Baked Mac and Cheese
- 3 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1 bunch steamed spinach
- 1 3/4 cups 1 percent milk, divided
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
- 1 cup low-fat (1 percent) cottage cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni or penne
Put a large pot of water on to boil. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch-square (2-quart) baking dish with olive oil. Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl. Place spinach in a fine-mesh strainer and press out excess moisture. Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until melted. Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook pasta for 4 minutes, or until not quite tender. (It will continue to cook during baking.) Drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well. Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the spinach on top. Top with the remaining pasta; sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
Tip: To make fresh breadcrumbs, trim crusts from whole-wheat bread. Tear bread into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. One slice of bread makes about 1/2 cup fresh crumbs. For dry breadcrumbs, spread the fresh crumbs on a baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees until crispy, about 15 minutes. One slice of fresh bread makes about 1/3 cup dry crumbs. Or use prepared coarse dry breadcrumbs. We like Ian��1/2s brand labeled Panko breadcrumbs. Find them in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets.