Serves a Crowd
by: inpatskitchen
March16,2011
4.7
10 Ratings
- Makes 4 to 6 servings
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Author Notes
For this I was looking for creamy mac and cheese without an overpowering cheddar bite. The ricotta smooths it all out, the cayenne and white pepper gives a warm bite, plus my husband will eat anything that has spinach in it. —inpatskitchen
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoonsbutter
- 1/4 cupflour
- 2 cupswhole milk
- A few gratings of nutmeg
- 1 cupwhole milk ricotta
- 1 cupgrated medium cheddar cheese
- 1/4 teaspooncayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoonssalt
- 1 teaspoonwhite pepper
- 2 tablespoonschopped fresh basil
- 3 handfuls ( or more) fresh baby spinach leaves
- 8 ouncesziti or shells, cooked al dente
- 1/2 cupgrated medium cheddar for the topping
Directions
- In a medium sauce pot melt the butter and whisk in the flour to make a light roux.
- Over medium heat, slowly add the milk while continually whisking. Whisk until the mixture thickens.
- Add the nutmeg, cayenne, basil, salt and pepper and stir. Stir in the the ricotta and cheddar until melted
- Stir in the spinach leaves and stir the mixture until the spinach wilts.
- Combine the cooked pasta with the cheese spinach mixture and turn into small shallow casserole dish ( I used a nine inch round ceramic baking dish). Sprinkle the 1/2 cup cheddar over the top.
- Bake at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly.
Tags:
- Pasta
- Macaroni and Cheese
- American
- Nutmeg
- Ricotta
- Cheese
- Vegetable
- Spinach
- Milk/Cream
- Serves a Crowd
- Vegetarian
- Entree
Contest Entries
- Your Best Recipe with Fresh Ricotta
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Gertie Himmelfarb
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Alexa Szafalowicz
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DeborahBetty
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AntoniaJames
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inpatskitchen
Recipe by: inpatskitchen
I think I get my love for food and cooking from my mom, who was an amazing cook. She would start baking and freezing a month before Christmas in order to host our huge open house on Christmas afternoon. I watched and I learned...to this day I try not to procrastinate when it comes to entertaining.My cooking style is pretty much all over the place, although I'm definitely partial to Greek and Italian cuisine. Oh yes, throw a little Cajun in there too!
Popular on Food52
9 Reviews
SMB G. August 14, 2022
Delicous! Five stars! I had leftover ricotta that'd been moldering away in the freezer a while since making a lasagna, and some pasta that needed a sauce. I just made the sauce. I did a double batch following the recipe exactly like it says. I was bemused adding nutmeg and cayenne to the same recipe, but it works, is good! Thank you for sharing.
Gertie H. June 11, 2020
I made this tonight and it was fantastic! I didn’t have cheddar so I used fresh mozzarella with the ricotta in the pan and sprinkled shredded mozzarella on top before baking. I didn’t have while milk so I used unsweetened almond milk instead and it was a little healthier and just as good. I like the amount of pepper in it, it adds a lot of zip! Will definitely make again because I love ricotta.
inpatskitchen June 12, 2020
Thank you so much Gertie!
Alexa S. July 8, 2019
This was really good! I added red pepper flakes and 2 cloves of minced garlic to the spinach as it sauted. Delicious flavor, great alternative to basic mac and cheese.
inpatskitchen July 9, 2019
Thanks Alexa! I LOVE garlic and red pepper!
DeborahBetty February 3, 2017
Finally I found my perfect mac & cheese. After too many failed mac & cheese recipes I was delighted when I found this one. After making this a few times I decided to adjust my cheese, I used ⅔ medium cheddar and ⅓ sharp (using a quality block of cheese). It seems this is a winner for all those that have eaten it at my home. Recently instead of using spinach I used kale. While I did sauté the kale in a little onion/garlic, then added it to the sauce I found the flavor was amazing, a little more work than just tossing in spinach but well worth the added time in the kitchen. As a vegetarian this is now my go-to meal as it freezes well.
inpatskitchen February 3, 2017
Kale sounds perfect! Thanks so much!
AntoniaJames March 16, 2011
Mmmmm. Yum. I have some nice Dubliner on hand, as well as some perfectly gorgeous chard, which I plan to use in this within the next few days. My son who's home from college on spring break is going to love it. Great recipe!! ;o)
inpatskitchen March 16, 2011
Thanks AntoniaJames...I think the Dubliner and chard would be perfect I even think if my grandchildren could get past the green, they'd even love it since all five are pasta and cheese freaks!
