This twenty-minute stove-top macaroni and cheese is a healthy whole-grain vegetarian dinner that the whole family will devour!
I’ll admit, I am always the one to go for maximizing the crispy topping on a baked macaroni and cheese. When I pull a mac and cheese out of the oven, and let it cool on the stovetop, I will pick bits of crunchy noodle and topping off here and there surreptitiously while I put the finishing touches on the salad or whatever we’re having as a side dish. Hopefully nobody will notice! He he.
But lately, with the Maple publicity schedule, I haven’t had time to make dinner many nights, much less make recipes for dinner that spend time bubbling in the oven. I am sure we can all relate, sometimes, stove-top macaroni and cheese is the way to go. It is just so much faster!
I set out to make this macaroni and cheese on the stove-top and I wanted it to be ready licketeysplit. 
And I also wanted to make sure it was healthy, so I grabbed a few handfuls of kale from the garden to give it some nutritious veggies. I also used shallot in this recipe, which I don’t normally add to mac and cheese, but I thought it would go well with the kale. It really boosted up the savory sauce and made it so much more flavorful.
I didn’t want the sauce to be too watery, so I only used a cup of non-fat milk and thickened it with flour. The flour helps to stabilize the sauce so that the cheese has something to grab onto and becomes creamy as it melts into the sauce. And for the cheese I added in the cheesiest and sharpest cheddar I could find.
And guess what?? It was soo creamy and dreamy and comforting! It made me forget all about my overly busy schedule and my affinity for crunchy topping.
This 20-minute stove-top macaroni and cheese with kale is a healthy vegetarian dinner that the whole family will devour.
Ingredients
- salt for pasta water plus ¼ teaspoon, divided
- 3 ½ cups dry whole-wheat pasta, such as fusilli, rotini or macaroni
- 3 cups finely chopped kale
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 5 oz shredded sharp cheddar
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- When water boils, prepare pasta according to package instructions adding kale for the last 4 minutes of boiling. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring until the shallot is slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the shallot and stir to dissolve flour into the butter. Add milk, and whisk until all of the flour is incorporated into the milk. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and cook stirring often until sauce is thick and the shallot is tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in cheddar until smooth.
- Stir pasta and kale with the sauce in the pasta pot and serve hot.
More recipes you might like:
Cauliflower Pea and Edamame Macaroni and Cheese
Balsamic Kale with Cranberries
Twitter: dishofdailylife
on October 13, 2015 at 6:31 am
Your mac and cheese looks fabulous…perfect comfort food! I love the addition of shallots, and I often throw kale in to our meals…haven’t done it with mac & cheese, but I will now!
Michelle recently posted…Butternut Squash Red Enchilada Sauce
Try it. I always love it when my girls eat kale and it works so well in this recipe. I couldn’t believe how much of this my daughter ate. I thought she might pop!
Katie recently posted…maple apricot hermit cookies
Twitter: dishofdailylife
on October 13, 2015 at 8:54 am
🙂 My daughter’s favorite salad is a lemony kale quinoa salad that I make, and if I don’t make it every week she complains. She takes it for lunch pretty much every single day! Of course my son says it tastes like grass…which of course it does not…LOL
Michelle recently posted…Butternut Squash Red Enchilada Sauce
Okay I totally need that recipe! My older daughter loves salad and especially lemony ones. She would be so happy! Is it on your blog?
Katie recently posted…sharing my food photography tips at blog brulee 2015
Twitter: dishofdailylife
on October 13, 2015 at 9:01 am
It is! It should come right up in the recipe index if you type in lemony kale quinoa salad. It is really good and very easy. I make a big batch and it lasts all week, with the dressing on. The kale holds it very well.
Michelle recently posted…Butternut Squash Red Enchilada Sauce
Twitter: athleticavocado
on October 13, 2015 at 7:07 am
I love the addition of kale in this! i Also love that it’s made on the stovetop, it looks incredible!
rachel recently posted…Skillet Apple Cinnamon Bread Pudding {can be GF, Vegan + Paleo}
Yeah, it really is so easy. Thanks so much Rachel. Have a great day!
Katie recently posted…spice roasted delicata squash with port reduction {4 ingredients}
I’m a sucker for mac and cheese so I love finding recipes that are healthy. I like the addition of the kale here
Allie recently posted…Creamy Mediterranean Pasta
This is such a good one. We loved it! Glad you like it too Allie. Have a great day!
Katie recently posted…slow cooker white bean stew with chicken and ham
Twitter: AHLFM
on October 13, 2015 at 7:36 am
What a simple and delicious recipe. Love that you used whole wheat pasta and added in Kale. That has been my new trick of late, toss in some kale. 🙂
Amy Stafford recently posted…Stuffed Baked Steak
Simple is the name of the game these days! When in doubt add kale! lol 🙂 Thanks for coming by today my friend.
Katie recently posted…maple caramelized apple stuffed french toast~exclusive recipe for maple cookbook pre-orders
That’s my kind of recipe. So easy, comforting, and nutritious. Can’t wait to make it for my vegetarian hubby (and me)! BTW, I got your book and am digging into it this week … and I met your friend Amy up at Proctor Academy this weekend. Her son lives across the hall from my son. Small world 🙂
Liz – Meal Makeover Mom recently posted…Add Good Nutrition to After-School Snacks with a Recipe for Super Strawberry Yogurt Pops
Hi Liz, glad the book arrived. And that you like this Mac and Cheese. Email me some times we can do the interview for the podcast. I haven’t forgotten about you. I saw Amy yesterday and she mentioned the funny coincidence. What a hoot!
Katie recently posted…seven minute maple frosting {paleo}
I love kale, but y kids don’t exactly feel the same way; I bet in mac and cheese they would gobble it up
heather recently posted…gingerbread “not” a latte and not com’s
They do, it’s amazing but true!
Katie recently posted…maple caramelized apple stuffed french toast~exclusive recipe for maple cookbook pre-orders
I love that you added kale to your mac and cheese! Oh and that’s it’s all in one pot on the stove. With two little ones pulling at my legs while I cook the faster [and healthier] a meal is the better!
Sometimes you gotta forgo the crusty bits to just get dinner on the table. In this case though, it is an unexpectedly creamy delicious boon. Ha ha. And I remember those days of the pant leg. Now I know they are only to be replaced by other mommy-atention-getting-dramas, so in other words, keep bringing on the fast and healthy dinners.
Katie recently posted…chicken coconut curry
Twitter: nutmegnanny
on October 14, 2015 at 1:40 pm
Katie how did you know that I needed more mac and cheese in my life? This recipe looks ahhhhhhmazing and totally up my alley.
Nutmeg Nanny recently posted…Tangy Apple Slaw Corned Beef Reuben
So glad to hear it. Thanks for visiting today my friend.
Katie recently posted…chicken coconut curry
Easy peasy and tasty! I love simple and satisfying meal like this. Thanks for sharing, Katie.
Angie recently posted…Fig and Coconut Tart with Pistachios and Mint
You are so welcome and thanks so much for the compliment. Have a great day Angie!
Katie recently posted…sharing my food photography tips at blog brulee 2015
Twitter: shelikesfood
on October 22, 2015 at 9:30 pm
I like the crispy bits on the top of the mac n cheese too, but quick mac n cheese that can be made on the stovetop kinda makes up for that! I alway seem to have a bunch of kale laying around so I love finding new ways to use it! This looks delicious 🙂
Izzy recently posted…Curried Cauliflower & Potato Soup with Crispy Chickpeas
Was it white cheddar? Because the noodles don’t have the yellow color of a sharp cheddar that one normally gets for mac & cheese.
Yes, you guessed it! Where I live, white cheddar is much more common than yellow.
Katie recently posted…yogurt curry chicken thighs