Spinach Mac and Cheese

 

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for salting the pasta water

1 pound small elbow macaroni

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 large shallot, minced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups cold milk

12 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated

1 cup shredded Parmesan, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

3 (10 ounce) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed very dry

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Prepare a baking dish, turn on broiler, and boil water:

Lightly coat a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place an oven rack in the top third of the oven and set the broiler to high. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Cook the pasta:

Add pasta to the boiling water and cook, about 5 - 8 minutes. Drain well, reserving 3/4 cup of pasta water for later use.

3. Sauté the shallot:

In a large Dutch oven or saucepot set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallot and cook until translucent and softened for approximately 5 minutes.

4. Make the sauce:

Sprinkle the shallots with the flour and whisk well. The mixture will be clumpy at first, but keep whisking until it becomes smoother for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk, then bring to a simmer over medium heat until it starts to thicken to the consistency of heavy cream, 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk in the Gruyère and 3/4 cup Parmesan. When the cheese is incorporated, add the salt, nutmeg, and cayenne; the sauce should be rich but somewhat loose.

5. Stir in the spinach and pasta and transfer to baking dish:

Add the spinach to the sauce, using the whisk to break it up, then stir in the pasta. Remove from heat; add reserved pasta water as needed if the mixture looks thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.

6. Make the topping:

In a medium bowl, stir together the panko, olive oil, and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the pasta.

7. Broil mac and cheese:

Place the pasta under the broiler and broil until the topping is nicely browned, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. The panko should be evenly toasted, and the edges should be just bubbling.