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:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
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c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
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)
This looks really good and I bet it tastes good too.
http://twitter.com/#!/susan1215/status/107592327719165952
This looks good. I will have to try it.
Wow what a fantastic recipe. I love that you changed up a staple to something new and exciting/
Looks fabulous!!
Looks delicious! I don't care for olives, so I'd just leave them out :)
Looks yummy! And it's healthy too!
I think it has amazing color and looks yummo!
dolniaks[at]consolidated[dot]net
looks yummy! love the veggies too.
That looks really yummy! I would love it for sure. I don't know how my picky boys would be (hubby and son)! Maybe I'll try it tonight and find out!!!
thanks also for a chance to win!
kmassmanATgmailDOTcom
sounds good - i would probably leave ot the black olives if i made this dish!
tweeted here:
https://twitter.com/#!/bellows22/status/107983437721382914
That looks totally yummy. We're not a fan of artichokes in our house but I'm sure I could find a substitute or do without. Now I'm hungry!
Tweeted;
https://twitter.com/#!/auntiethesis/status/108047833747292162
I was thinking it needs red pepper and it's def already there! Amazing
looks delicious
Oh! A new twist on Mac & Cheese....This recipe has been added to the must make ASAP pile! Thanks!
That recipe sounds great. I'm going to have to try it!
It sounds delicious. My wife has a "cheese issue" so mac n cheese is verboten in our house, for the most part. Our little one will eat anything I put on my plate so there is hope. If I can get her some more veggies with a recipe like this I'm all for it.
Not only does this sound good, it sounds easy. My daughter is always begging me to make spanikopita, which isn't THAT hard, but it is kind of a PITA. This has a lot of the same flavors she loves in spanikopita without having to deal with filo dough and allllllllll of the calories it takes to make it good. I think I'll try it! Thanks!
the dish looks awesome, I like that it is a greek take on a family favorite. I'm going to have to try this!
This looks awesome!! I went to Sam's Club today and walked past a huge display of Easy Mac and was insanely tempted to buy a flat of it. Perfect timing :)
Love it! I'm an avid "from scratch" mac n cheese maker - this recipe is definitely coming out next time I have the urge for cheesy goodness. Plus, we're on a veggie kick these days, so this is the perfect way to get some veggies into something we're already excited about eating!
This looks absolutely fantastic and the pictures really make it look amazing!
sounds ymmy love greek anything
Thanks so much!! Janna Johnson jannajanna@hotmail.com janna@feedyourpig on gf
Oh my gosh, I'm going to have to give that a try. I like all the ingredients and it sounds like a winner! Thanks for sharing.
This would be a great way to get veggies into my kids!!!
I stopped making Mac & Cheese when the kids grew up & left home but I think I will have to make this! It sounds like the best Grown-Up Mac & Cheese I have ever seen! I love spinach & feta so I am sure this will be yummy! My girls love Spinich, feta and anything Greek so I am sure they will love this too! Winning the $100 gift card would help with gas money to go from PA where I live to NC where they live to make it for them! I hope I win so I can make them some Big Girl Mac & Cheese!
I tweeted about Country Crock http://twitter.com/SugarMommaBakin
this looks amazing!
Any idea to sneak more veggies into Wyatt is a good one!
I'm allergic to peppers, but I was wondering, how would eggplant do in this as a sub? I'm also swapping kalamata olives for the plain black kind. And I use Dreamfields pasta, since my husband is a diabetic. Looks fabulous!
I think I love you. Actually, I love this recipe. I will love it more, when I eat it. And after I eat it, I wil love you more for creating it. Thanks for sharing!
this sounds amazing!
That looks so good! I can't wait to try it!
This sounds like the perfect way to get veggies into young'uns
What a great recipe. Now you have to give a new name
wow-great
Wow does this sound good! Am definitely going to try it. Comfort food with healthy thrown in the mix. Wish you had a separate print button so just the directions and pictures would print instead of the whole page with ads and comments
That recipe and photo actually made me drool a little!
Wow, that looks gooood!
Mmmmm!
This looks absolutely delicious. I can't wait to try it. Its always so difficult to get my children to eat their vegetables and they love Mac and cheese so what a good combination. Thank you
This recipe looks so delicious. what a great take on an old standard.
Itadakimas!
Sounds good and could be tweaked to include whatever is fresh and available.
That looks fantastic!!
I Love this idea its looks so delicious i will be trying this at home it seems like a good way to get my kids to eat veggies since they already love cheese :)
This is a great recipe. what a great way to eat more vegetables.
My son is picky, but he just might eat this, I'll give it a try.