Kendra's Treats

I guess this is my first post that doesn’t involve sugar. Believe it or not though, I don’t live on dessert alone and while I’ll keep posting primarily about sweets, maybe occasionally I’ll post something savory. Would everyone be ok with that? =)

I have to admit that I’m not a hard-core macaroni and cheese fan. Baked macaroni and cheese is by far my favorite though. Recently, I’ve started making what I call “grown-up mac and cheese” which basically means I use cheeses other than american or cheddar and add spinach or some other vegetable. I really enjoy these variations more than the original now and Jordan will eat pretty much anything when it’s smothered in cheese sauce. The spinach doesn’t over power the dish though so it’s an easy way to sneak some extra veggies in your diet. For this recipe, I took my favorite baked macaroni and cheese recipe and swapped out the cheddar cheese for mozzarella and parmesan and added some chopped spinach. I always keep frozen spinach on hand but you could definitely use fresh spinach too. Enjoy!

Macaroni and Cheese with Spinach
2 cups uncooked pasta (whatever shape you want–I used cavatappi which is like a double elbow)
2 cups skim milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (any kind of easy melting cheese would work)
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.
2. In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Sprinkle flour and salt over butter and whisk for 1 minute. Add milk and continue to whisk until thickened.
3. Remove from heat and stir in mozzarella cheese. Whisk until smooth. Stir in spinach and pasta.
4. Pour into 10 inch greased casserole dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and cheese is melted.