Tuesday, 5 April 2016

Baked arugula and Spinach mac n cheese


M...eat...less


Damn Greedy girl, back at it again with the mac n cheese! Yes another one, this time it’s a green mac n cheese. I said recently on my Instagram that since we updated our herb and vegetable garden I’m finding uses for the new herbs and veggies left, right and center. The best recipes are inspired by your grocery shopping trip or even a simple visit to your herb and vegetable garden.


Sunday Morning I reaped a whole heap of goodies including arugula and spinach. I had several ideas of how to combine the two to make a lovely meal, but ultimately settled on a mac and cheese. It’s very herby, creamy and delicious. To be honest you probably don’t even have to bake this. It could absolutely work as a creamy mac n cheese bowl.

It’s a nice way to switch up your regular mac n cheese, especially since its introducing veggies into the mix. This mac n cheese has no cheddar in it whatsoever, no pepper jack, no smoked gouda none of that. Kept it super simple with only two cheeses, cream cheese for its texture and Parmesan for a salty bite. Feel free to add whatever cheeses you like, but the herbs and veggies with the Parmesan were enough for me. 



Ingredients (printable recipe)

1 cup spinach
1 cup arugula
4 garlic cloves
4 basil leaves
1 tablespoon coconut oil
4 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup water or milk
4 oz cream cheese
5 oz Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 package macaroni pasta cooked
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • Cook macaroni pasta in salted water to al dente
  • In a food processor or blender combine spinach, arugula, garlic, basil leaves, coconut oil and melted butter, blend into a paste
  • Place mixture in a pot over medium heat and warm until the garlic becomes fragrant
  • Add heavy cream, water/milk, cream cheese, shredded parmesan cheese, salt and sugar. Stir until the mixture begins to thicken and all the cheese has dissolved
  • Add the macaroni to the sauce mix until all the shells are coated with cream sauce
  • Place in a baking dish, sprinkle the top with mozzarella cheese and bake until golden brown.
  • Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving





Greedy Tips:

  • Veganize it by replacing the heavy cream with coconut milk, and using plain almond milk instead of the water, Use any vegan cream cheese and vegan cheddar cheese to replace the dairy cheese in the recipe.

Xoxo Greedygirl 

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