SPINACH-MACARONI & CHEESE

Spinach-Macaroni & Cheese image

Fresh spinach and a dash of nutmeg give this from-scratch mac and cheese great color and a tantalizing aroma.

Provided by My Food and Family

Categories Home

Time 1h10m

Yield 8 servings, 1 cup each

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 pkg. (10 oz.) fresh spinach, stems removed
2-3/4 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
3 Tbsp. margarine
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
3 cups KRAFT Finely Shredded Italian* Five Cheese Blend, divided
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Steps:

Heat oven to 350°F.
Bring large saucepan of water to boil. Add spinach; cook 1 to 2 min. or just until wilted. Drain. Use same pan to cook macaroni as directed on package, omitting salt. Meanwhile, melt margarine in large saucepan on medium heat. Add onions; cook 5 min., stirring frequently. Add garlic and flour; cook and stir 1 min. Whisk in milk; bring to boil, stirring constantly. Add 2-1/4 cups cheese; cook and stir until melted. Stir in pepper and nutmeg.
Squeeze excess water from spinach; chop finely. Drain macaroni. Add to cheese sauce; stir until evenly coated. Spoon half the macaroni mixture into 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with spinach. Top with remaining macaroni mixture and shredded cheese.
Bake 30 min. or until golden brown. Let stand 10 min. before serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 390, Fat 16 g, SaturatedFat 8 g, TransFat 0 g, Cholesterol 35 mg, Sodium 480 mg, Carbohydrate 43 g, Fiber 3 g, Sugar 7 g, Protein 20 g