Green Mac Cheese Spinach (Print Version)

Comforting mac and cheese with fresh spinach and broccoli in a creamy cheese blend.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz elbow macaroni or short pasta

→ Vegetables

02 - 7 oz fresh spinach, washed
03 - 7 oz broccoli florets
04 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Sauce

06 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
07 - 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
08 - 2 cups whole milk
09 - 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
10 - 0.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese
11 - 0.5 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
12 - 0.5 tsp salt, or to taste
13 - 0.25 tsp black pepper
14 - 0.125 tsp ground nutmeg
15 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard

→ Garnish

16 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
17 - Extra grated Parmesan

# How-To Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook macaroni according to package instructions until al dente. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add broccoli florets. Drain pasta and broccoli together and set aside.
02 - While pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer spinach to a blender.
03 - In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
04 - Sprinkle flour over onion mixture and stir for 1 minute. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens, about 4-5 minutes.
05 - Add cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and Dijon mustard to the sauce. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth.
06 - Add half the sauce to the blender with wilted spinach. Blend until completely smooth and bright green.
07 - Return blended spinach sauce to the skillet and stir to combine with the remaining cheese sauce.
08 - Add drained pasta and broccoli to the skillet. Toss to coat evenly with green cheese sauce. Heat gently until everything is warmed through.
09 - Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley and extra Parmesan if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The spinach blends into the sauce so completely that even skeptics won't notice it's there, but your body absolutely will.
  • You get real broccoli texture mixed in, not hidden, which somehow makes the whole thing feel more legitimate than regular mac and cheese.
  • Four different cheeses create layers of flavor that make this taste like something you'd order at a restaurant, not just boil on a weeknight.
02 -
  • The blending step is crucial because roughly mixed spinach creates an unevenly colored, visually underwhelming dish, but completely smooth spinach creates something that looks intentional and restaurant-worthy.
  • If your sauce breaks or looks grainy after adding cheese, remove it from heat immediately and whisk in a splash of cold milk to cool things down and bring everything back together.
03 -
  • Whisk the milk into the roux slowly and constantly, because rushing this step leads to lumpy sauce that no amount of blending can fix.
  • Taste the sauce before combining it with pasta because once everything is mixed together, adjusting seasoning becomes impossible.
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