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Two of my largest culinary passions—mac and cheese and Mediterranean meals—simply made a scrumptious child within the type of Greek Mac and Cheese!
Made with a luscious feta cheese sauce, LOADED with Mediterranean greens, and crowned with a ridiculously tasty pita chip topping, it’s a recent twist on everybody’s favourite tacky pasta casserole.
I will be able to’t say with any shred of ancient accuracy that Greek mac and cheese is how Aphrodite seduced each and every god on Olympus, however I believe it’s a cheap idea. (I might additionally challenge a bet that this Greek Layer Dip was once additionally in her arsenal.)
It transforms vintage components in Greek salad, like bell peppers, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and feta cheese, into an excellent pan of bubbly, tacky noodles that’s one in all our favourite issues we’ve eaten in a very long time.
Completed with a crispy, crunchy pita chip and herb topping, this baked Greek mac and cheese is an Athens-approved celebration in a pan.
(For a Roman-approved pan of tacky goodness, take a look at this Italian Mac and Cheese.)
5 Megastar Assessment
“I made this for my boyfriend this night. And it was once scrumptious!”
— Shohreh —
The way to Make Greek Mac and Cheese
That includes a creamy, but lighter, feta cheese sauce, comfortable peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, salty Kalamata olives, and a crunchy pita chip topping, this comfy Greek mac and cheese recipe will shipping you immediately to the Acropolis of Athens.
Tip!
If you happen to love all-things mac and cheese, then you definately don’t need to pass over my recipe for Final Creamy Mac and Cheese, 4 Tactics in The Smartly Plated Cookbook.
The Elements
- Pasta. A complete wheat short-cut pasta, like elbow macaroni, penne, or rigatoni, is perfect for this baked Greek mac and cheese (and this Hen Alfredo Bake). Their tubular form makes the very best vessel for all that wealthy tacky feta sauce.
Tip!
You’ll want to prepare dinner the pasta most effective till it’s only underneath al dente, since it’ll prepare dinner additional within the oven.
- Bell Peppers. Pack within the diet C (as much as 169% of the RDI in one pepper) together with different key vitamins, reminiscent of diet A, diet B6, diet E, folate, and potassium, they’re colourful, nutritious, and make this mac an all-in-one dinner.
- Solar Dried Tomatoes. Infuse this Greek-style mac and cheese with a wealthy and powerful tomato taste (I additionally love solar dried tomatoes on this Solar Dried Tomato Pasta).
- Kalamata Olives. Except for being quintessentially Greek, Kalamata olives also are full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and antioxidants.
- Spinach. Lots up each and every serving with a day by day dose of iron, calcium, folic acid, and nutrients A, C, and Ok. (It’s additionally how I sneak some more vitamin into this Spinach Artichoke Mac and Cheese.)
- Onion + Garlic. Fragrant necessities.
- White Cheddar + Feta. White cheddar gives sharpness and a gooey melty texture whilst feta brings it zippy tang and iconic Greek taste (if you happen to love feta, you’ll additionally experience this Feta Dip).
- Cottage Cheese. I stored this macaroni and cheese lean and imply with a secret component: low-fat cottage cheese. Don’t freak out. The cottage cheese melts superbly and provides the sauce richness and frame, with out the way over heavy cream (I exploit it in Low Carb Lasagna too).
- Nonfat Milk. No heavy cream or full-fat milk required (put it aside for this Grownup Mac and Cheese). This thin Greek mac and cheese cuts fat and energy by means of choosing skim milk over its full-fat opposite numbers.
- All Goal Flour. Our thickening agent that makes our easy sauce ultra-rich and creamy.
- Pink Wine Vinegar. Provides a bit of acidity to steadiness out the beauty of peppers and the chew of the onion and garlic.
- Parsley + Oregano. Be offering colour and a few recent Mediterranean aptitude.
- Pita Chips. To stay issues Greek, I swapped out conventional breadcrumbs (like in this Pumpkin Mac and Cheese) for beaten pita chips. They’re the very best more crunchy and toasty topping to distinction the creamy-dreamy feta cheese sauce.
The Instructions
- Sauté the onions and peppers.
- Make the pita chip topping. Drain the spinach and rehydrate the sun-dried tomatoes.
- In a small bowl, whisk in combination the some milk and the flour.
- Make the feta cheese sauce.
- Prepare dinner the pasta till now not slightly comfortable. Drain, then mix with the sauce and veggies.
- Switch the mix right into a baking dish, most sensible with beaten pita chips, and bake till bubbly and golden. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve. ENJOY!
Garage Guidelines
- To Retailer. Greek mac and cheese, as soon as baked, could also be refrigerated for as much as 3 days.
- To Freeze. As soon as baked, Greek mac and cheese could also be frozen, well-wrapped, for as much as two months. Defrost in a single day within the refrigerator sooner than warming.
- To Reheat. Heat in a 350 level F oven, coated with foil, till heated via.
Meal Prep Tip
Greek mac and cheese can also be ready via Step 6, then coated and refrigerated for as much as 2 days or frozen for as much as 3 months. To bake, thaw within the fridge, if vital, then continue with the recipe as directed, baking for 35 to 45 mins.
What to Serve with Greek Mac and Cheese
Advisable Gear to Make this Recipe
- Saucepan. This on a regular basis saucepan is my favourite for making stovetop sauces, just like the feta cheese sauce for this Greek mac and cheese recipe.
- Skillet. An very important merchandise no kitchen must be with out.
- Casserole Dish. This number of colourful ceramic baking dishes is available in other sizes and an array of colours.
My Favourite Casserole Dish
Select your favourite colour! Constituted of sturdy porcelain for dishwashers, ovens, fridges and microwaves, those set of various sizes is straightforward to wash too.
Sorry, Hercules, there’s a brand new demigod, and its title is Greek mac and cheese.
Regularly Requested Questions
No. If you want to make this Greek mac and cheese gluten unfastened, it could be an experiment since I’ve now not tried it myself. I might get started by means of swapping the pasta in your favourite gluten unfastened selection and substituting the all-purpose flour for cornstarch instead thickening agent.
Positive! If there are different Greek flavors you experience, be at liberty to experiment and upload them or switch them for different components on this recipe to fit your preferences.
No. Whilst I like Halloumi cheese (see this Grilled Halloumi Cheese) it’s not ideally suited for this Greek mac and cheese recipe because it does now not fall apart nicely or soften when heated. For a unique cheese choice, check out crumbled goat cheese.
- 2 tablespoons more virgin olive oil divided
- 1/2 huge purple onion thinly sliced
- 1 huge inexperienced bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 huge purple bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon purple wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup pita chips beaten
- 10 oz frozen spinach thawed (1 package deal)
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
- 2 cups non-fat milk divided
- 1/4 cup all goal flour
- 1 1/2 cups extra-sharp white Cheddar cheese shredded, about 6 oz
- 1 1/2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese about 4 oz
- 1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives chopped
- 12 oz whole-wheat elbow macaroni or penne
- 1/4 cup chopped recent parsley for serving
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In a big sauté pan, warmth 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium. Upload the onions and prepare dinner till starting to flip translucent, 5-8 mins. Upload purple bell pepper, inexperienced bell pepper, and garlic and prepare dinner till the peppers are comfortable, about 8 further mins. Upload purple wine vinegar and prepare dinner 2 further mins. Put aside.
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Carry a big pot of water directly to boil. Position rack in middle of the oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray. (A deep 9×9-inch pan will paintings as nicely.)
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Combine breadcrumbs, final 1 tablespoon olive oil, and oregano in a small bowl. Position spinach in a fine-mesh strainer and press out extra moisture. Position sundried tomatoes in a small bowl and canopy with boiling water (this will likely rehydrate the tomatoes). Put aside.
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In a big, heavy saucepan, warmth 1 3/4 cups milk over medium-high warmth till steaming (don’t boil). In a small bowl, whisk in combination the rest 1/4 cup milk and flour till clean.
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Upload to the new milk and prepare dinner, whisking repeatedly, till the sauce simmers and thickens; about 3 to five mins. Take away from warmth and stir within the cheddar till melted. Stir in cottage cheese, salt, and pepper.
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Prepare dinner pasta for six mins, till now not slightly comfortable. (It’s going to proceed to prepare dinner throughout baking.) Drain pasta, then upload to cheese sauce; combine nicely. Drain the sundried tomatoes, then fold them into the mix, together with the sautéed onions and peppers, spinach, feta cheese, and olives. Spoon the mix into the ready baking dish, then most sensible with beaten pita chips.
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Bake the casserole till bubbly and golden, 25 to half-hour, checking on the 15-minute mark to be sure that the pita chips don’t seem to be toasting too temporarily (if they’re, quilt the pan with foil and proceed baking). Garnish with chopped parsley and serve heat.
- MAKE AHEAD: Greek mac and cheese can also be ready via Step 6, then coated and refrigerated for as much as 2 days or frozen for as much as 3 months. To bake, thaw within the fridge, if vital, then continue with the recipe as directed, baking for 35 to 45 mins.
- TO STORE: Greek mac and cheese, as soon as baked, could also be refrigerated for as much as 3 days.
- TO FREEZE: As soon as baked, Greek mac and cheese could also be frozen, well-wrapped, for as much as two months. Defrost in a single day within the refrigerator sooner than warming.
- TO REHEAT: Heat in a 350 level F oven, coated with foil, till heated via.
Serving: 1(of 6)Energy: 598kcalCarbohydrates: 69gProtein: 34gFats: 23gSaturated Fats: 11gPolyunsaturated Fats: 2gMonounsaturated Fats: 9gTrans Fats: 1gLdl cholesterol: 56mgPotassium: 948mgFiber: 4gSugar: 13gDiet A: 7130IUDiet C: 52mgCalcium: 574mgIron: 5mg
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