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Add a photoComfort food at it's best, macaroni and cheese isn't a meal generally thought of as lean and healthy, never mind interesting. But, with a few adaptations it's easy to take this dish to a new level without complicating things. This recipe was inspired by one I found on Vegetarian Times, but I wanted to add some more flavour and up the greens aspect even more. I used about 10 cups of uncooked spinach.
I added a significant amount of seasoning - which you could easily personalize. My choices were oregano, basil, nutmeg and roasted garlic.
Ingredientes
- 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) 1% or 2% milk
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (500 ml) grated cheddar cheese (medium or aged)
- 1 cup (250 ml) 1% or 2% cottage cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dried basil
- 4 to 6 cloves, garlic, roasted (slice the top off of the bulb, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil and bake at 400â° F (200â° C) for about 30 minutes or until soft)
- 10 to 15 cups fresh spinach, rinsed well (and stemmed if you have time)
- 1 cup (250 ml) plain, dry bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) paprika
- 2 cups dry elbow macaroni (try whole wheat or vegetable)
Direcciones
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Preheat oven to 400â° F (200â° C). Coat 8-inch square or other suitable baking dish with oil. I prefer to sprinkle several drops of olive or vegetable oil into the dish and spread with a small piece of paper towel.
- Whisk 1/4 cup of the milk and the flour together in a small bowl or measuring cup. You will end up with a fairly thick, smooth mixture.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the rest of the milk (1 1/2 cups) over medium heat, until steaming. Stir frequently.
- Add the flour milk mixture and stir or whisk as it thickens. This will take 3 to 5 minutes approximately.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the grated cheddar cheese. Stir until melted.
- Add the cottage cheese, stir until melted. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, basil and nutmeg. Stir.
- In another pot or steamer, cook the spinach until just wilted. Stir the spinach so it evenly steams.
- Remove from heat after 2 to 3 minutes.
- Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.
- Press out excess moisture and transfer to a cutting surface. Chop and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together bread crumbs, oil and paprika.
- Add macaroni to boiling water, stirring to prevent it from sticking. Cook, stirring frequently for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.
- Remove 4 to 6 garlic cloves from the roasted garlic. (squeeze out or lift out with the tip of a knife). Chop the garlic.
- Add the macaroni to the saucepan with the cheese mixture if the saucepan is large enough. Otherwise mix the macaroni and the cheese mixture in a large bowl.
- Add the chopped roasted garlic to this mixture. Use a spatula to mix evenly and thoroughly.
- Spread half of the macaroni cheese mixture evenly in the baking dish.
- Spread the chopped spinach on top of the layer of macaroni and cheese.
- Add the second half of the macaroni cheese mixture. Sprinkle the paprika breadcrumb mixture on top.
- At this point you could cover and refrigerate the dish overnight or for a day.
- Cover the baking dish with a lid or foil and place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake for 40 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for a further 5 minutes, until the bread crumb mixture is crispy. You may want to adjust the timing according to your preference to have the dish more liquidy or drier.
- Remove from oven and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Amount Per Serving | %DV |
|---|---|
| Serving Size 296g | |
| Recipe makes 4 servings | |
| Calories 909 | |
| Calories from Fat 268 | 29% |
| Total Fat 30.55g | 38% |
| Saturated Fat 16.04g | 64% |
| Trans Fat 0.0g | |
| Cholesterol 73mg | 24% |
| Sodium 824mg | 34% |
| Potassium 826mg | 24% |
| Total Carbs 118.53g | 32% |
| Dietary Fiber 7.8g | 26% |
| Sugars 5.77g | 4% |
| Protein 39.47g | 63% |
