Spinach Mac and Cheese

Name: Spinach Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 35 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/2 cup minced yellow onion; 1/3 cup all-purpose flour; 4 cups whole milk, room temperature; Coarse salt and ground pepper; 2 bunches curly- or flat-leaf spinach (about 1 3/4 pounds total), trimmed, washed, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick strips; 5 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (2 cups); 3/4 pound elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions

Rating: 3.85 stars

73 Ratings
4 Reviews

Add a bit of green goodness to basic mac and cheese with fresh spinach, stirred into the sauce until just wilted.

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Recipe Summary

prep:

35 mins

total:

35 mins

Servings:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk, room temperature
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 bunches curly- or flat-leaf spinach (about 1 3/4 pounds total), trimmed, washed, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick strips
5 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (2 cups)
3/4 pound elbow macaroni, cooked according to package instructions

Directions

Step 1

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium. Add onion and cook until translucent, 6 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is pale golden and has a slightly nutty aroma, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, add 2 cups milk. Add remaining 2 cups milk, raise heat to medium-high, and whisk until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Cook, whisking constantly, until sauce comes to a boil, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 13 to 15 minutes.

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Step 2

Add spinach and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add cheese and stir until melted, about 2 minutes. Add cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes

Small broccoli florets in place of spinach can work well here too.

Reviews (4)

73 Ratings

5 star values: 25
4 star values: 20
3 star values: 20
2 star values: 8
1 star values: 0

Anonymous

01/23/2014

I made this as directed but felt it needed a little something so added garlic powder which works well. I'll try it again but with a combination of cheeses instead . Its a great way to add more veggies to your meal.

Anonymous

07/05/2011

This recipe is very bland as it is written. I made it with the Gruyere, but added 3 ozs. of goat cheese for tang, and 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Although this adds to the salt the dish needs to raise above the bland ranking you may still need to add even more. Don't forget to add some nutmeg, to taste, also. These changes made the dish, at least, interesting. Next time I might go with something to give it a little spicy kick. That might be exciting instead of bland and uninteresting.

Anonymous

06/20/2011

I don't know if I am just really bad at adding salt and pepper to taste or what but this dish was a little bland to me.

Anonymous

05/04/2011

Tasty doesn't do this recipe justice. I had to make a second batch the same night for my husband!

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Spinach Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

Directions

Cook's Notes

Reviews (4)

All Reviews for Spinach Mac and Cheese