Serves
6-8
Ready In:
50mins
Good For:
Lunch, supper, side, dinner, party food.
Ingredients
- 350g macaroni pasta
- 900ml milk
- 400g cooked spinach- can be fresh or frozen (defrosted)
- 150g sliced cooked ham- cut into strips
- 2 onions- finely chopped
- 85g grated cheese
- 80g butter- for bechamel
- 30g butter- for spinach
- 45g flour
- 1tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp chilli paste (optional)
- 2 spring onion- sliced
- pinch nutmeg
- seasoning to taste
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
This recipe can even be spread over a tray, chilled overnight, rolled into bite-sized pieces, crumbed, and deep-fried for a cheesy crisp hit of heavenly goodness.
If you’re new to this site we have useful demonstration videos with some of our recipes. There’s a link to the video below. A short 55-second overview of this recipe.
Step 2
Let’s start by making our white sauce called a bechamel sauce. Using a medium pot over medium-high heat, allow to heat for 1 minute and then add the butter and melt.
Add 1 chopped onion, season and cook for 2 mins or until lightly translucent. Add the flour, lower to medium heat, and cook for 3 mins.
Step 3
After cooking the roux (butter and flour) and onions for 3 mins and while maintaining medium heat, slowly add about a cup of cold milk into the roux and stir through completely.
Add the milk cup by cup stirring through fully each time until you’ve added all the milk. Season lightly. Don’t over-season as you’re about to cook this for 20mins.
Lower to low heat and cook, stirring every once in a while, for 20 mins.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Cook your chosen brand of macaroni to a firm al dente or quite firm to the bite. The pasta will continue cooking while baking so you don’t want to fully cook it.
My macaroni said to cook for 8 mins so I cooked mine for 6 mins. Cook the spinach in step 5 while the pasta is cooking.
After cooking the macaroni, drain the pasta but don’t run cold water through it.
Step 5
In a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, add butter and onions and fry for 3 mins or until lightly browned.
If using frozen spinach, defrost fully and squeeze out all the water. Squeeze water from the spinach and add to the onions. Cook for 2 mins and remove from the heat.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and add nutmeg.
Step 6
In a large mixing bowl, add the warm macaroni and pour over half the sauce. Add ham, spring onion, mustard, chilli, cooked onions and spinach mixture, olive oil, cheese and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients a little, not fully.
Add the rest of the white sauce and bind well together.
Step 7
Pour the macaroni mixture into a baking dish approximately 40 x 20cm.
Add the rest of the cheese over the top. Crack some black pepper over and bake on a middle shelf for 25 mins or until golden brown on top and hot when skewered in the middle.
Allow the pasta to cool for at least 3 mins before serving as it’ll be very hot and the sauce holds a lot of heat.
Step 8
If you make up this dish we would love to see your creations. Hashtag #familykitchenwithmark and post your delicious dish.
For the love of good food.
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