This recipe was a successful attempt at trying to feed my family more spinach. They loved it and now prefer this version to conventional mac and cheese.
Ingredients
- butter: 1 tsp
- elbow macaroni: 1 pack (16 ounce pack)
- butter: 3 Tbsp
- all-purpose flour: 3 Tbsp
- milk: 3 cups
- frozen chopped spinach, not: 1 pound (thawed)
- cheddar cheese: 3 cups (divided, grated)
- salt: 0.5 tsp
- ground black pepper: 0.25 tsp
- ground nutmeg: 0.25 tsp
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with 1 teaspoon butter.
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Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
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Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat while macaroni is cooking. Add flour and whisk until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in a little milk and continue whisking. Pour in remaining milk and add frozen spinach. Cook, whisking constantly, until spinach softens and sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
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Remove sauce from heat and stir in 2 cups Cheddar cheese; whisk until melted. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
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Drain macaroni and spread evenly in the prepared baking dish. Cover with cheese sauce. Mix well. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese on top.
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Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Turn on the oven's broiler and broil until a golden crust forms on top, about 3 minutes.
