Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese

Recipe courtesy Aaron McCargo Jr.

Show: Big Daddy's HouseEpisode: First Day of School

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (17)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(17)

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

Times:

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

Recipe Tools:

Select a Card Size

Add To My Recipe Box

Success

This recipe was added to your Folder_Name folder.

Do not show this message again

Add To My Recipe Box

Please sign in to add this recipe to your Recipe Box.

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.

Next Recipe

More recipes? Try these recommendations:

Similar Recipe

Wayne's Beef Macaroni and Cheese

Picture of Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese Recipe

Photo: Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese

Similar Recipes

Recipes Like This

All About…

Recipe Collections

Showing 1-10 of 27

View all 27 Comfort Food Collections

Comments & Reviews

recipe Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese
Michelle Scottsdale, AZ 11-02-2009
Flag

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
Flag

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
Flag

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
recipe Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese
J. Corona , NY 10-12-2009
Flag

Seconds, please!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I am so glad that I read the posted comments and reviews before attempting to make this recipe or I'm absolutely sure it... would have been a disaster. To improve the recipe, I used an entire box of whole wheat rotini. I used about two cups of spinach as veggies are big in my house. I did make sure to cook the spinach first by sauteeing in olive oil. I used 1 cup of each cheese instead of the 1/2 cup of each that the recipe called for. I also used sharp cheddar instead of regular cheddar as I love cheese. Before melting the cheeses into the milk mixture, I seasoned for flavor (salt and pepper) as recommended by another user and threw in some red pepper flakes for a bit of spice. I can see how this recipe would end up bland without this seasoning. Lastly, I sprinkled a bit more meunster and sharp cheddar on before adding the breadcrumbs. I made this for my parents and my mom couldn't get enough! It tasted even better the next day when I brought it to work for lunch. I'll definitely make this again but will need to season the milk mixture more and will use a little less breadcrumbs.Read more
recipe Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese
Amber Sunnyvale, CA 10-05-2009
Flag

Still trying to find the perfect mac & cheese...
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

...because this just wasn't it. After reading the comments, I more than doubled the cheeses, added more spinach than asked... for and also some ham, to add flavor that many people say is lacking. And still, it wasn't ooey gooey cheesey and the flavor just wasn't there. To make it edible, we added salt to our individual servings, but it still wound up straight in the garbage. I don't know what I would do to change this recipe. I guess I just wouldn't make it.Read more
recipe Whole-Wheat Rotini Mac and Cheese
TAMARA Raleigh, NC 10-05-2009
Flag

Good Mac and Cheese!
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

My daughter loves mac and cheese and I am always interested in trying new recipes. This one is a winner as it is a good... 'base' for any mac and cheese. Sundried Tomatoes are a little overwhelming in taste to me, so I subsituted diced fire-roasted tomatoes and drained them really well. I forget to pick up spinach so I left that out. Make sure you season the cheese sauce before adding to the pasta or it could be a bit bland. I added a pinch of nutmeg and some Italian seasoning. I used bread crumbs for the top seasoned with more Italian seasoning and pamesan cheese. It came out great! Can't wait to have leftovers for lunch today!Read more