Creamy Super Green Mac and Cheese

Close up of baked green mac and cheese, with a spoon.

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Creamy Super Green Mac and Cheese

A cozy comfort food classic gets a very veg-heavy makeover with this gorgeously creamy super green mac and cheese. Zucchini, broccolini, spinach, and leek are blended into a silky green sauce, folded through cheesy béchamel, then tossed with pasta and baked until golden and bubbling.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: mac and cheese

Servings: servings

Calories: 600kcal

Author: Kate Phillips

Ingredients

For the green vegetable sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 leek thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves crushed
1 medium zucchini (courgette) grated, roughly 200g
1 small bunch broccolini stalk finely chopped, florets cut small, approximately 160g or 5.6oz
3 cups baby spinach loosely packed, approximately 100g or 3.5oz
1 big handful fresh basil leaves

For the mac and cheese

250 g dried spirali or other short pasta 9oz
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white miso paste
1 ½ cups whole milk 360ml
1 cup sharp cheddar (100g), freshly grated, plus extra (about ½ cup) for the topping
2 teaspoons fish sauce optional, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste, only if needed after adding miso, cheese, and fish sauce

Instructions

Cook the greens.
Start by heating your oven to 400℉ (200℃). Set a large, high-sided pan over medium heat, then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the sliced leek, crushed garlic, grated zucchini, the chopped broccolini, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, until nicely softened. Add the spinach leaves, then stir as they wilt into the veggies.

Use an ovenproof, high-sided pan or skillet to make things super easy - then you can bake the mac and cheese in it instead of transferring it to a separate baking dish.

Blend the green sauce.
Transfer the cooked greens to a blender, along with the fresh basil leaves, then blitz until smooth. Use a little water if needed to get things moving. The sauce will be quite thick.
Make the cheesy béchamel sauce.
In the same pan you used for your vegetables, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat, then mix in 1 tablespoon of white miso paste. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of flour, then cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes.
Gradually pour in the milk, whisking until smooth. Cook gently until slightly thickened, then remove from the heat and stir in the grated cheddar.
Cook the pasta.
While you're making the cheesy sauce, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for two minutes less than the packet advises. This is because the pasta will continue cooking in the sauce in the oven.
Combine the sauces and pasta.
Pour the green sauce into the cheesy béchamel sauce in the pan, and mix to combine into a lovely pale green sauce. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pasta directly into the sauce, then toss well to coat in the sauce. Loosen the sauce with a little of the pasta cooking water, then taste, and add the fish sauce if you're using it, and lots of black pepper.
You want the mac and cheese to be quite saucy at this point - the pasta will keep absorbing liquid as it bakes.

I like transferring the pasta directly from the pot into the sauce, instead of draining it first, but drain it if you prefer. If you do, keep a mugful of the pasta cooking water to loosen your sauce if needed.

Top and bake.
If you're using an ovenproof pan, sprinkle the extra cheddar evenly over the top of the mac and cheese, then transfer it into the oven to bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is gorgeously golden and the sauce is bubbling.
If your pan isn't ovenproof, transfer the mac and cheese to a separate baking dish, then top and bake.
Finish and serve.
Remove the mac and cheese from the oven, then let it sit for a minute, before dividing between plates, and devouring while hot and super saucy.

Notes

MAKE AHEAD: Make the green cheesy sauce ahead and pop it in the fridge for up to three days, then cook the pasta and assemble when you're ready to bake. Or, assemble the mac and cheese, cover, and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours, then bake when you're ready. If you do that, add a little extra time to the cooking because the mac and cheese will take longer to heat straight from the fridge.

VEGETABLE SUBSTITUTIONS: This is a super flexible recipe when it comes to the greens. Swap the broccolini for regular broccoli, use kale instead of spinach, swap the leek for scallions, or throw in extra herbs (chives and flat-leaf parsley work well). Frozen peas are another excellent addition, and frozen spinach works brilliantly. Just make sure to cook it with the other vegetables until completely thawed, letting any excess water evaporate before combining with the cheese sauce. I often add a couple of tablespoons of pickled jalapeños too.

A NOTE ON CHEESE: Make sure you grate your own cheese if possible, rather than using pre-shredded. It'll melt down more smoothly into your sauce - pre-shredded cheese often contains an anti-caking agent, which can prevent that, and you might end up with a grainy sauce.

KEEP IT SAUCY: Remember the pasta will continue to absorb the sauce as it sits and bakes in the oven, so you want the mac and cheese saucier than you'd serve it before you bake it.

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