Best 8 Light Macaroni And Cheese With Spinach Recipes

SPINACH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with 1 teaspoon butter.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat while macaroni is cooking. Add flour and whisk until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in a little milk and continue whisking. Pour in remaining milk and add frozen spinach. Cook, whisking constantly, until spinach softens and sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
• Remove sauce from heat and stir in 2 cups Cheddar cheese; whisk until melted. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Drain macaroni and spread evenly in the prepared baking dish. Cover with cheese sauce. Mix well. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Turn on the oven's broiler and broil until a golden crust forms on top, about 3 minutes.

SPINACH-TOMATO MACARONI & CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cook macaroni according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and 1/4 tsp salt; cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Gradually add spinach, stirring until wilted and adding 1 Tbsp. water at a time, if needed. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
• Add tomatoes to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until they begin to soften, about 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl with the spinach mixture.
• Reduce heat to medium and add butter to the pan. When the butter has melted, whisk in flour, pepper, and the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk and broth. Cook, whisking, until thickened and bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in 3/4 cup cheese until melted.
• Add the macaroni and sauce to the bowl with the spinach mixture; mix well. Transfer to an 11x7-inch baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
• Bake until the cheese is melted, 10 to 15 minutes.

QUICK & CREAMY MACARONI & CHEESE WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Cook macaroni as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. oil in large saucepan on medium heat. Add spinach and garlic; cook and stir 3 min. or until spinach is wilted. Spoon into bowl; set aside.
• Heat remaining oil in same saucepan. Whisk in flour; cook and stir 1 min. Gradually whisk in milk; cook and stir 3 to 5 min. or until thickened. Add cheeses; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until shredded cheese is melted.
• Drain macaroni. Add to cheese sauce along with the spinach; cook and stir 3 min. or until heated through.

LIGHT MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400F.
• Spray 8" square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• In small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the milk and flour until smooth.
• In heavy medium saucepan, heat remaining 1 1/2 cups milk over medium heat until steaming.
• Add flour mixture; cook 2-3 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens, whisking constantly.
• Remove from heat; stir in cheddar cheese until melted.
• Stir in cottage cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Cook spinach according to package directions; drain.
• Rinse under cold running water; squeeze out excess moisture.
• Cook macaroni in large pot of boiling lightly salted water 4-5 minutes or until not quite tender, stirring often.
• (Macaroni will continue to cook while baking.) Drain; rinse with cold water.
• Drain again.
• In large bowl, stir together cheese sauce and macaroni.
• Spread half of the macaroni mixture in baking dish; spoon spinach over top.
• Spread remaining macaroni mixture over spinach layer; sprinkle with wheat germ.
• (Dish can be made to this point and refrigerated for 2 days or frozen for 2 months. Thaw in refrigerator before baking.) Bake 35-45 minutes or until bubbly and golden.
• TIP*If you can't find wheat germ, substitute an equal amount of Parmesan cheese, cracker crumbs or bread crumbs.
• VARIATION: To make Southwestern Macaroni and Cheese with Peppers, substitute 1 cup grated pepper Jack cheese for 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.
• Omit the nutmeg.
• Add 1 (4 1/2-oz.) can chopped mild green chiles, 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro and dash cayenne pepper to cheese sauce.
• Omit spinach.
• Instead, cook 2 cups thawed frozen pepper stir-fry vegetables in 1 teaspoon olive oil 3 to 4 minutes or until tender.
• Replace spinach with pepper mixture.

SPINACH MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• HEAT OVEN TO 400F/204C. Line 2 quart casserole with parchment paper (for easy cleanup) or spray casserole dish with oil.
• BOIL MACARONI AND SPINACH: Bring salted water to a boil in a large saucepan and add macaroni. Cook as per package directions. 3 minutes before macaroni is cooked, add frozen or fresh chopped spinach. This will slow the boil, so increase heat to medium high to finish cooking pasta to al dente which is what you want. Drain in colander and set aside.
• MAKE CHEESE SAUCE: Heat butter in saucepan on medium heat. Add flour and whisk to blend. Cook for 2 minutes. Add milk. Whisk to blend. Add salt and mustard (if using). Cook for about 5-7 minutes until thickened. Turn off heat. Mix in 2 1/2 cups (~280g) cheese, reserving remaining 1/2 cup (56g) of cheddar for topping.
• COMBINE SAUCE AND MACARONI: Add cooked macaroni and spinach to cheese sauce. Mix to combine well. Transfer to 2 quart casserole. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese casserole.
• BAKE AND SERVE: Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is golden brown on top. Serve with slaw, baked beans or tomato salad.

LIGHTENED-UP SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Special equipment: a broiler-safe 2-quart baking dish
• Position an oven rack at the center of the oven, and preheat the broiler.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water; strain the pasta.
• Wipe out the pot. Add the butter, and melt over medium heat. Add the shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, and whisk constantly until it begins to toast, about 2 minutes. (The flour will form a thick paste, but that's okay; just keep it moving in the pot.) Whisk in the milk and the reserved pasta water, and whisk constantly until the mixture is thick like gravy, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the sour cream, 2/3 cup of the mozzarella, the Swiss cheese and 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan. Once the cheeses have melted, add the spinach, and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the artichoke hearts, pasta, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Transfer to a broiler-safe 2-quart baking dish.
• Stir together the remaining 1/3 cup mozzarella and 3 tablespoons Parmesan in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the pasta. Broil until golden and bubbly, about 2 minutes.

SPINACH MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425.
• In medium sized pot, over medium heat, melt butter.
• Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes.
• Pour in the hot milk and cook until thickened.
• Add the spinach, cheese, seasonings, horseradish and mustard.
• Mix well.
• Combine with the cooked pasta.
• Place in a greased cassarole dish.
• Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until bubbling.

SPINACH MAC 'N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta following pack instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium non-stick pan. Add the leeks, stir well, then cover and cook for about 6 mins or until softened.
• Put the flour and mustard powder in a small bowl and gradually whisk in the milk. Pour into the pan with the leeks and stir with a wooden spoon until thickened. Continue stirring over a low heat while the pasta cooks. It will seem thick but will be diluted later.
• Drain the pasta, reserving the cooking water, then stir the paste into the sauce. Add the spinach and 1-11/2 ladlefuls of the water to make a spoonable sauce, then stir over the heat until the spinach has wilted. Stir in most of the cheese and taste for seasoning.
• Heat the grill. Tip the pasta mixture into a casserole dish, arrange the tomatoes over the top and scatter over the remaining cheese. Grill for 5-10 mins or until bubbling and golden.