Baked Rigatoni with garlic, artichoke, and wilted greens

This recipe contains only a few ingredients and comes together very quickly. For a weeknight dinner that has all the satisfaction of a laborious Sunday supper consider this creamy dish.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Serving Size: 4-6
Source: The Culinary Vegetable Institute  at The Chef's Garden

Ingredients:

• 1 12 oz Box of Barilla Collezione Rigatoni
• 1 - 1 1/2 lbs The Chef’s Garden Mixed Greens, any combination of kale, mustard, or spinach, washed, dried, and roughly chopped
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 13-oz. can or jar of artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
• 2ct 8 oz. packages of cream cheese,
• ¼ Cup grated Parmesan
• ⅓  Cup grated mozzarella cheese
• ¼ Cup of Milk
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt + more to taste
• 1 ½ cups of Panko Breadcrumbs
• ⅓ Cup Olive Oil

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 375F with convection.
• Bring a large covered pot of salted water to a boil. As it heats, prepare the rest of your ingredients.
• When the water is ready, add the pasta and set a timer that will go off 30 seconds prior to the box’s recommended cooking time for al denté pasta.  While the pasta is cooking you will prepare the sauce.
• In a 4-6 qt pot, sweat the garlic, shallot, and artichokes with the butter. Cook on medium heat until you start to notice browning on the edges of the shallot. Turn the heat to low then, while stirring, add the cream cheese. Turn the heat to medium and ensure all of the cream cheese has melted. Bring the contents of the pot to a gentle simmer. With the mixture bubbling, add the milk, greens, and salt. Stir to briefly wilt the greens then remove the mixture from the heat.
• When the timer goes off, drain the pasta well then add it, as well as the mozzarella and parmesan to the cream cheese mixture. Fold all of these ingredients together before tasting for and adjusting seasoning as necessary.
• Transfer the pasta to a baking dish. Spread it to an even layer with a spatula or spoon.
• In a small bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs and Olive oil until all of the breadcrumbs are coated in oil. Spread this mixture across the surface of the pasta. Season the breadcrumbs with a small pinch of salt and transfer the dish to the oven.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pasta is hot and the breadcrumbs are a deep golden brown. If your oven has a broiler function, you can use it to add the last bit of color to your breadcrumbs. 
• Serve with a side salad and accompany with a pepper mill.
• Consider riffing on this basic recipe by adding mushrooms or cooked root vegetables in place of or in addition to the artichokes. The greens need only to be clean and delicious, and tender enough to eat without braising. Collards won’t do, but most kales, mustards, and spinach will work wonderfully.