I was very excited about this recipe when I first saw it. I'm a pasta person and any pasta pretty much sounds like heaven to me so, of course, this being pasta with cheese (which is my other favorite thing) and then adding some spinach, I was dead set on trying it asap! I decided to make this for dinner one night and just have this as the main dish. I'm perfectly okay with this. The hubs on the other hand wasn't too excited so he was planning on having a sandwich also. Well, once he tried this and liked it a lot and finished his salad he didn't want anything else! This is a huge accomplishment for him. I've never once seen him eat a whole salad or even try spinach! He hates vegetables very much and always has. I guess his Mom never made him finish his veggies as a kid. I've been trying to get him to eat more greens and dishes like this are helping! It's exciting!
Healthy Mac and Cheese with Sneaky Greens
1 pkg. egg noodles (I used large shells)
3 c. fresh spinach, diced
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 1/2 c. chicken broth (vegetable broth is a good substitute if you want to make this vegetarian)
1 c. cheddar cheese
1 c. asiago cheese (or another sharp cheese of your choice)
1/2 c. diced ham
1 c. green peas, frozen
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions.
While noodles are cooking, melt butter in a large skillet, over medium-high heat. Stir flour into melted butter then slowly add the broth and whisk until flour & butter are completely dissolved. Cook just until mixture starts to boil. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.
Three to four minutes before the noodles are finished, add the peas to the pot of water. One minute before noodles are finished, add spinach and diced ham to the pot of water. Drain noodles, peas, & spinach, then transfer to a large serving bowl. Pour cheese mixture atop and stir. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
