March Recipe of the Month
Homemade Mac and Cheese
Okay, let’s be honest. Everyone appreciates a nice warm dish of Macaroni and Cheese. However, I’m lead to believe that some of us tend to enjoy the simplicity of making it from the box. Well, this week I tried out the Homemade Mac and Cheese recipe from the Healthy & Homemade 2018 Nutrition and Fitness calendar and I can tell you that I’ll never go back to that box! I was able to purchase all of my ingredients for less than $10 at my local grocery store, and create a delectable dish with leftovers! The total cook time only took about 15 minutes and it was a fun, creative process.
This dish is also full of nutrients with the whole wheat grains, nutrient dense spinach, and calcium/vitamin rich yogurt. I’ve never cooked with Greek yogurt before, so this was a really fun experiment! The yogurt created a very creamy texture, which is what everyone wants for their macaroni and cheese. I also played with some fresh parsley and garlic.
This mac and cheese serves as a wonderful base to experiment with those spices and herbs sitting in your kitchen! Cheap, healthy, tasty, and fun to cook with friends and family. I encourage you to get creative and give it a try!
Recipe from the 2018 Nutrition and Fitness Calendar Iowa State University Extension
Sophia Bergner
Dietetics Student
UW-Stevens Point
Homemade Mac and Cheese - March Recipe of the Month 2018
- 3 cups dry whole wheat pasta
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheese cheddar, Parmesan, Swiss
- 1 container 5.3 ounce plain Greek yogurt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
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Cook pasta according to package directions. Save ½ cup of the cooking water.
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Place spinach in the bottom of a colander. Pour the pasta and remaining water over the spinach.
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Add pasta and spinach back to the pot. Add cheese and reserved pasta water. Stir until cheese is melted. Remove pan from heat.
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Add yogurt, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir until even and creamy.