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Prep time
25 minutes
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Cook time
1 hour
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Serves
6
Author Notes
"Swap spinach out for any kind of exciting fresh or frozen greens, discarding any tough stalks. I also sometimes add breadcrumbs to the top for bonus crunch. Tasty!" Excerpted ULTIMATE VEG: Easy & Delicious Meals for Everyone by Jamie Oliver. Copyright © 2020 by Jamie Oliver. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by David Loftus. —Food52
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Ingredients
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1
large leek
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3
cloves of garlic
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14 ounces
broccolini
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3 tablespoons
unsalted butter
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1/2 bunch
fresh thyme (½ oz)
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2 tablespoons
all-purpose flour
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4 cups
reduced-fat (2%) milk
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1 pound
dried macaroni
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1 ounce
Parmesan cheese
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5 ounces
sharp cheddar cheese
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3 1/2 ounces
baby spinach
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1 3/4 ounces
flaked almonds
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Trim, halve and wash the leek and peel the garlic, then finely slice with the broccolini stalks, reserving the florets for later. Place the sliced
veg in a large casserole pan over a medium heat with the butter, then strip in the thyme leaves and cook for 15 minutes, or until softened, stirring regularly. Stir in the flour, followed slowly by the milk, then simmer for 10 minutes, or until thickened, stirring regularly. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then drain.
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Grate the Parmesan and most of the cheddar into the sauce, and mix well. Tip into a blender, add the spinach and whiz until smooth—you may need to work in batches. Season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper, then stir through the pasta and broccolini florets, loosening with a splash of milk, if needed. Transfer to a 14x10-inch baking dish, grate over the remaining cheddar and scatter over the almonds.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until beautifully golden and bubbling.
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