Rachael Ray's spinach and artichoke mac 'n' cheese

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves 4

Imogene Lomanto of Gold River saw Rachael Ray prepare a casserole on her show. It included spinach, artichokes, penne pasta, wine and fontina cheese. She was hoping someone had this recipe.

Nancy Polastri of Sacramento shares the recipe.

Ingredients

1 pound semolina or whole-wheat penne pasta, uncooked

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

3 tablespoons flour

½ cup white wine

2 cups milk

Freshly grated nutmeg, about ¼ teaspoon or to taste

1 (10-ounce box) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry in a kitchen towel

1 (10-ounce box) frozen chopped artichokes, defrosted and wrung dry in a kitchen towel

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1½ cups shredded Italian fontina cheese, divided use

1½ cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided use

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place rack in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta, salt water and cook pasta to al dente.

While the pasta water comes to a boil, place a medium pot over medium-low heat with the extra-virgin olive oil and the butter. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook the veggies until very soft, about 10 minutes.

Turn up the heat to medium-high and sprinkle the flour into the pan. Cook for about one minute, then whisk the wine into the pan, cooking for another minute to burn off the alcohol. Whisk the milk into the pan and bring up to a bubble.

Add the nutmeg, spinach, artichokes, salt and pepper to the sauce and simmer until thickened and vegetables are warmed through, two to three minutes more. Add 1 cup of each of the cheeses to the sauce and stir until melted.

Toss the prepared sauce with the cooked pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining fontina and Parmigiano over the top and bake until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Note: The cook time for the pasta overlaps the cook time for the onion and garlic.

Per serving: 1,047 calories; 52 grams protein; 111 grams carbohydrates; 45 grams fat (24 saturated, 12 monounsaturated, 2 polyunsaturated, 7 other); 117 milligrams cholesterol; 1,236 milligrams sodium; 7 grams fiber; 13 grams sugar; 38 percent calories from fat.