Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese with Spinach
A filling and hearty mac and cheese that balances salty cheese with healthy sweet potatoes- creating an extra bright and delicious meal!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (1 pound)
- 3 cups whole wheat pasta (8 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup shredded asiago cheese
- 1/2 cup grated vegetarian parmesan cheese
- 2 handfuls spinach
Instructions
- Peel and cube sweet potato. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add sweet potato, and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. Place cooked sweet potato in large bowl and mash, using a splash of the milk, until smooth.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil again with a pinch of salt and cook pasta as instructed 6 to 8 minutes. Pasta should still be al dente (and not overcooked). Drain and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400˚F.
- In a saucepan, melt butter and add garlic, over medium heat and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in flour and let cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in remaining milk, salt and pepper; cook until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and whisk in sweet potato puree. Mix together the cheeses and add 3/4 of the cheese mixture.
- In a large casserole dish, add pasta, spinach, and cheese sauce. Mix until spinach is slightly wilted and pasta is well coated with cheese sauce. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until cheese on top is bubbling and browning.
Notes
Tips & Tricks: Sweet potatoes yield 1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potato. If you want to avoid clumps of sweet potato, you can puree in a blender or food processor.
To conserve time (and water), cook the pasta first and reserve the water to cook the sweet potatoes.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: pasta, butter, sweet potatoes
Nutrition: See the information.
Nutrition
- Calories: 440
- Sugar: 8.7
- Sodium: 516
- Fat: 17.3
- Carbohydrates: 51.9
- Protein: 21.8
- Cholesterol: 48.8
Find it online: https://naturallyella.com/sweet-potato-mac/