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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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)
tweet-https://twitter.com/#!/COUNTRYNEST/status/115063540867543040
I say this looks so yummy. going to try it myself.
This sounds yummy, but I don't think my kids would eat it!
I'm not sure my kids would go for this version of mac and cheese.....but it sounds delicious to me!
tweeted
http://twitter.com/#!/fairydancer35/status/115122758446358528
man that looks good. no go on the broiler though. I love the way a great baked dish makes the house smell, so I'll go for the full cook time.
Really looks good
I love feta cheese and spinach. This looks delicious!
I would love to win this! It's my boyfriend's birthday on Monday and he loves to cook. This would be a great present! Thank you for offering this sweepstakes!
This sounds and looks delish. i'm also trying to think of changes I can do to it to give it different ethnic spins-like maybe adding a little spice and ground beef for a taco -mac and cheese.
Yum- this looks so good- some of my fave veggies.
Tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/dddiva/status/115212059188281345
This recipe has a good mixture of flavors. I'd make it.
I would love to try this one the picture makes me hungry
vmkids3 at msn dot com
i have to try this i hope it taste as good as it looks
My family loves Greek food and macaroni & cheese. They thought your Greek Macaroni-n-Cheese was fantastic!
Sounds great, except I would leave out the artichoke hearts.
It looks really yummy but I don't think my girls would go for it. Thank you!!
That recipe looks great! I think the only thing I would change is I would use different tomatoes or maybe even some canned tomatoes. The skins on grape tomatoes is so tough that I feel it detracts from the final dish if they are cooked.
I tweeted about this giveaway http://twitter.com/elangomatt/statuses/115437330885656576
That looks really yummy
looks delish, my poor kids don't get anything that great!
autumn398 @ yahoo.com
It sounds wonderful, but I would not put in so many olives (we are not big fans of olives)!
Tweeted:
https://twitter.com/#!/annemariez3/status/115464182643687424
This recipe sounds deliciious...I'm not sure my children would like it (peppers and onions) but I know I would! :-) Thank you.
I'm sending the hubs to the grocery store to get the stuff now.because that looks GOOD
Wow! That recipe sounds SOOOOOO good! Definitely going to try it!
kerin0874 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Looks Delicious!! Would love to try this!!
I don't like any of those vegetables so I wouldn't eat it. :)
This really looks good and I will diffently have to try this one
Thanks for the giveaway...looks delicious, but we might have to cut out the olives because the kids don't like them, maybe substitute some type of bean.
senorpiero [at] yahoo [dot] com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/brianpiero/status/115551405711949824
This looks wonderful. I'll definitely be trying it for myself.
Tweet - http://twitter.com/#!/willitara/status/115606391879778305
This looks like it would be very tasty. Would be a great dish to make to invite friends over for a dinner!
brich22 at earthlink dot net
This sounds amazing. I can't wait to try it!
tweet!
http://twitter.com/#!/angevege/status/115633895961133058
It looks delicious to me - minus the tomatoes!
tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/KerryBishop/status/116329123080699904
Wow, this really looks amazing. It has so many of my favorite foods: spinach, onion, feta cheese and artichoke hearts. I am so excited to try this out for my family. Thank you for sharing! :)
~Kari
I've been experimenting with mac and cheese for years. Family and guests always seem to enjoy it. I'm glad to see young mothers trying hard to make traditional meals for their families.
This is my new favorite recipe!
I love this idea and will try it soon! Great idea of the Country Crock Giveaway. I use it all the time!
I tweeted with it linked to your blog. I do not know how to get the link for the actual tweet b ut I connected it to you and Country Crock. Thanks again
I think it looks delicious! I don't mind a multi-step process, especially when I can reuse a pan. I've filed this way for later...
Tweet! https://twitter.com/#!/mssluna02/status/116912735735914496
Your recipe sounds wonderful!!! Love pasta and veggies and this will work for me.
gmissycat at yahoo dot com
tweeted here
http://twitter.com/#!/gmissycat/status/116926617338654720
retweeted http://twitter.com/#!/zarriaza888/status/116937189086081024
looks delish will try also minus onions