Macaroni And Cheese With Kale Recipes

HOMEMADE MAC AND CHEESE WITH KALE

Steps:

• Clean your kale by rinsing it in cold water and then removing the leaves from the stems. Chop into small pieces.
• Heat olive oil on medium in a cast iron skillet or another large skillet (with a lid). Add onion and garlic and cook for approximately 90 seconds.
• Add kale and coat with oil and mix with garlic and onion. Let saute for another minute, add 1 teaspoon of salt, mix, and then add the stock. Cover and let braise in stock for about 10 minutes, or until most of the stock has cooked off.
• Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add noodles and boil until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water to prevent sticking.
• When your kale is done, remove from skillet and set aside.
• WIth skillet on medium, add butter and as it melts, add the flour and whisk to create a roux.
• Slowly add the milk, 1 cup at a time, and whisk it to incorporate it all before adding more milk and half and half.
• Let the sauce cook, whisking constantly to prevent from burning, until it begins to thicken. Add cheese, 1 cup at a time, and whisk to combine. Reduce to medium-low.
• Let the sauce thicken and then start adding the cheese, a handful at a time, whisking until it is all fully melted before adding more cheese. Repeat for 2 cups of cheese.
• Once cheese sauce is thickened, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and mustard and mix. Add kale and mix well. This will ensure that the kale is more evenly distributed in the dish.
• Once the kale is well mixed in, then add the cooked pasta and mix well.
• This is where you can stop and set aside if preparing in advance. Or you can serve it now, as is. Otherwise, pre-heat oven to broil and set rack to top third.
• Add last 1/2 to 1 cup of cheese to the top of skillet and add to oven to melt and crisp up cheese for 3-5 minutes.
• Serve and enjoy!

CREAMY BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH KALE AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until it is al dente, about 6 minutes. Strain, reserving 1 3/4 cups of the pasta water. Set aside.
• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms are lightly browned in spots and softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the kale, garlic and 1/2 cup of water, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan with the back of a wooden spoon. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine. Cook until the kale is wilted but still crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
• Carefully wipe out the saucepan (or give it a quick rinse if it is really dirty). Add the half-and-half and cayenne and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in the Cheddar and Gruyere until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Add the macaroni and reserved pasta water to the saucepan and stir to combine. (The mixture will look very loose, but the pasta will suck up a lot of the sauce as it bakes.) Gently fold in the reserved vegetables. Season to taste with additional salt if needed. Pour into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Toss the bread crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and a large pinch of salt and pepper in a medium bowl and sprinkle evenly over the macaroni and cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are lightly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes.

SIMPLE MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in flour, salt, and pepper until smooth, about 5 minutes. Slowly pour milk into butter-flour mixture while continuously stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Add Cheddar cheese to milk mixture and stir until cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Fold macaroni into cheese sauce until coated.

3 CHEESE AND KALE MACARONI

Steps:

• PASTA:.
• start water to boil, add salt and oil to prevent sticking.
• SAUCE:
• mix shredded cheese, cream cheese, and half & half in a bowl- set aside.
• sautee garlic and onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil until slightly browned.
• add kale, tomatoes and mushrooms.
• cover and cook for 6 minutes.
• add another tablespoon of oil.
• add cheese/half & half mixture.
• continually stir until well-melted.
• drain pasta, pour into glass baking dish.
• add sauce, stir until well-mixed.

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH KALE AND GREAT NORTHERN BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
• Cook the milk with the bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When small bubbles appear along the sides, about 5 minutes later, turn off the heat and let stand.
• In the salted water, cook the pasta al dente. Drain it, rinse it quickly to stop the cooking, and put it in a large bowl.
• Trim the stems from the kale. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add kale. Boil kale for one minute, remove, and set aside to cool. Squeeze excess water from kale and chop into edible pieces.
• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter; when it is foamy, add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture browns, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the milk and add about 1/4 cup of the milk to the hot flour mixture, stirring with a wire whisk all the while. As soon as the mixture becomes smooth, add a little more milk and continue to do so until all the milk is used up and the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the cheddar and stir.
• Pour the sauce over the noodles, toss in the Parmesan and kale, mix in the white beans, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Use the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9 x 13-inch or similar-size baking pan and turn the pasta mixture into it. Top liberally with bread crumbs and bake until bubbling and the crumbs turn brown, about 15 minutes. Serve piping hot.