Greens mac ’n’ cheese
Leek, broccoli & spinach, toasted almond topping
Greens mac ’n’ cheese
SERVES 6
1 HOUR
- 1 large leek
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 400g purple sprouting or tenderstem broccoli
- 40g unsalted butter
- ½ a bunch of fresh thyme (15g)
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 litre semi-skimmed milk
- 450g dried macaroni
- 30g Parmesan cheese
- 150g mature Cheddar cheese
- 100g baby spinach
- 50g flaked almonds
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Trim, halve and wash the leek and peel the garlic, then finely slice with the broccoli stalks, reserving the florets for later. Place the sliced veg in a large casserole pan over a medium heat with the butter, then strip in the thyme leaves and cook for 15 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly. Stir in the flour, followed slowly by the milk, then simmer for 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring regularly. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then drain.
Grate the Parmesan and most of the Cheddar into the sauce, and mix well. Tip into a blender, add the spinach and whiz until smooth – you may need to work in batches. Season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper, then stir through the pasta and broccoli florets, loosening with a splash of milk, if needed. Transfer to a 25cm x 35cm baking dish, grate over the remaining Cheddar and scatter over the almonds. Bake for 30 minutes, or until beautifully golden and bubbling.
Swap spinach for any kind of exciting fresh or frozen greens, discarding any tough stalks. I also sometimes add breadcrumbs to the top for bonus crunch. Tasty!
TO MAKE VEGETARIAN
Swap Parmesan for vegetarian hard cheese.
NUTRITION PER SERVING
619 kcal; 25.1g fat (12.4g saturated); 29g protein; 75.1g carbs; 12g sugars; 0.9g salt; 6.4g fibre