Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Aaron McCargo Jr.

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (20)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(20)

Cook Time:
30 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
6 servings

Times:

Prep: 10 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 30 min
Total:: 40 min

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Ingredients

1/2 pound whole-wheat rotini
4 tablespoons butter
1 to 2 tablespoons diced onions
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch ground black pepper
2 cups milk
1/2 cup grated Muenster
1/2 cup grated Cheddar
1/2 cup baby spinach
2 teaspoons oil, from marinated sun-dried tomatoes
8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (recommended: Panko)
1 tablespoon smoky paprika

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, add rotini and ook for 6 to 8 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add the onions. Add the flour and pepper and mix until mixture is pasty and forms a roux. Whisk milk into pan incorporating the roux. Bring to a simmer over low heat and allow to thicken; about 5 minutes. Once thickened, whisk in the cheeses. Add the pasta and mix until the pasta is well coated. Fold in spinach, sun-dried tomato oil, and sun-dried tomatoes.

In a small saucepan, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once melted, turn heat off and add bread crumbs and paprika. Mix well to combine.

Pour rotini into a casserole dish large enough to hold the pasta. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and place in oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until brown and bubbling.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese
Erika Oakland, CA 01-30-2010
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DELICIOUS!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I took the basic recipe, but put in my favorite extras from my Mom's recipe, from growing up. Instead of sun-dried tomatoes,... I put in diced canned tomatoes and tuna. I was fabulous. And a lot healthier than using Kraft Mac & cheese that my Mom used. Thanks, Aaron!Read more
recipe Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese
Wallace Concord, NC 01-03-2010
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Best Mac/ Cheese
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made this mac & cheese today and it was awesome . My family LOVED it.I also doubled each cheese in the recipe and only used... one cup of the bread crumbs.I also omitted the dried tomatoes because I do not care for them and it was still excellent.This could really be a meal all by itself.Thanks Aaron !!!!Read more
recipe Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese
Michelle Fairmount Heights, MD 12-18-2009
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Good Alternative to Regular Mac/Cheese
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

This recipe was easy to follow. I took advice from other reviews which helped a lot. Definitely, double the cheese... measurements and season each layer. I used half the amount of bread crumbs which seem to be sufficient, sauteed the spinach before using it and added some chopped turkey bacon for added flavor. I was pleasantly pleased with the outcome the the dish. Read more
recipe Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese
Michelle Scottsdale, AZ 11-02-2009
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Wow! Wow! Wow!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This turned out to be some of my best mac and cheese. The first time I made it I didn't have all the ingredients so it was... just mac and cheese. Let me tell you, there was nothing "just" about it! It was creamy and rich and I got 5 stars from all my family members! Thank you for a great recipe! Aaron, your recipes are homeruns with the family- keep up the good work!Read more
recipe Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese
Laurie Chewelah, WA 11-01-2009
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Great mac and cheese
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was great. I did double the cheese. I thought maybe it was an error in the recipe, (you meant 1 cup of each cheese)... Spinach in mac and chesse was very different but very good.Read more
recipe Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese
C Iowa City, IA 10-31-2009
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Delicious... but cut down on the bread crumbs!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

After reading some of the other reviews, I made a few changes to the recipe. I doubled the amount of cheese (which I really... recommend, I don't think it would have been cheesy enough if I hadn't) and I used frozen spinach instead of fresh baby spinach. The pasta itself turned out great, but the amount of bread crumbs was overwhelming. I would really recommend at least halving the amount of bread crumbs. I will make this again, but will omit the bread crumbs and probably add some more onion.Read more