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
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
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)
I would like to try this recipe.
austma7@aol.com
Looks delicious, I think my picky eaters would like it.. thanks for the photos, i follow recipes better with photos
I'm not overly fond of veggies, but this looks amazing
That truly looks delicious. When I read the 1st line, I thought NO WAY, veggies would ruin Mac and cheese. I love trying new recipes!!
I'm kind of a purest when it comes to Mac & Cheese but this does look really delicious and Lexi likes all of this stuff. I'm going to put this in rotation next week.
I'd love it! My 2yo and 6yo would eat it but it wouldn't pass the lips of my 4yo.
It sounds great. Put it on the menu for this week.
Genius! Can't wait to try it.
The recipe? I know some in my family would love it, me . . . not so much. Great idea to get lots of great ingredients into mac & cheese. Thanks.
I love making mac and cheese 'unique'. I'm always trying to find ways to make it a little different. This is great! I can't wait to try it. :)
I think I'll have to try that with some wheat pasta. Yumm!
sounds amazing...wish my husband liked tomatoes!
My whole family will love this. Thanks for the recipe!
smchester at gmail dot com
I just made mac and cheese tonight . . .BEFORE I saw this recipe. It looks wonderful!
I tweeted this contest - http://twitter.com/#!/bluebowgifts/status/113377864904224768
How can something good for you look so decadent? I can't wait to try this!
I tweeted the contest
http://twitter.com/#!/NOLAKitchenCats/status/113478462207045632
i love the fact that it includes spinach, artichoke hearts & olives
nblexp ( at ) gmail (dot) com
wow that looks so good,just added to my grocery list
Greek anything is awesome :)
I hope my comment is my entry for the contest....not totally sure but here it is! mac and cheese looks yum!
This is a must try soon! What a great idea! That veg mix you used is basically what I add to scrambled eggs and then make a similar cheese sauce that people can drizzle on top if desired.. why I never thought to do as mac and cheese.. no clue but yum!
wow....that looks amazing....going to give it a try, but will use whole grain pasta...thanks!
That looks unbelievably good!!!
I'm not a huge fan of greek food, but I LOVE twists on classics. I have long held that the combination of bread & cheese are delicious in any language - quesadillas, mac & cheese, garlic bread with cheese, cheese and crackers... I have also recently discovered some really yummy lite mac & cheese recipes that fit well with being on Weight Watchers.
The recipe sounds good, but I am not sure the kids are going to be sold on it for Mac n' Cheese.
That recipe looks amazing! I love that there are so many veggies added in, yet it is obviously appealing to kids.
gina.m.maddox (at) gmail (dot) com
Looks delicious, can't wait to try it and I would love to win the gift card!
Your recipe sounds delicious! I love that it is healthy & nutritious and also appealing to the eye (so colorful!)
Thanks for the giveaway.
Tweet! https://twitter.com/#!/lexiquin/status/114428887240417280
You've come up with a great recipe. My family would like every ingredient you used and I love how colorful it looks (and it's healthy too). Congrats on being so deliciously creative!
looks yummy, i like just about anything stir-fried
Asiago, feta and artichoke hearts? I'm in!
ky2here at msn dot com
https://twitter.com/#!/ky2here1/status/114497533509763074
ky2here at msn dot com
I think this recipe sounds delicious, and its making my mouth water right now!
The recipe looks yummy. The feta cheese looks the best :)
I tweeted at https://twitter.com/#!/sbshortie/status/114538796309168128
i think the recipe is amazing. we made mac n cheese tonight with polish sausage and mushrooms but it could have used real veggies. well done. i need to test this one out!
Yum! This recipe sounds and looks oh so good. Going to have to try it out. Thanks!
Letting my four and five year old girls have a hand in growing our own vegetables makes them want to eat them!
wishing i ate cheese!!!!!!!!
THAT LOOKS SOOOOOOO FRICKIN GOOD, YOU'VE LITERALLY INSPIRED ME TO EAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MUAHAHAHA!
2ND ENTRY TWEET @ http://twitter.com/#!/kytah00/status/114752524824743936
That recipe looks so good. I will definitely make that dish.
I think this recipe is a great variation on plain old Mac 'n Cheese. I love the veggies, especially if they will stay a little crunchy, the way I like them. You make this dish look beautiful!
chrisdeglen(at)gmail(dot)com
I printed this recipe. I think it sounds delicious.
@chrisdeglen tweeted:
http://twitter.com/#!/chrisdeglen/status/114858040276160513
chrisdeglen(at)gmail(dot)com
That recipe looks a-maze-ing!!!!
It looks delicious! I love spinach, olives and feta cheese, so this is right up my alley.. I think I need to try it.
It looks delicious! I usually put broccoli into macaroni and cheese. I never thought about putting spinach and olives and tomatoes. I will definitely try this, and I will use the sin-dried tomatoes.