Kale Mac N' Cheese
From luisascatering 11 years ago
- 30 minutes to make
- Serves 8
One of my clients asked "Can you make kale taste good?" My response was "YES!" and this is one of the things I made for her today. Since it was very warm here, I just made it all via stovetop (skipped the breadcrumbs and the baking in oven). Read more p.s. if you have a Trader Joe's, use their "unexpected cheddar" cheese for this! See less
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale (also called dinosaur kale) shopping list
- 2 cloves garlic, minced shopping list
- 1 Tbsp olive oil shopping list
- smoked paprika, to taste shopping list
- 1/2 pound regular or whole wheat macaroni, penne or ziti shopping list
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter shopping list
- 4 Tbsp flour shopping list
- 3 cups half & half (or whole milk) shopping list
- 2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, grated shopping list
- 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano shopping list
- freshly ground pepper and nutmeg, to taste shopping list
- 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs or panko breadcrumbs (optional) shopping list
How to make it
- For Kale:
- Strip the kale leaves from their stems and slice the kale leaves into very fine ribbons. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the kale then garlic. Saute the kale about 6-8 minutes or until significantly wilted and season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Set aside.
- For pasta:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large pot with water, add the salt, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 2 minutes less than the package directions. You want the pasta very al dente because it will continue to cook in the oven. Drain the pasta, put it into a large mixing bowl. Add the kale and stir.
- Fore cheese sauce:
- Drop the butter into a medium saucepan. When the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Cook the butter-flour mixture about 1 minute to get rid of the raw flour taste, then slowly start adding the cream/milk, whisking constantly. Bring the milk mixture to a simmer, making sure there are no lumps (the more you whisk, the fewer lumps you'll have). Add the shredded cheese and whisk until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and mix well. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. .
- Butter a large baking pan (9x13 works, or any casserole dish that looks to be the right size). Turn the pasta mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake the macaroni and cheese about 40 minutes, until the casserole is bubbly and the breadcrumbs are nicely browned. Serve immediately.
The Rating
Reviewed by 1 people-
This was a great mac and cheese for sure! Love that I got some greens into my kiddos too, always a bonus there :) I'll keep a look out for that "unexpected cheddar" next time I'm at TJ's. More in the IMI ----------> more
mommyluvs2cook
in Santa Fe loved it
Reviews & Comments 6
-
All Comments
-
Your Comments
" It was excellent "