Saturday, May 15, 2010

Heyyyyyy Macaroni! - Macaroni Cheese with baby spinach


I love traditional Macaroni cheese but I always feel so guilty after I've eaten it. Well, now I don't have to feel guilty. Just add spinach! This dish is really simple, fairly quick and everyone will love it on a really, really cold night. In place of the baby spinach I'm sure you could even use a cup of peas or maybe even some leftover roast pumpkin. Have fun!

First of all get a large pot of water on to boil and add a dash of salt. Measure out 300g pasta and set aside.(doesn't have to be macaroni - up to you but with the timing, a pasta that needs 14 minutes cooking time works well)Now pre-heat your oven to 190C. Get out your oven proof dish and set aside. Get out 100g baby spinach leaves, wash them, drain them well and set aside. When the water starts boiling add the pasta and set your timer.
Melt 50g butter in a large saucepan (If you don't have another large saucepan that's fine, it just means when you mix everything together you'll be using the pot that the pasta is cooking in) When it has melted remove from the heat and add 50g plain flour, mix in to make a roux. When it has all come together pop back over the low heat and very slowly add 500ml milk, stirring constantly. When it starts boiling let it cook for 1 minute, stirring occaisionally, then take off the heat.

Drain the macaroni and mix it with the sauce, baby spinach, salt and pepper and 100g parmesan cheese. Check your seasoning. Pour into your ovenproof dish and scatter with another 100g parmesan cheese. Cook in the oven for 15 mins or until lovely and golden.

Serve immediately on it's own or with a simple garden salad.Serves 4 - 6 people. You could swap half the parmesan for a tasty chedder cheese too. This recipe is adapted from the really cute little cookbook, "Love your leftovers".

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