Did I mention that I have a cheese addiction? This recipe has a lot of cheesy goodness in it, but every now and then I like to add a new cheese. As of recently I tried adding a smoked gouda cheese. Oh boy! Words cannot describe just how delicious that turned out. Feel free to try your favorite cheese in this recipe. It will turn out just yummy and will go well with the spinach and artichokes. Give it a try and comment what cheeses you found were the best tasting for you!
Check out what our friends from Meal Makeover Moms have to say about this:
“Yum! I love a good mac-n-cheese with extras.”
It’s always fun to try new ingredients in classic recipes!
Ingredients
CAKE:
- One 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 3 cups Millers dried whole wheat elbow pasta
- 3 tablespoons Bertolli extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 bunch green onions, cut into thin rounds
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 tablespoons Gold Medal all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon McCormick’s black pepper
- 2 cups Tru Moo 1% low-fat milk
- 2 cups Swanson vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- One 6.5-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 4 ounces Kraft reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, shredded (1 generous cup)
- 4 ounces Gouda cheese (use smoked Gouda if you can find it), shredded (1 generous cup)
- ⅓ cup Kraft grated Parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Drain the spinach in a colander. Press with the back of a large spoon to remove excess moisture. Set aside.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions until almost tender. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a Dutch oven or saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Raise the heat to medium, add the remaining oil, flour, and pepper, and whisk constantly until smooth, 1 minute. Whisk the milk, broth, and mustard slowly into the flour mixture. Raise the heat and bring to a low boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer and stir gently until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the artichoke hearts, Cheddar cheese, Gouda, ⅓ cup Parmesan, and spinach until well combined. Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine. Spread the mixture evenly in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or dish. Top with the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and bake until bubbly and the top turns golden brown, about 15 minutes.
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Quick Tip: Serve with baked chicken.
Thanks again to Meal Makeover Moms for this amazing recipe.
