Macaroni And Cheese With Kale Food

CREAMY BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH KALE AND MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until it is al dente, about 6 minutes. Strain, reserving 1 3/4 cups of the pasta water. Set aside.
• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms are lightly browned in spots and softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the kale, garlic and 1/2 cup of water, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan with the back of a wooden spoon. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine. Cook until the kale is wilted but still crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
• Carefully wipe out the saucepan (or give it a quick rinse if it is really dirty). Add the half-and-half and cayenne and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Whisk in the Cheddar and Gruyere until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Add the macaroni and reserved pasta water to the saucepan and stir to combine. (The mixture will look very loose, but the pasta will suck up a lot of the sauce as it bakes.) Gently fold in the reserved vegetables. Season to taste with additional salt if needed. Pour into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Toss the bread crumbs, remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and a large pinch of salt and pepper in a medium bowl and sprinkle evenly over the macaroni and cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are lightly browned and crispy, about 10 minutes.

KALE CAESAR MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Add the milk and macaroni to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to keep the macaroni from clumping. Lower to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the macaroni is tender and the milk has thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the kale and continue cooking until fully wilted, about 2 minutes.
• Lower the heat, add the Cheddar, mozzarella, cream cheese and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and stir until smooth, thick and creamy. Stir in the Creamy Parmesan Caesar Dressing. Remove from heat and top with the Parmesan, croutons and several grinds of black pepper. (The dish will thicken as it cools; thin it out with a little hot water if desired.)

MACARONI WITH KALE AND WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to directions, making sure to not overcook.
• Rip kale off its stem into bite-sized pieces. (Be sure not to use the stem, as it is quite bitter. I've tried cutting it, but it works better to rip it).
• Rinse kale in a large bowl of cold water and drain.
• Heat oil in a large skillet or stockpot (you will need a lid later).
• Add garlic and red pepper, cooking over med-high heat for about 2 minutes.
• Stir in kale and broth and cover pan, stirring occasionally, until kale is wilted but bright green and tender, about 7 minutes.
• Gently stir in salt, followed by beans, macaroni, and Parmesan. (Do not use canned parmesan, as it really will not taste right. Use the "real" grated parmesan!).

3 CHEESE AND KALE MACARONI

Steps:

• PASTA:.
• start water to boil, add salt and oil to prevent sticking.
• SAUCE:
• mix shredded cheese, cream cheese, and half & half in a bowl- set aside.
• sautee garlic and onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil until slightly browned.
• add kale, tomatoes and mushrooms.
• cover and cook for 6 minutes.
• add another tablespoon of oil.
• add cheese/half & half mixture.
• continually stir until well-melted.
• drain pasta, pour into glass baking dish.
• add sauce, stir until well-mixed.

BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH KALE AND GREAT NORTHERN BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
• Cook the milk with the bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. When small bubbles appear along the sides, about 5 minutes later, turn off the heat and let stand.
• In the salted water, cook the pasta al dente. Drain it, rinse it quickly to stop the cooking, and put it in a large bowl.
• Trim the stems from the kale. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add kale. Boil kale for one minute, remove, and set aside to cool. Squeeze excess water from kale and chop into edible pieces.
• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter; when it is foamy, add the flour and cook, stirring, until the mixture browns, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the milk and add about 1/4 cup of the milk to the hot flour mixture, stirring with a wire whisk all the while. As soon as the mixture becomes smooth, add a little more milk and continue to do so until all the milk is used up and the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the cheddar and stir.
• Pour the sauce over the noodles, toss in the Parmesan and kale, mix in the white beans, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Use the remaining 1 tablespoon butter to grease a 9 x 13-inch or similar-size baking pan and turn the pasta mixture into it. Top liberally with bread crumbs and bake until bubbling and the crumbs turn brown, about 15 minutes. Serve piping hot.