Don’t be alarmed by how much kale you start with for this recipe. It will cook down quite a bit and pairs deliciously with the creamy pasta and shiitake mushrooms.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Inactive: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 large bunch of kale, stems discarded, roughly chopped (about 8 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 ounces sharp Cheddar, shredded (about 3 cups)
- 3 ounces Gruyere, shredded (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- 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.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 607 |
| Total Fat | 39 g |
| Saturated Fat | 18 g |
| Carbohydrates | 47 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Cholesterol | 92 mg |
| Sodium | 546 mg |
Reviews
I cut the recipe in half. Added turkey sausage and half cup chopped red bell peppers.Cheeses used were white velveeta and pepperjack, cause that’s what I had. It was delish!! Next time I will use white mushrooms or baby bellas instead. Cooked veggies in the dutch oven and used that also to bake it all in.
Mac and cheese with mushrooms! So delicious and easy. I used large elbow macaroni and the dish was so satisfyingly cheesy. Do not skip the panko topping! It adds great texture
Wow!
So I had some kale and Baby Bella mushrooms in the fridge that I wanted to find a recipe for… I searched and found this one and got really excited… Who doesn’t love mac and cheese, especially with veggies added to make it more nutritious!!?
Sadly I only had half a box of macaroni so I could only make a half batch. It was SO savory and delicious!!! Great textures too, so satisfying!
Next time I’d love to make this for a potluck and share the goodness!
I did have to make a few changes. I didn’t have Gruyere cheese so I used Montery Jack cheese in addition to the Cheddar. I didn’t have half and half so I used 2% milk and a little bit of flour added in to the sauce to help thicken it. I also subbed hot cherry pepper cream cheese for half of the cream cheese amount. (Gave it a little extra kick!) And I also threw in caramelized onions before baking it… I am almost drooling thinking about it again. Wish I had more leftover! Thanks for the recipe!!!
delicious