Mac and Cheese with Kale
This 20-minute stovetop Mac and Cheese with Kale is a healthy whole grain vegetarian dinner that the whole family will devour!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Mac and Cheese with Kale
I’ll admit, I am always the one to go for maximizing the crispy topping on a baked mac and cheese. But today I set out to make this healthy mac and cheese on the stovetop because I wanted it to be ready in no time at all for busy nights and busy families.
I also wanted to make sure it was extra good for you, so I grabbed a few handfuls of kale from the garden to give it some nutritious veggies. And guess what? It was so creamy and dreamy and comforting, no one even noticed it was good for them too.
Recipe Highlights
- Super easy to make and has a really simple ingredients list
- It’s ready in only 20 minutes
- It’s kid and family-friendly
Key Ingredients For This Kale Mac and Cheese
- Kosher Salt & Ground Black Pepper
- Whole-Wheat Pasta: Use any whole wheat pasta such as fusilli, rotini or macaroni.
- Kale: Regular curly Kale is perfect for this recipe. Lacinato kale also works.
- Unsalted Butter: You’ll need this for frying shallots and to make the roux for the cheese sauce.
- Shallot: I used shallot in the cheese sauce. It really boosted up the savory sauce and made it so much more flavorful.
- 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.
- Milk: 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. You can use regular fat milk as well.
- Sharp Cheddar: For the cheese, I added the cheesiest and sharpest cheddar I could find. Any cheddar will do though.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Salt and boil pasta water
First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil since bringing that to temp takes a long time. While it comes up to a boil, you’ll have enough time to prepare the remaining ingredients. Don’t underestimate the importance of salting the pasta water. This adds some much-needed flavor to the macaroni and takes the entire meal to the next level.
Step 2: Cook pasta and kale together
When the water boils, prepare the pasta according to the package instructions. To save an extra pot, you can cook the pasta and kale together. But since the pasta takes longer to cook than the kale, you’ll have to add the kale after the pasta has been cooking for a few minutes. Four minutes before the timer goes off, stir in the kale. That will give both the pasta and the kale the perfect amount of time in the boiling water. Drain the pasta and kale well.
Also, since this is a stovetop mac and cheese recipe, you’ll want to cook the pasta completely (unlike in a baked macaroni and cheese where you intentionally undercook the pasta because it will continue cooking in the oven).
Step 3: Make cheese sauce
Meanwhile, cook the shallots in butter. I only use two tablespoons of butter to keep the calories in check. I add in the shallot to boost the flavor of the cheese sauce. It works well with the kale. Then add in the flour and make a paste. You’ll just want to make sure the flour is dissolved into the butter so that it will mix with the milk more easily.
Next whisk in the milk, salt and pepper and bring it up to a simmer, while whisking. Take care to get any roux out of the corners of the saucepan! Simmer until the sauce is thick and the shallots have had a couple minutes to soften completely. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the cheese.
Step 4: Stir pasta and kale into cheese sauce
Once the sauce is cooked and the cheese is added you can add it to the pot with the kale and pasta. Stir until it is coated and creamy. Serve the Mac and Cheese with Kale hot.
FAQs and Expert Tips
To store mac and cheese, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. To reheat, use a microwave or stovetop with a splash of milk or cream to keep it from drying out.
Yes, mac and cheese can be frozen. Place it in an airtight container or wrap a container with plastic wrap and tin foil. Freeze it for up to a few months. Thaw in the refrigerator or in the microwave.
Experiment by adding more veggies. You could add peas, broccoli florets, cauliflower or even carrots to it if you’d like.
More Healthy Macaroni and Cheese Recipes To Try
- This Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese is ultra creamy and perfect for folks who don’t tolerate gluten.
- This Broccoli Macaroni and Cheese is an old favorite here.
- This Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, is a great fall variation.
- This everything but the kitchen sink version of macaroni and cheese has Edamame, Cauliflower and Peas in it!
At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
PrintMac and Cheese with Kale
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
Description
This 20-minute stovetop Mac and Cheese with Kale is a healthy whole grain vegetarian dinner that the whole family will devour!
Ingredients
- salt for pasta water plus 1/4 teaspoon, divided
- 3 1/2 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
- 1/4 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.
Notes
Storing Instructions: To store mac and cheese, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. To reheat, use a microwave or stovetop with a splash of milk or cream to keep it from drying out.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/4 cups
- Calories: 433
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 386 mg
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 20 g
Good recipe. A little frustrating that a standard box of pasta is not used. The recipe calls for 3 1/2 cups of uncooked pasta. Who the heck wants to measure out uncooked pasta?!? It would be easier if the cheese sauce recipe was an appropriate quantity to use for a standard box of pasta.
Love how you added some veggies to this classic dish! Perfect!
I love this mac and cheese! So hearty and it comes together in a snap, perfection!
I used spinach because that’s what we had in the house and it was delicious! I am definitely making this again!
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.
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 🙂
Easy peasy and tasty! I love simple and satisfying meal like this. Thanks for sharing, Katie.
You are so welcome and thanks so much for the compliment. Have a great day Angie!
Katie how did you know that I needed more mac and cheese in my life? This recipe looks ahhhhhhmazing and totally up my alley.
So glad to hear it. Thanks for visiting today my friend.
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.
I love kale, but y kids don’t exactly feel the same way; I bet in mac and cheese they would gobble it up
They do, it’s amazing but true!
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 🙂
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!
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. 🙂
Simple is the name of the game these days! When in doubt add kale! lol 🙂 Thanks for coming by today my friend.
I’m a sucker for mac and cheese so I love finding recipes that are healthy. I like the addition of the kale here
This is such a good one. We loved it! Glad you like it too Allie. Have a great day!
I love the addition of kale in this! i Also love that it’s made on the stovetop, it looks incredible!
Yeah, it really is so easy. Thanks so much Rachel. Have a great day!
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!
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!
🙂 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
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?
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.