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0 from 21 votes

Fire Roasted Mac and Cheese with Feta

Balanced, flavorful, and enjoyable—this recipe has it all.

Prep Time
18 mins
Cook Time
18 mins
Total Time
53 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 1 pound orzo pasta
  • 3 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 3 tablespoon flour
  • 2 ½ 2 ½ cups milk
  • 10 10 ounces shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
  • 4 4 ounces shredded Monterey jack cheese
  • ¾ ¾ cup feta cheese
  • 1 ½ 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 (14-ounce) 1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 4 4 cups baby spinach roughly chopped

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the orzo pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain (but don't rinse) and set aside.
  3. While the pasta is boiling, prepare the cheese mixture. In a 2- or 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until smooth and let the mixture cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly (this helps get rid of the floury taste).
  4. Gradually stir in the milk, whisking constantly, and let it cook at a very gentle simmer for 4-5 minutes until it has thickened considerably.
  5. Off the heat, stir in the cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, one handful at a time, making sure each addition has melted before adding the next. Stir in 1/2 cup of the feta cheese (it may not melt all the way - that's ok).
  6. Stir in the oregano, salt and pepper. Add the undrained diced tomatoes and the spinach. Stir the mixture well to allow the spinach to wilt down a bit.
  7. Stir in the cooked orzo. Spread the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup feta cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbly.
  8. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Cheese: I normally stay away from reduced fat cheese because of the taste/texture but ended up using a lowfat sharp white cheddar cheese (from Cabot) because it was all I could find and it worked really, really well. The texture might have been slightly different had I used a full fat cheese but we were none the wiser and it saved a few calories.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Serving Calories 718kcal (36%) Carbohydrates 70g (23%) Protein 34g (68%) Fat 33g (51%) Saturated Fat 21g (105%) Cholesterol 103mg (34%) Sodium 1207mg (50%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 10g (20%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories

% Daily Value*

Serving 1 Serving
Calories 718kcal 36%
Carbohydrates 70g 23%
Protein 34g 68%
Fat 33g 51%
Saturated Fat 21g 105%
Cholesterol 103mg 34%
Sodium 1207mg 50%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 10g 20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.