Greek Macaroni-n-Cheese (And A Giveaway!) (CLOSED)
BlogHer recently contacted me with a mission--redo a classic recipe using Country Crock, but ramp up the vegetables so that the recipe meets the USDA recommendations for vegetables to take up half of your plate.
Now THAT is my kind of mission. I've spent the majority of the summer reveling in the joy that is the farmers market. We've been enjoying tons and tons of fresh eggplant, spinach, onions, zucchini . . . you name it. We're all about the vegetables these days.
The whole Vegetable-palooza was exactly why I hadn't made macaroni-n-cheese from scratch recently. As much as I love making it and as much as everyone loves eating it, the whole pasta-with-cheese thing wasn't really cutting it as a balanced meal. If there is one thing macaroni-n-cheese needs, it's vegetables.
Hello, Use More Veggies Mission! Meet my friend macaroni-n-cheese!
Of course, I couldn't just throw some broccoli in my standard macaroni-n-cheese recipe. That wouldn't be any fun. Instead, I decided to try making a Greek-influenced macaroni-n-cheese.
You guys.
YOU GUYS.
This stuff turned out AMAZING. It's packed with veggies and perfectly balanced with the right cheeses and OMG. SOOOO GOOD. My husband even admitted that it might be the best thing I've ever made up. I might be willing to admit that he was right.
It's a multi-step process, and worth every second of the effort. You'll make the macaroni, sauté the vegetables, and make the cheese sauce. Then you'll throw it all together and put it in the oven for a bit. I made enough to serve 6, which means we'll be reheating it for leftovers later in the week. You gotta love a dinner that gives twice.
Greek Macaroni-n-Cheese
For the pasta and vegetables you'll need:
2 cups macaroni
1 tablespoon Country Crock
1 small red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 pound spinach
1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
1 2.25 oz can sliced black olives
1 can quartered artichoke hearts
1/2 cup Feta cheese
Optional: sundried tomatoes
For the cheese sauce you'll need:
2 tablespoons Country Crock
1 teaspoon flour
2 cups nonfat milk
1 cup shredded Asiago cheese
1 cup shredded Provolone cheese
Start by cooking the macaroni according to the instructions on the box.
While you're waiting for your water to boil, melt 1 tablespoon of Country Crock in a skillet over medium heat. Add the red pepper, onion, and garlic and sauté until softened. Toss the spinach on top. Don't worry if it doesn't fit at first. The spinach will shrink. A LOT.
Stir occasionally until the spinach is sautéd. Add the tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, and sundried tomatoes (if you're using them). (I couldn't not use sundried tomatoes. They make my husband a very happy man.)
So much good stuff going on there.
By the time your veggies are sautéd, your macaroni is probably done. Drain it and then toss it in your skillet with the veggies. Stir it all up and set it aside while you make your cheese sauce.
Now for the sauce. Melt your 2 tablespoons of Country Crock in a saucepan (I used the same pan I used to cook the macaroni--I just wiped it dry with a towel) over medium heat. Slowly add the flour while stirring constantly with a whisk. Then slowly add the milk, all the while still stirring and stirring with that whisk.
Allow the milk and Country Crock concoction to gently boil until it begins to thicken slightly (about 5 minutes), stirring constantly. Then begin slowly adding your shredded Asiago and Provolone. Keep stirring with that whisk and you'll end up with a creamy cheese sauce.
It doesn't photograph well, but it tastes AMAZING.
Put your pasta with veggies in an oven safe dish then pour the cheese sauce over the top. Add a little bit of shredded Provolone or Asiago to the top if you want, but definitely be sure to add your feta to the top.
In a perfect world, the whole dish would go in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. I don't live in a perfect world, though, so I cheat. I turn the broiler on high and cook it until the cheese just starts to brown on top.
Nobody in my house has the patience to wait for anything to bake more than five minutes. It just is, so I use the broiler a lot. It seems to do the trick just fine.
What you end up with is a macaroni-n-cheese that tastes AMAZING and has a ton of vegetables in it.
And, as she said, "It's so yummy!"
Wait! There's more! Tell me what you think about this recipe, and you can win a $100.00 gift certificate from Cooking.com!
Rules:
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d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, or a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here. More chances to win are available on the BlogHer.com Promotions and Prizes page. Enter between August 24th - September 30th.
Recipe
Reader Comments (341)
sounds amazing! minus the artichokes..
http://twitter.com/#!/DesMoinesDealin/status/106592397802213378
This looks amazing! I am going to need to tweak it just a bit to fit what I have on hand, but it looks very tweak-able as well as awesome! Thanks for the great idea!
This sounds awesome! I love the idea of Feta in mac n cheese. I'm definitely adding this to my recipe list, I think it with whole wheat pasta.
Good Lord I seriously fell in love with the recipe- looks good to me and my kids would eat it- yum nom
I think it looks delicious. Not sure if my kids would eat it but they might.
Very interesting recipe. Colorful and tasty!
tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/mrcheapo/status/106662611298430978
Wow this sounds awesome! I love mac & cheese! I never thought of putting all the veggies in it. I will definatley try this recipe. Thanks!
msjem2001 at yahoo dot com
That looks so yummy! I'm going to have to try it.
I think it sounds delicious! Love the ingredients and that you can change mac and cheese up that way.
I tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/Tina12312/status/106755556970201088
Holy crap that looks delicious ... And I don't even like vegetables!! ;)
What do I think: I think I'm going to try it!!!
P.S. Don't worry the smell in the car will go away in about a week or so once all the bacteria dies.
This looks good and I love the addition of olives. It looks much more healthy then regular macncheese
tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/buzz8/status/106767005553664003
This recipe seems so easy. I'm not a fan of feta, but could easily substitute for something else!
Mannnnnn that looks so delicious... except maybe not with the olives.
Tweet
Is AMAZING especially with whole wheat pasta!!..mmmmmm
GREAT! I'm not big on pasta recipes... but this sooo SCRUMPTIOUS!<~as my wife would spell it!..lol great recipe.. oh yeah using whole wheat pasta!!
Can't wait to try it. It looks very yummy.
I like the artichoke hearts, feta cheese and sundried tomatoes. This recipe sound so good. It is one I think my family would like. helenkeeler@comcast.net
tweeted; http://twitter.com/#!/helen1949/status/106866573888864256
helenkeeler@comcast.net
This recipe looks absolutely delicious! I am bookmarking.
looks, good minus the olives
I like it - mac'n'cheese is one of my favorite things but it's not such a healthy meal...but with all those veggies, it must be good for me!
I shared on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/AsTheNight/status/106897415918989312.
Looks like a great vegetarian option, I'm going to give it a try!
Doesn't look good to me. Sorry. Thanks for the giveaway.
My husban and I don't like mac an cheese... but love Greek ingredients and cheese.. so, looks like we'll have to try this!
Guess what´s for dinner tonight? This looks fabulous.
This recipe sounds awesome and pretty healthy for you too:)
jmatek AT wi DOT rr DOT com
tweet:
http://twitter.com/#!/jmatek/status/107104043805048832
jmatek AT wi DOT rr DOT com
It looks so delicious! I wonder how it would be with Kalamata olives?
it looks interesting but i'm not a fan of greek cheeses
Wow! I will definitely be trying out this recipe. It looks amazing!
This is easy even for kids to make.
That looks delicious! I think my son would also love it!
Thanks!
Looks amazing! YUM
I would love to make this for a potluck or book club - it would never get eaten up in my house, but what an awesome twist on a classic dish.
great contest love to win
I think my little ones would love this recipe because of the cheese on top!
Who knew macaroni and cheese could be so incredible? Great job!
chainmail (at) iwon(dot) com
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/#!/The_Sunshyn/status/107453046375727105
chainmail (at) iwon(dot) com
Sounds so delicious. And quick and easy! Yummmmmmmm
Looks delish, and especially the olives!
I love your recipe, especially adding tons of veggies in this classic mac and cheese. It's lovely to see the kids loving the dish too! :)
amy [at] utry [dot] it
I made this for my family this afternoon, and it got rave reviews! I'll be making this again.
Great recipe I love trying new things!