Savvy Stovetop Methods

• Whether cooking up a box of mac and cheese or making it from scratch, most recipes begin with boiling the noodles. You can drop your fresh or frozen spinach leaves right into the boiling water along with your noodles during the last minute of cooking. This wilts the leaves just enough to become tender without overcooking. Drain your pasta together with the spinach leaves, and mix into the sauce mixture, stirring to combine. Alternatively, use bits of frozen spinach as “ice cubes” to cool down hot mac and cheese for little eaters. Stir the dish well before serving to melt the frozen greens.

Colorful Casseroles

• When baking your mac and cheese in a hot oven, raw spinach leaves can be mixed right in with macaroni after the noodles have been cooked. The hot sauce and heat from the oven wilts the fresh leaves without preboiling, and frozen spinach leaves have already been precooked. For a texture variation, lay fresh spinach leaves between layers of cooked noodles like a lasagna, or stir in the spinach after cooking the sauce. Wichever method you choose, allow your casserole to rest 10 minutes before serving so the sauce and vegetables can set.

Frozen Spinach Tip

• While there is no need to cook frozen spinach prior to adding it to a casserole, there is one caveat to watch out for when mixing frozen greens into your mac and cheese: excess water. Frozen spinach is boiled first before freezing, so the leaves soak up quite a bit of excess water. To avoid a runny baked casserole, thaw your spinach first the night before by placing it in the refrigerator, or run the package under cool water. Before mixing it into your casserole dish, gently squeeze out the excess water from the leaves and then stir it in.

Other Wholesome Mix-ins

• Variations on mac and cheese can be played with according to region or taste preference. In Greece, spinach is often paired with feta cheese and tomatoes, both of which make for savory stir-ins for your mac and cheese. If using fresh tomatoes, simply dice and add before baking without cooking first. Canned tomatoes can also be stirred in, but drain the juices first to avoid breaking your cream sauce. Artichokes, onions and mushrooms are other vegetables that pair well with spinach. It might be necessary to bump-up the spices – adding more salt and pepper – especially if using fresh or frozen vegetables that haven’t been processed with salt.