As mentioned in our previous blog there are some foods that can really lift your mood and make you feel that little bit brighter. Spinach just so happens to be one of those foods, it contains lots of lovely Folic Acid with alleviates depression and fatigue!
CREAMY MAC & CHEESE WITH SPINACH
prep time: 40Â MINS
cook time: 30Â MINS
total time: 1Â HRÂ 10Â MINS
Ingredients:
- 450g 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
- 340g fresh baby spinach
- 590ml cups milk
- 340g fontina cheese, freshly grated
- 170g white cheddar, freshly grated
- 55g parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 8 tbsp crispy onions or breadcrumbs, for topping
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 170C.
- Heat a large Le Creuset Casserole Dish (shop here) 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 colour 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.
