Test Kitchen: Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese

01.28.2013

Test Kitchen: Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese

The other night, I tried another great recipe from the wonderful Rachael Ray. First, it was was the BBQ Chicken Burgers. This time, it was her Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese.

I did tweak her original recipe a little bit, but not too much. And, it’s no wonder she has it listed under “favorite recipes of all time” because it. was. unreal.

Making this dish was really easy, and I chose it because I had most of the ingredients already. The only things I did not have were Fontina cheese, frozen artichokes, and spinach, but they were easy to find at my local grocery store.

I started assembling the sauce and instead of using milk I chose to use heavy cream. I had it in the fridge, so I figured why not — it’ll make the dish creamier, which I like for mac and cheese. I also added more spinach and artichoke than the recipe called for, just to add more veggies to the dish. Other than that, though, I followed her directions step by step.

My conclusion? It is a recipe I would totally recommend to the novice cook. It was simple, tasty and easy. And — budget friendly.

I only cooked the pasta to al dente. Then, I mixed the pasta in with the sauce and poured it into the casserole dish. I sprinkled extra Parmesan cheese on top and put it into the oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, the dish was done — perfectly golden brown. And, it was extremely tasty!!!!

Here’s the list of ingredients you need (below). And you can visit Rachael’s website for her step-by-step preparation instructions.

Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese

Salt
1 pound semolina or whole wheat penne
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups milk
Freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/4 teaspoon or to taste
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry in a kitchen towel
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped artichokes, defrosted and wrung dry in a kitchen towel
Black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded Italian Fontina cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top

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