Recipes and Cooking Creamy Orecchiette with Spinach, Artichokes, and Bacon Be the first to rate & review! Orecchiette pasta, known as "little ear," comes from Southern Italy. It works well for sauces, which collect in the pasta's concave shape. By Deborah Wagman Deborah Wagman Deborah Wagman is a former Senior Food Editor at Better Homes & Gardens and recipe developer for its special interest publications, including cookbooks “Grilling” and “Fresh.” Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on November 22, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Brie Passano Prep Time: 5 mins Hands On Time: 30 mins Bake Time: 25 mins Total Time: 1 hr Servings: 6 Yield: 6 cups Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 6 ounce dried orecchiette pasta 6 slices bacon 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 12 ounce jar quartered marinated artichoke hearts, drained 1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil ½ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese Directions Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 3-qt. baking dish. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Transfer pasta to prepared dish. In a 10-inch skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels; chop when cool. Reserve 1 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Heat skillet with drippings over medium. Add garlic; cook and stir 30 seconds. Add next three ingredients (through cayenne pepper). Cook and stir 2 minutes. Add next two ingredients (through basil) and 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until cream cheese melts. (Sauce consistency should resemble heavy cream; if necessary, thin with remaining pasta water, adding 1 Tbsp. at a time.) Stir next three ingredients (through black pepper) and bacon into sauce mixture. Pour mixture over pasta; stir to coat. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes. Tip Refrigerate artichoke heart marinade in a tightly sealed jar for up to 1 month--it makes a superlative vinaigrette for salad greens and chilled pasta salads. Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 495 Calories 32g Fat 31g Carbs 23g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 6 Calories 495 % Daily Value * Total Fat 32g 41% Saturated Fat 16g 80% Cholesterol 82mg 27% Sodium 719mg 31% Total Carbohydrate 31g 11% Total Sugars 3g Protein 23g Vitamin C 7.1mg 36% Calcium 393mg 30% Iron 2.7mg 15% Potassium 437mg 9% Folate, total 95.4mcg Vitamin B-12 1.1mcg Vitamin B-6 0.2mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.