Artichoke-Chard Pasta and Cheese

 Comfort comes in all shapes, sizes, and flavors, and this cheesy pasta is proof. It’s a grown-up version of mac and cheese with savory Provolone, silky chard, and tender artichoke hearts, but it’ll also joyfully remind you (and your tastebuds) of spinach artichoke dip. There are a handful of clever shortcuts in this recipe like cooking the chopped chard with the pasta in the last couple of minutes and using canned artichoke hearts. A simple roux, which is equal parts flour and fat, thickens the cheese sauce that's spiked with cream cheese for an extra dose of decadence. 

 

Ingredients

• 1 lb orecchiette pasta

• 2 10-oz. bunches Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter

• 6 tbsp all purpose flour

• 5 cups whole milk

• 1/2 lb sharp provolone cheese (preferably aged), shredded

• 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided, plus more for cooking pasta and chard

• 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup panko

• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. Bring a large broiler-safe pot or Dutch oven of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Add chard during last 2 minutes of cook time. Drain pasta and chard and return them to pot.

2. Meanwhile, heat butter in a medium pot over medium until melted, about 1 minute. Add flour; cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is bubbling and light brown, about 2 minutes. Pour milk into butter mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Simmer over medium, whisking often, for 5 to 10 minutes. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add provolone, cream cheese, and 1 teaspoon salt; stir until smooth.

3. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and chard; stir until well coated. Stir in artichokes, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.

4. Preheat broiler with oven rack 6 inches from heat. (If you don’t have a broiler-safe pot, transfer pasta mixture to a 13-by-9-inch broiler-safe baking dish.) Stir together panko and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over pasta mixture. Broil until panko is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. 

 

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