Macaroni cheese with spinach and pesto pangrattato
- Portion size: Serves 6
- Hands-on time 40 min, oven time 30-35 min
- Difficulty: easy
We’ve taken macaroni cheese to the next level with this easy cheesy, pesto-y vegetarian recipe – perfect for a meat-free Monday. Or Tuesday. Or…
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Ingredients
- 400g macaroni
- Glug of olive oil for the cooked pasta
- 100g spinach
- 60g unsalted butter
- 60g plain flour
- 1.3 litres whole milk
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 100g mature cheddar, grated, plus 30g for the topping
- 100g gruyère (or vegetarian hard cheese), grated
For the pesto pangrattato topping
- 40g gruyère (or vegetarian hard cheese), plus a handful extra
- Handful fresh basil leaves
- Handful fresh parsley leaves 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ garlic clove, crushed
- Juice ½ lemon
- 30g fresh breadcrumbs
You’ll also need…
- 2 litre ovenproof dish
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Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, then add the macaroni. Boil for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, so the pasta retains a firm bite (it will cook more in the cheese sauce). Drain, then toss with a little olive oil.
- Meanwhile, put the spinach in a colander and pour over a full kettle of boiling water. Squeeze out as much water as possible.
- Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the flour and stir to form a roux. Cook for 3-4 minutes until it smells biscuity. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the milk to form a lump-free white sauce. Put back on the heat and whisk until the sauce starts to thicken. Once the sauceis bubbling, swap the whisk for a wooden spoon, stir in the mustard and cheese, then cook gently for 5 minutes. Taste and season.
- Put all the pesto pangrattato ingredients (except the extra grated cheese) in a food processor and whizz. Stir the drained spinach and pasta into the white sauce, then pour into the 2 litre dish. Sprinkle with the pangrattato and reserved cheese, then bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Nutrition
- 767kcals Calories
- 39.3g (21.1g saturated) Fat
- 29.2g Protein
- 69.8g (11.7g sugars) Carbs
- 4.3g Fibre
- 1.2g Salt
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wonderful eating, sensible and tasty.
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