Baked Mac and Cheese with Spinach and Broccolini

Votes: 1

Time: 45 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4-6

Load up your mac and cheese with healthy fiber by adding blanched broccolini and spinach to the sauce. The sauce itself is made with a blend of Italian provolone and Asiago cheeses. Together, they create a fantastic texture and amazing flavor, which is perfectly complemented by a pinch of nutmeg and black pepper. Any short, tubular pasta will work for mac and cheese. Boil it, toss it with vegetables in the cheese sauce, and bake it in the oven under a layer of grated Parmesan cheese for a delicious crust. If you're making mac and cheese for a special occasion, bake and serve it in individual ramekins.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

1 package frozen chopped spinach
450 g cavatappi (corkscrew) pasta or other short pasta
1 bunch broccolini, trimmed and cut into 5cm pieces.
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tbsp. premium flour
2.5 cups whole milk
Black pepper
Nutmeg, freshly grated, to taste
1 cup grated provolone
1 cup grated Asiago
1 tbsp. grated parmesan

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Recipes with similar ingredients: spinach, cavatappi pasta, broccolini, butter, premium flour, milk, black pepper, nutmeg, provolone cheese, Asiago cheese, Parmesan cheese

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Defrost the spinach in the microwave. Squeeze, separate, and set aside.
While the spinach is defrosting, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat for the pasta, and in another saucepan, bring a little water to a boil for the broccolini. Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta until just firmer than al dente. Cook the broccolini for 3 minutes, then immediately transfer to a bowl of cold water and drain thoroughly.

Return the broccolini pan to the stovetop over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and stir until smooth. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes to thicken, then season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with nutmeg. Reduce the heat to low. When the pasta is almost done, stir in the provolone and Asiago cheeses.
Preheat oven to grill or high heat.
In a large bowl, combine the pasta with the spinach, broccolini, and cheese sauce. Transfer to individual ramekins or a large ovenproof casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and toast in the oven for a few minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

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