When I say ‘ultimate,’ I really mean it! Regular mac and cheese can’t compare to this Ultimate Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese! The cheesiest, creamiest mac and cheese ever!
My mac and cheese brings all the boys to the yard… Well, it would if I had a yard! Maybe it’ll bring them to my balcony? No, wait, that’s creepy. Never mind! I will, however, boldly state that my recipe is the best! It is the ultimate grown up version of the childhood classic.
For the past three years, since John.e and I started living together, I have heard on many occasion that he would like to have macaroni and cheese for dinner. But, I refused to make it because, to be completely honest, I cannot stand the texture of macaroni noodles! They tend to feel slimy and overcooked in my mouth.
I blame it on a babysitter that my parents left us with when we were kids. Okay, she wasn’t actually OUR babysitter, but she was babysitting our two friends, Matthew and Jonathan. My parents had gone shopping with their parents and even though my brother and I were old enough to be left on our own, it was decided that we would spend the afternoon with our two friends and play Nintendo.
The babysitter was a nightmare of a woman; she did nothing but talk on the phone and chain smoke. And as all little boys know, playing Nintendo is hard work, so we got really hungry really quickly!
She offered to make us Kraft Dinner. Well, somehow she managed to serve us a bowl of chemically treated orange macaroni which was wet and slimy, yet still crunchy. No matter how much ketchup I put in that bowl, I could not swallow that poor excuse for macaroni and cheese!
Fast forward a few years later, and, I will admit, I did eat Kraft Dinner occasionally. My ex wife used to make a casserole with mushroom soup, cheese, and Kraft Dinner, and it was actually very good!
All was good with the world until my ex wife’s sister, (I love you, Natasha!) prepared Kraft Dinner one day for lunch. One bite was all it took and we all questioned what she did to make it taste like we were drinking from the Red Sea. It was so damn salty!!! And guess what!? To me, it was still slimy!
(We later learned that while she was salting the water, the lid fell off the salt shaker, and rather than change out the water, she used it anyway!)
My love… no, not love… acceptance(?) of Kraft Dinner died. I never again ate it! And, that, my friend, is where my distaste for macaroni and cheese came from – those two innocent episodes of grossness.
Deciding to surprise John.e with mac and cheese when he came home from work, however, was how this recipe came to be, and my love of mac and cheese has been reborn.
I really wanted to develop a grown up version of this dish, because I had tried a little of the homemade stuff from time to time, but never acquired a taste for it. It seemed that the only two ingredients in the stuff I ate was boiled macaroni and grated cheese, which was baked in the oven with a few bread crumbs sprinkled on top. Now, if that’s how you like it, I won’t judge you. Who am I kidding? Of course I will judge you! But, I will reserve judgement until after you have tried this recipe and can tell me honestly that it’s not a million times better!
Photos Updated: January 27, 2018 (Ultimate Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese can be baked in one large casserole dish, or in smaller, individual ramekins like you see in the photos.)
Ultimate Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese
When I say ‘ultimate,’ I really mean it! Regular mac and cheese can’t compare to this Ultimate Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese! The cheesiest, creamiest mac and cheese ever!
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 450 grams macaroni, cooked
- 6 cups old cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 300 gram package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and very well drained
- 2 14 ounce cans artichokes in water, drained and roughly chopped
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
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In a large sauce pan, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the salt and pepper and stir them into the sizzling butter. Next, add the flour and whisk until the flour is absorbed by the butter and the entire mixture turns an amber colour. This process is cooking off the flour taste and creating a roux.
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Next, pour in the milk and whisk until thickened.
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Set aside your whisk and get a large wooden spoon. Add 5 cups of the cheese, spinach, and artichokes. Stir until completely combined, and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Continue to stir otherwise the cheese mixture might burn while the pan is cooling.
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Add the cooked macaroni and stir well into the cheese sauce. Once incorporated, transfer to a large baking dish.
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Top with the remaining cup of cheese and the bread crumbs.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Ultimate Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese
Amount Per Serving
Calories 788
Calories from Fat 396
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 44g
68%
Saturated Fat 24g
120%
Cholesterol 116mg
39%
Sodium 1221mg
51%
Potassium 513mg
15%
Total Carbohydrates 60g
20%
Dietary Fiber 4g
16%
Sugars 9g
Protein 35g
70%
Vitamin A
123.8%
Vitamin C
16.9%
Calcium
83.6%
Iron
16.4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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