Creamed Spinach Mac & Cheese

pasta / meat free / holiday

Mac & cheese meets creamed spinach with a topping like a green bean casserole for the ultimate Thanksgiving dish you need to make this year!

My favorite part of Thanksgiving are the sides, whose aren’t?! Growing up I never had mac and cheese as a Thanksgiving side, so when I got married and that become apart of my Thanksgiving plate, I was ecstatic. One thing I do always love to have is creamed spinach. I thought combining these two would go perfectly together and then adding crispy fried onions on top would resemble the same topping as a green bean casserole! Win, win!

I love making this a day before Thanksgiving because baked mac & cheese is a great option for a make-ahead meal. Read the instructions below on how to heat it up the next day.

Here are the Ingredients for this Creamed Spinach Mac & Cheese:

• Vegetables - Sweet Onion, Garlic, Spinach

• Seasonings - Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg

• Dairy - Butter, Half & Half, Whole Milk, White Cheddar, Gouda, Parmesan

• Pantry - Pasta Shells, Flour, Panko, Crispy Fried Onions

More Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes You’ll Love:

• Apple Cider Glazed Roast Chicken

• Autumn Tortellini Soup

• Butternut Squash Whipped Feta

• Butternut Squash Soup

• Pumpkin & Gouda Stuffed Shells with Brown Butter Alfredo

Yield 4 main dish, 6-8 side

Author Casey Cheek

Prep time

40 Min

Cook time

30 Min

Total time

1 H & 10 M

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Creamed Spinach Mac & Cheese

This recipe is a combo of creamed spinach and cheesy mac & cheese topped with panko and crispy fried onions for the ultimate Thanksgiving side dish!

Ingredients

• 1 lb pasta shells
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 large sweet onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups half and half
• 1 cup whole milk (can also use 2%)
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 12 oz spinach
• 1 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
• 3/4 cup gouda, shredded
• 1/4 cup parmesan, grated
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup crispy fried onions (French's is always good)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Prepare the shells according to package directions.
3. In a large sauce pot, melt the butter and add in your onions and garlic, cook on medium low until they are softened. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Stir in the flour and cook until a thick paste forms and starts to golden, about 5-8 minutes.
5. Slowly add in the half and half, 1/2 a cup at a time, stirring while pouring. Once the mixture has thickened back up, do the same thing with the milk. Let the sauce thicken up again.
6. Stir in the nutmeg and then add in the spinach. It might seem like a lot of spinach, but it cooks down so much, you need a lot.
7. Stir in all the cheeses until they are melted and the sauce is complete. Mix the cooked shells in with the finished sauce and transfer to a baking dish.
8. Sprinkle the panko and fried onions on top (I like to crush up the fried onions in my hand before sprinkling them to be more of the size of panko).
9. Bake for 2-30 minutes until the top is golden brown.
10. Serve or cover with tin foil and store in fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, add 1 cup of whole milk or half and half per 1 cup of mac and cheese over top and mix it together. Cover with tin foil and reheat at 350 F for 20 minutes. Remove the tin foil, sprinkle more fried onions and panko, and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

more like this…