No problem getting your greens with this creamed spinach mac and cheese.
A whole huge bunch of fresh spinach is folded into the creamiest, cheesier mac and cheese you’ll make this year. It’s comforting, flavorful and secretly full of vegetables — which makes it feel like a small victory on the dinner table.
Who doesn’t want mac and cheese with extra depth and greens? I do. And you will, too.
Confession: I didn’t grow up eating creamed spinach. It wasn’t until my twenties that I tried it — and now I wonder what took me so long. Back then I avoided most vegetables unless they were smothered in bacon dressing. But creamed spinach is a revelation: silky, comforting and perfect when mixed into pasta.
It’s truly delicious.
I decided to turn that comfort into a full-on skillet of mac and cheese: make a generous batch of creamed spinach, add a mountain of cheese and fold in plenty of pasta. Finish with a crunchy topping and bake until bubbly and golden.
The method is simple: cook the aromatics, build a béchamel-style base, wilt the spinach down into a creamy sauce, stir in grated cheeses and toss with cooked pasta. Transfer to an oven-safe dish, add the remaining cheese and crunchy topping, and bake until piping hot and nicely browned.
For the topping, I love crispy fried onions for their sweet, toasted crunch, but plain breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs or even crushed pretzels work beautifully.
The result is outstanding.
This dish works as a hearty main or a show-stopping side. It’s perfect for cooler nights, Saint Patrick’s Day, or anytime you want something comforting that happens to include a lot of green. It’s warm, satisfying and easy to love.
The crunchy topping is my favorite part. If you have those pantry-friendly crispy onions from the holidays, use them up here. Breadcrumbs, cracker crumbs or pretzel crumbs all add a satisfying contrast to the silky cheese and tender pasta.
Cheesy, melty noodles hold up to a generous amount of spinach — it’s the perfect balance of indulgence and greens. Trust me: you’ll be glad you made it.
Creamed Spinach Mac and Cheese
Creamed Spinach Mac and Cheese
8 people
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Ingredients
- 1 pound short cut pastacooked according to package directions
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- pinch 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
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Heat a large oven-safe pot over medium-low and add the butter. Stir in the diced onion and minced garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions soften.
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Cook the pasta in another pot if you haven’t already. Toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking if cooking ahead.
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Combine and toss all the grated cheeses so they’re ready to add.
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Stir the flour into the softened onions to make a roux. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until golden and nutty. Slowly stream in the milk, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Stir in the nutmeg.
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Add the spinach — it will seem like a lot at first but will quickly wilt. Stir until it’s soft and incorporated into the sauce.
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Once the spinach is cooked down, stir in almost all the cheese (reserve some for topping) and the cooked pasta. Toss repeatedly until everything is well combined.
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Top with the remaining cheese and sprinkle with crispy onions or breadcrumbs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
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I’m pretty sure this is exactly what they mean by “eat your greens.”