elbow noodles are known for being used in mac and cheese recipes.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make 3 ingredient mac and cheese with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
Cook your elbow noodles in a large pot according to package directions until al dente.
Drain the noodles and then return to pot. Turn off heat. Stir in the cheese and spinach dip until well mixed.
Place the noodle mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Optionally, broil on high for 1-2 minutes for a golden crisp top.
Serve with a sprinkling of salt added to taste.
🍴 Recipe Tips
We've had this spinach and artichoke mac and cheese recipe a few times now and have tried it a few different ways trying to find the perfect combination of noodles or brand of dip.
While my homemade spinach artichoke dip tastes great in this dish we've personally found that spinach dips with water chestnuts aren't our favorite. The light crunch isn't what we want in our mac and cheese but to each their own.
Due to different noodles absorbing liquid at different speeds and different dips having different liquid contents you may risk having dry noodles here or there. If you think your mac and cheese is at risk of turning out dry, add in a cup or two of milk or reserved pasta water when stirring in the dip and cheese. Then you'll get a much creamier spinach macaroni and cheese.
💭 FAQs
Yes, using storebought dip, cheese, and cooked noodles is all you need for a spinach dip mac and cheese recipe made simple at home. You could however add in more ingredients such as milk, water, other cheese varieties, salt, etc. But this recipe is a great one as-is and a good base to build up from if you wanted to get creative.
More great pasta recipes to try
📖 Recipe
3 Ingredient Spinach Artichoke Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 box (16oz) Elbow noodles ($0.99)
- 1 container (16oz) Spinach artichoke dip ($5.54)
- 2 cups Shredded mozzarella cheese (8oz) ($1.98)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
- Cook noodles in a pot on the stove according to package directions until al dente.
- Drain noodles and return to pot. Turn off heat. Stir in cheese and spinach dip until well mixed.
- Place noodle mixture into baking dish and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Optionally, broil on high for 1-2 minutes for a golden crisp top.
- Serve with salt added to taste.
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