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by Jessica March 16, 2020
No problem eating greens with this creamed spinach mac and cheese!
I am serious. A whole huge bunch of fresh spinach. Baked into the loveliest mac and cheese pot that you ever will see. It’s everything you want and more, plus it is full of vegetables. There is NO getting around this one.
Who needs a bowl of mac and cheese with extra pow? ME! And you. Definitely you.
Secret time? I never had creamed spinach growing up. My mom and grandma never made anything like it – in fact, it wasn’t until my 20s that I had it. Obviously, I avoided it like the plague if I was offered it prior to that. My distaste for vegetables was off the charts and even creamed spinach, with what appeared to be a silky bechamel, was off limits for me.
The only thing that got me eating spinach was when it was drenched in hot bacon dressing.
And let’s be real – that dish is amazing.
But creamed spinach? No way! I feel like I totally missed out on plates of comfort food by avoiding it most of my life.
No longer! I’m here for all the creamed spinach. I’m even putting it in your mac and cheese.
I shared this on instagram a few weeks ago and many of you have been anticipating the recipe! It’s finally here, and you can find me making it on my instagram stories later today too!
Okay so here’s the deal. You’re basically going to make creamed spinach (like, a bunch of it) and then throw in tons of cheese. And tons of pasta.
Then sprinkle it with crispy crunchy fried onions. Or breadcrumbs!
Then bake it until super melty and cheese and hot.
And you just WON’T BELIEVE how fabulous it is.
This is such a great side dish or comforting meal, it has lots of green for Saint Patrick’s Day and it’s super satisfying and warming. Food is love all the time, but especially right now.
The crunchy topping is my favorite part. I like to use those crispy onions you may still have hiding in your pantry from the holiday season (use ’em up! they’re going to expire soon!) but you can also use breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs, heck – even pretzel crumbs!
Just look at that perfection! Cheesy, melty, soft but sturdy noodles, tons of green! I love it so much. There is no better time to eat our feelings.
Creamed Spinach Mac and Cheese
Creamed Spinach Mac and Cheese
Yield: 8 people
Prep Time: 40 minutes mins
Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
This creamed spinach mac and cheese is a dreamy, cheesy mac and cheese dish with tons of fresh baby spinach! Super comforting and flavorful.
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4.98 from 305 votes
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Ingredients
- 1 pound short cut pasta, cooked according to package directions
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons flour
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 12 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 12 ounces fontina cheese, freshly grated
- 6 ounces white cheddar, freshly grated
- 2 ounces parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- ½ cup crispy onions or breadcrumbs, for topping
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat a large oven-safe pot over medium-low heat and add the butter. Stir in the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions have softened.
At this time, you can also cook the pasta in another pot. You can cook it before too - just make sure to give it a quick spritz of olive oil so it doesn't stick together.
Toss all the grated cheese together.
Stir the flour into the onions to create a roux. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it becomes golden in color and starts to smell nutty. Slowly stream in the milk while stirring constantly. The mixture will begin to come together and thicken. Stir in the nutmeg.
Add in the spinach - it will seem overwhelming at first, but it will quickly cook down! Stir until it cooks down and softens.
Once the spinach cooks down, stir in almost all of the cheese (reserve a bit for topping) and the pasta. Toss it together over and over until it is combined.
Top with the remaining grated cheese. Top with crispy onions. Bake for 35 to 30 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Author: How Sweet Eats
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
I mean I’m pretty sure this is what they mean by eat your greens.
posted in: Pantry Meals, Pasta, Recipes, Side Dishes 99 comments
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4.98 from 305 votes (280 ratings without comment)
Leave a Reply
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Monique — Reply
This was delicious but it took me too long to make than it really should’ve and I’ve made similar meals to this and never got confused like this. Step number 3 randomly saying to toss all the grated cheese together had me thinking I was suppose to throw it in the pot and then it goes straight to talking about the roux so I had to pour the melted cheese out and make the roux then eventually throw all that melted cheese back in. Came out great still but I was a little frustrated. Maybe I should’ve read the whole thing but being a busy mom of 2 toddlers I don’t always have the time to read threw it all first.
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Holly — Reply
I’m assuming this is all purpose flour?
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Ann W — Reply
Took this to a dinner party for 6 last night. HUGE hit. Everyone took the leftovers home. I used shells and breadcrumbs ❤️❤️❤️
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Asa — Reply
It was the best mac&cheese I’ve ever made. My daughter doesn’t like restaurants mac n cheese but she ate this one and I was so happy! with all the spinach!
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Elizabeth — Reply
Hi there, this looks fantastic! Question though- what do you bake the pasta topped with breadcrumbs in at the end, and do you use cooking spray on the baking dish? Thanks, I am stoked to try this!
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Jessica — Reply
i just use the same skillet i make everything in, as along as it’s oven safe! if you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, you can transfer it to a baking dish!
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Monique — Reply
Omg this recipe is SO YUM! Very easy and soooooo delish. Thanks for sharing.
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Claire — Reply
Came across this recipe on pinterest and am so glad i tried it!
Was really simple and uses the ingredience most people already have, fully enjoyed cooking this. I was able to freeze 2 portions aswell making it a cheap meal to make, bonus!
I will 100% be making this again and again.
Thankyou for sharing this lovely dish xx
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Jackie Hanlon — Reply
What are the nutritional contents?
We have to be very cautious with sodium.-
Jen — Reply
Did you ever get nutrition? I would like it too!!
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Sandy — Reply
This looks amazing and can’t wait to make it. Can you please advise what would be the best plant based milk to substitute for the full cream milk please? Thank you, eagerly awaiting your reply (cannot wait to make it! 😂)..
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Adrienne — Reply
Followed your recipe exactly this was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Thank you!
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Caroline — Reply
Amazing recipe! I’m the worst cook ever (like I don’t get why people find this one easy lol) and we don’t eat any meat so meals are always a hassle here. We make this one over and over!
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Chrissy — Reply
What is the name of the noodles? Like what shape are they?
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Jessica — Reply
trottole!
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Amanda — Reply
This looks amazing!! I’m wondering what kind noodles exactly are you using in your photos? They look very interesting & I want to try!
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Debra — Reply
OMG! This creamy spinach mac & cheese was the bomb. The three cheeses went together so perfectly together. it’s just the two of us, but we end up eating half of it I sent a picture to my daughter and she said mom bring me some! it took me an hour to do this dish. I would do this over and over again. thank you so much for this delicious recipe.
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Ellen — Reply
This was amazing! I love creamed spinach and this is addictive. We kept picking at it after dinner. A Keeper!
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kris — Reply
what kind of noddles did you use?
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Candice — Reply
Made this for dinner tonight. Everyone loved it, my partner has an aversion to green food lol, and picked around the spinach. But my kids and I gobbled it all up! Love the addition of the crispy onions! Followed recipe to a T. Super easy quick meal to make! 30 mins prep, 30 mins in oven. Will definitely make this again!
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Torres — Reply
Can you skip the baking and breadcrum?
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Becca — Reply
I couldn’t find fontina cheese so I used Gouda instead. It was delicious!
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Elaine — Reply
I just my first taste of this dish and I am hooked! I’ve had spinach with mac and cheese before, usually on the side and I usually mixed it up with the mac and cheese on my plate. But, there is so much more to this dish and the roux just clinches all the other tastes together. I now have a new dish to share with my grandchildren. Thank you!
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Megan R. — Reply
Added a few grinds of salt and pepper into the roux. Taste roux before adding pasta. Used panko bread crumbs (added a little Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic salt,smoked paprika). Whole family loved it. Prepped in pot, transferred to 9×13.
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Jimmie — Reply
This is absolutely delicious! Thanks for the great recipe.
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Katie — Reply
Can you freeze it and reheat when ready?
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Angie — Reply
Made this with gluten free pasta and flour. The blend of cheeses are SO nice. Family said it tasted like restaurant quality. I couldn’t find gf fried onions but when I do, that’ll take it to the next level. Thanks!!
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metric user — Reply
Please have a metric conversion.
