Creamed Spinach Mac and Cheese
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
40 mins
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Cook Time
30 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
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Servings
8 people
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Course
Side Dish, Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Creamed Spinach Mac and Cheese
Description
Creamed Spinach Mac and Cheese features pasta enveloped in a velvety cheese sauce made from a butter, onion, and garlic base. A roux thickens the sauce, which is infused with nutmeg, before fresh baby spinach is stirred in and cooked down. The cheese blend of fontina, cheddar, and Parmesan melts into the sauce, coating the pasta for a smooth, creamy consistency. Topped with crispy onions, the mac and cheese gains a textural contrast from the delicate crunch on top. This baked dish offers a balance between vibrant spinach and the richness of melted cheese, making it suitable as a main meal or a flavorful accompaniment.
The onions and garlic soften to build a foundational flavor, while the nutmeg adds a subtle warmth to the sauce. As the spinach cooks down in the sauce, it incorporates a fresh, mildly earthy note. The combination of cheeses provides depth, with fontina offering meltiness, cheddar adding sharpness, and Parmesan contributing a nutty finish. The butter and flour roux give body to the sauce and help it cling well to the pasta.
This dish is best served warm, straight from the oven to enjoy the crisp topping and creamy interior simultaneously. It pairs well with simple roasted meats or as a standalone vegetarian option. The crispy onion topping or breadcrumbs offer a pleasant variation to the smoothness of the sauce beneath.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta cooked according to package directions, short cut
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1 onion diced, sweet
- 3 garlic minced, cloves
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
- 4 tablespoons flour
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg freshly ground
- 12 ounces spinach fresh baby
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 12 ounces fontina cheese freshly grated
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese freshly grated, white
- 2 ounces Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
- ½ cup crispy onions for topping, or breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Heat a large oven-safe pot over medium-low heat and add the butter. Stir in the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions have softened.
- At this time, you can also cook the pasta in another pot. You can cook it before too - just make sure to give it a quick spritz of olive oil so it doesn't stick together.
- Toss all the grated cheese together.
- Stir the flour into the onions to create a roux. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it becomes golden in color and starts to smell nutty. Slowly stream in the milk while stirring constantly. The mixture will begin to come together and thicken. Stir in the nutmeg.
- Add in the spinach - it will seem overwhelming at first, but it will quickly cook down! Stir until it cooks down and softens.
- Once the spinach cooks down, stir in almost all of the cheese (reserve a bit for topping) and the pasta. Toss it together over and over until it is combined.
- Top with the remaining grated cheese. Top with crispy onions. Bake for 35 to 30 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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