Greekmacandcheese Recipes

GREEK MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°; bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil; add in macaroni and cook, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes until al dente; drain and place in a large bowl.
• To blanch the spinach: bring 4 quarts salted water to a simmer over med-high heat; have ready a large bowl of ice water and a slotted spoon; add spinach to simmering water (in three or 4 batches) and submerge it.
• Let cook about 15 seconds, remove with the slotted spoon, and plunge into the ice water; let spinach cool completely, drain it, and squeeze out the excess water; if the leaves are large, chop them into bite-sized pieces; set aside.
• In a blender or food processor, puree the feta cheese with the milk, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper (blend in two batches, if needed); this will not be completely smooth; there will be very small chunks of cheese remaining.
• Stir the cheese mixture into the cooked macaroni; then add the minced rosemary and thyme, garlic, red pepper flakes, olives, cherry tomatoes, and blanched spinach.
• Transfer mixture to a 13x9 inch baking dish; sprinkle with parmesan cheese and the mixed herbs.
• Bake on the middle shelf 25-30 minutes until the pasta is heated through and the top is slightly browned.

GREEK MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In microwave safe bowl or sauce pan combine milk, cream cheese, ricotta, Parmesan, feta, mozzarella/cheddar and Greek seasoning.
• Blend well and heat stirring to prevent burning.
• Add spinach, mushrooms, olives; stir thoroughly.
• Spray no-stick spray in baking dish, spread out macaroni and cover with cheese/veggie mix
• Bake for 35 minutes.

GREEK-STYLE CREAM CHEESE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix the cream cheese with feta, zest, oregano and pepper until smooth. Transfer to a serving dish and refrigerate until ready to use.

MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Drain well, but do not rinse.
• Whisk the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, ham, if using, and parsley. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Toss the remaining 1 cup Fontina, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup mozzarella in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

GREEK MAC N CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to box directions, drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat a pot over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup water and the spinach. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook until spinach is wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold, running water to cool. Use your hands to squeeze as much liquid out of the spinach as possible; working in small handfuls. Fluff the spinach back up a bit, place in a large bowl and set aside.
• Return the pot to medium-high heat, add the oil, onions, scallions and salt. Cook, stirring, until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add to the spinach. Toss in the parsley and dill. Stir everything together. Add the pepper and nutmeg; stir to combine.
• Add 3/4 of the cheeses. Stir to mix. Add the pasta; stir to combine.
• Coat an 8-by-8 baking dish with cooking spray. Dump the mixture into the dish, top with the remaining cheese and bake until browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

AUTHENTIC GREEK MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and place in a colander set in the sink or over a plate. Let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour so the salt can draw out any bitterness.
• Meanwhile, make bechamel sauce. Heat milk in a saucepan almost to a boil. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour until a smooth paste forms. Lower heat and gradually pour in hot milk, whisking constantly until bechamel sauce thickens. Season with salt. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Rinse eggplant slices under cold running water. Squeeze out liquid and pat dry with paper towels. Whisk egg yolks into the cooled bechamel.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet and cook eggplant slices in batches until each side is lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on a large plate lined with paper towels.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil.
• Heat remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. Cook grated onion until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high and add ground beef. Cook and stir until browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes. Season with allspice, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
• Stir in tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Cook until all excess liquid has evaporated and mixture appears dry, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in parsley and remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly, then stir in the egg white.
• Arrange a layer of eggplant in the prepared baking dish. Cover eggplant with all of the beef mixture and sprinkle with 1/3 of the Parmesan cheese. Cover with remaining eggplant and sprinkle another 1/3 of Parmesan cheese on top. Pour bechamel sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the moussaka is set and golden, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and let rest at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

GREEK MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Put bread into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Put bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons butter into a small bowl and combine; set aside.
• Bring a 6 quart pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until cooked halfway through, about 3 minutes. Drain pasta, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
• Heat the remaining butter in a 4 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Still whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in milk and cook until sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pan from the heat. Stir in cheese, cinnamon, and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper; set bechamel sauce aside.
• Heat oven to 350°. Heat oil in a 5-qt. pot over medium heat. Add shallots and bell peppers and cook, stirring often, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add spinach and scallions and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in the reserved bechamel sauce, the dill, and the reserved pasta and move the mixture to a 9" x 13" baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with reserved bread crumbs and the feta.
• Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

GREEK CHEESE AND MACARONI

Steps:

• Boil rigatoni 10 minutes.
• Drain.
• Mix milk and whip cream together.
• Set aside 1 cup.
• In the same pan that you cooked the rigatoni pour in milk and whip cram mixture. Add salt and butter. Cook until the butter melts.
• Add rigatoni and cook slowly until the mixture gets thick.
• Spread half of mixture in greased 9 x 13 pan.
• Sprinkle with ½ cup parmesan.
• Add remaining rigatoni.
• Add remaining parmesan.
• Pour the one cup of milk and whip cream on top.
• DO NOT STIR.
• Bake 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• I like to bake until top gets a little brown.

MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH GREEK YOGURT AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Set an oven rack to the top position and preheat to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking pan with aluminum foil. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain macaroni, reserving 2 1/2 cups pasta water. Pour macaroni back into the pot.
• While the macaroni is cooking, place prosciutto on the prepared baking pan.
• Cook prosciutto on the top rack of the preheated oven until dry and crispy, but not burnt, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and chop roughly. Lower the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and lower the rack to the middle position.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Add garlic powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and pepper; cook for 1 minute more. Whisk in Greek yogurt and cook until heated through and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in 1 1/2 cups of the reserved pasta water; cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add a generous 1/4 cup each of Gruyere and Cheddar cheeses, stirring until thoroughly melted; repeat until all cheese had been added and sauce is thick. Stir in as much of the remaining pasta water as necessary to reach desired consistency.
• Stir spinach into the cooked macaroni. Add cheese sauce; stir until combined and macaroni is coated. Pour into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle prosciutto over top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are bubbling slightly, 15 to 20 minutes.