I bought a little jar of pesto recently and have been having fun finding ways to add it to everyday recipes. Yesterday I noticed a half bag of macaroni that had been sitting in my pantry for a few months and I just knew it was begging for the pesto treatment. So, I whipped up a quick béchamel sauce, stirred in some grated Parmesan, and a good dollop of pesto. I poured the luxurious sauce over my cooked macaroni then added couple handfuls of thawed frozen spinach (because I’m all about balance), and had myself the most delicious and creamy pesto mac and cheese.
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What Kind of Pesto is Best?
I used a simple basil pesto, but the wonderful thing about this recipe is that it is very flexible. You could do a homemade Kale Pesto, you could do a sun-dried tomato pesto, or practically any flavor pesto that you’d like.
How to Use Leftover Pesto
Pesto is definitely an expensive ingredient, but it’s so potent that you really don’t need a lot to add big flavor to your recipes. The little jar I bought contains about 3/4 cup pesto and costs $3.99. I usually only use about ¼ cup at a time in a recipe, so there is always some leftover. Here are some other recipes that use pesto:
If you can’t find uses for your leftovers immediately, pesto can be frozen. A lot of people like to spoon it into ice cube trays so they can grab a couple tablespoons at a time to toss into recipes like pasta, salad dressings, and other sauces.
What Else Can I Add to Pesto Mac and Cheese?
You can really take this recipe so many different directions! Try adding a handful of sun dried tomatoes, or maybe some chopped up rotisserie chicken. Or try topping it with some crumbled feta, bacon bits, or some buttered breadcrumbs!
Also be sure to check out my extra cheesy classic Homemade Mac and Cheese recipe!
Creamy Pesto Mac and Cheese with Spinach
Servings 6 (1 cup each)Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked macaroni ($0.50)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.22)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 2 cups whole milk ($0.60)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan ($0.53)
- 1/4 cup basil pesto ($0.55)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.03)
- 1/2 lb. frozen spinach ($0.80)
Instructions
- Thaw the spinach at room temperature or in the microwave. Squeeze out the excess water. Set the spinach aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the macaroni. Boil for 7-10 minutes, or until tender. Drain the macaroni in a colander.
- While the pasta is boiling, prepare the sauce. Add the butter and flour to a small sauce pot. Heat and stir the butter and flour over medium heat until it forms a creamy paste and begins to bubble. Continue to stir and cook for about one minute more.
- Whisk the milk into the butter and flour, then allow it to come up to a simmer, while whisking. When it reaches a simmer, the sauce will thicken. Remove the sauce from the heat.
- Whisk the Parmesan and pesto into the sauce until smooth. This will further thicken the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Make sure the sauce is well seasoned as the flavors will be less concentrated once the pasta and spinach are stirred in.
- Return the cooked and drained pasta to the large pot (heat turned off) and add the thawed spinach. Pour the sauce over top, then stir until everything is combined and coated in sauce. Serve immediately.
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Equipment
- Whisk
- Measuring Cups Spoons
- Liquid Measuring Cup
Nutrition
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More Mac and Cheese Recipes:
How to Make Pesto Mac and Cheese – Step by Step Photos
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the macaroni. Once boiling, add two cups of macaroni and continue to boil until tender but not mushy. Drain the pasta in a colander.
While the macaroni is boiling, thaw 1/2 lb. spinach and then squeeze out some of the excess water. It doesn’t have to be bone-dry, just make sure it’s not sopping wet.
Place 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp flour into a small sauce pot. Heat them over a medium flame while whisking. Once bubbling, continue to stir and cook for about a minute. This mixture is called a roux (this is a blonde roux, in particular) and is used to thicken the sauce. Cooking it for a minute or so slightly toasts the flour so that you don’t have that raw paste-like flavor to your sauce.
Whisk in two cups of whole milk. Let the mixture come to a simmer, whisking occasionally to make sure the milk doesn’t scorch on the bottom.
Once the milk starts simmering, that’s when the roux magic happens. The milk will thicken slightly. It won’t be as thick as a cheese sauce at this point, but it should have noticeably more body. Turn the heat off.
Whisk in 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. The cheese will help thicken the sauce even more.
Then whisk in 1/4 cup basil pesto.
Finally, season the sauce with salt and freshly cracked pepper. You want the sauce to be pretty heavily seasoned because it will taste less concentrated once the pasta and spinach are stirred in. I used 1/2 tsp salt and about 5-10 cranks of a pepper mill.
Return the cooked and drained pasta to the large pot it was cooked in, add the thawed and squeezed spinach, then pour the creamy sauce over top.
Then stir all that creamy pesto goodness together. Oh my.
I’ll just say it one more time, then leave it there… Creamy Pesto Mac and Cheese with Spinach–OH MY.
Delicious. I doubled recipe, and also increased pasta to sauce ratio. Other personal touches i made to this recipe is to add sautéed onions, garlic and bacon bits. I didn’t have frozen spinach, so in place used finely cut up fresh spinach.
I made this ahead of time for a Christmas dinner party tomorrow. I put it all in a greased casserole dish to be warmed in the oven just before serving. Very tasty!!
This is a go-to recipe for me. I’ve made it for myself, for vegetarian friends I cook for, to bring to friends on bedrest…I’m a big fan. :)
I love so many Budget Bytes recipes, including other spinach pasta recipes, but this one was a dud for me. Followed the recipe exactly, other than to increase the frozen spinach to a full 10 oz box (squeezed really dry) and use shells instead of macaroni. There was way too much sauce for the pasta and it was REALLY thin and watery. I do know how to make a roux / white sauce, I’m wondering if there was just too much water in the drained pasta?
That isn’t a typical problem we have with this recipe, so my guess is that the extra spinach was maybe still holding on to some liquid or, more likely, the shells were holding water inside them. I do find that shells tend to hold on to more liquid when drained.
I make this all the time! One of my favourite meals. I’ve made my own modifications by sautéing some garlic with the butter as well as adding onion powder and it makes a world of difference omg
Just tried this! As a college student I love looking for easy, cheep, heathy meals and this definitely fit the bill!
Elevated mac and cheese… so good and so easy!
This was great! I only had fresh baby spinach, so I chopped it and added it during the last 3 minutes of the pasta’s cooking process. I also added more pesto (Costco’s is so good) and Parmesan. The whole family enjoyed it. Thanks for the recipe!
I made this successfully with almond milk, just had to simmer a few extra minutes after adding all the ingredients to get it to my desired thickness. Paired awesome with baked sweet potatoes.
Made this last week for my kids and me to eat throughout the week for lunch. We all really enjoyed it except for my daughter who didn’t’ care for the frozen chopped spinach (she eats fresh spinach no problem). I do agree that frozen spinach can be a little bitter, so next time I would probably chop and cook some fresh spinach instead of using the frozen. Otherwise, I wouldn’t change a thing. Delicious!
This was yummy when hot out of the pot, some of my adult family members liked it and some didn’t, but I was a fan. It doesn’t taste to me like mac and cheese, but more like Alfredo with a pesto flavor? The leftovers are so-so, as the sauce texture changes, so try to finish it when fresh if possible. I would make it again when craving creamy pasta, but not specifically a macaroni and cheese.
So far, no recipe from this site has failed to be consumed. I might add more pesto next time just because I love it’s flavor, or maybe some white cheddar but it was good. We will be making this again.
Tasted delicious! I accidentally forgot to add milk until after the cheese and pesto, but still worked. I also added some seasoned ground beef to the sauce.
This is my all-time favorite Budget Bytes recipe. I always make it when I have milk to use up before it goes bad.
Beth, this is SO good! I’m making it for the second time this week. I did add a minced clove of garlic to the roux to fit my taste. I had some leftover roasted cherry tomatoes that were amazing mixed in! I am curious if you’ve made this with any other cheeses? I’ve been on a white cheddar and pesto kick after a certain grilled cheese won my heart.
Hi Marissa! White cheddar sound like a great sub! XOXO -Monti
I love this recipe and have made it at least four times. I find it goes very well with Barilla’s chickpea rotini—the pasta is slightly chewier than pasta made with wheat, and the sauce is hearty enough to stand up to it.
Sorry, Beth, this one ain’t it for me!
I guess I’ve never eaten pesto without another acidic flavor accompanying it, like tomatoes. This pasta dish is really missing something, and the pesto gives it a really earthy flavor that is not pleasant, since there’s no acidity to balance it. I would also hesitate to call it mac and cheese, as there is only really 1/2 cup of cheese in the whole recipe, and that flavor doesn’t really come through here.
I was not terrible but it wasn’t good either–we didn’t bother keeping the leftovers.
Throw in some chopped onion and garlic you cooked on the side, and most importantly, throw some nutmeg powder into the sauce… and you’re eating good.
To be honest the recipe in itself is not really good. Don’t get me wrong it’s not bad but not great either. It missed something sweat so I tried adding tomatoes, didn’t really work. But when I added 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in it… Wow, this recipe got so much better! You guys need to try it out.
Can you use fresh spinach?
Sure! I would probably just chop it slightly and sauté in a skillet first until wilted.
I made this as a quick thing to eat one night when dinner fell through, and I was trying to make things work with what I had and still feel like that I was giving my kids some sort of veggie. I subbed pepper jack for the parmesan and egg noodles for the macaroni. I was going to put bacon on it, but I forgot to cook it. Anyway, it still turned out really good, and the kids ate it up. I halved the recipe, and it was perfect for me and my 10 and 12 year old.. It was missing a bit of flavor kick that I think the bacon or parmesan would have added. I will definitely be making again.
It will seem like a lot of sauce at first but keep stirring everything together for a couple minutes and it will even out. I use pesto from Dollar Tree and it tastes the same as Aldi’s. We added crumbled bacon on top. So good, like something from a restaurant. 🤤 We got 4 entree sized servings.
This turned out wonderful and I ended up with 3 large entrees! It’s definitely going to go on the list of things to bring to parties and cookouts!
Made this today, and it was really good!
I got a lot of sauce compared to the amount of pasta. So I cooked almost 2 cups more pasta, which made the sauce-to-pasta ratio more to my liking (I used fusilli pasta.) With that amount of pasta this made enough to serve two grown-ups and two children.
Even the kids who normally aren’t very big fans of “the green stuff” loved this! Thanks for the recipe.
This tastes just as one would expect. Yum.
How is this so good? I visit your site often, but this was my first time seeing this recipe. The sauce was PERFECT, and making it was really quite simple. There was even zero chopping involved. The only thing I was unsure about was adding thawed spinach. I have always heard that frozen vegetables shouldn’t be thawed, and my spinach package had a note that it should be cooked to 165 degrees for food safety. So I quickly cooked the spinach in a pan on the stove, which worked well.
Today must be creamy pesto mac with spinach day! Tried this for dinner and I think it has replaced my love for a good homemade alfredo. The sauce is exquisite! I love sneaking in veggies for my hubby and toddler and a recipe like this is perfect for that. The suggestion of bacon bits on top was perfect. A decadent dinner I’ll be returning to again and again!
Terrific! Halved the recipe so I ended up with two hearty servings (1 cup of Mac and cheese was not gonna cut it), used fusilli instead of macaroni and I steamed and cooled/drained some baby spinach instead of using frozen. Amazingly easy and a great way to use that open jar of pesto. Looking forward to making this again!
This is an incredible comfort meal! I’ll as a rule fry some chicken to present with it. I love the way simple this formula is, yet it likewise tastes incredible. It additionally keeps well, so I’ll make an entire group, and afterward eat for a couple of days. I normally grind my Parmesan on a microplane, and the new Parmesan, while more costly truly hoists the entire dish.
I had some pesto hanging out in the fridge, so I made this last night. It was delicious, as are all of your recipes!
In his bachelor days, my husband loved those packets of dried “pesto” sauce that you whisk with water and oil on the stovetop to create a creamy pesto sauce for pasta. He loves all things highly processed and shelf stable, bless his heart.
I banned them from the pantry after we got married: they just taste like chemicals to me. Cannot wait to surprise him with this meal, he will be happy and so will I!!
This looks good 😋. I add pesto to my spinach mixture when I make spinach lasagne roll ups or stuffed shells. It really takes them over the top.
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe.
Great recipe! I used fresh spinach and heavy cream since that’s what I happened to have in the fridge and it came out great. If using fresh spinach tho, I would probably cut it smaller in the future but otherwise great, easy recipe! I loved that it was so simple and I could sub what I had and it still came out great
This is a great comfort meal! I’ll usually fry some chicken to serve with it. I love how easy this recipe is, but it also tastes great. It also keeps well, so I’ll make a whole batch, and then have lunch for a few days. I usually grate my Parmesan on a microplane, and the fresh Parmesan, while more expensive really elevates the whole dish.
Can you bake this?
Sure! I don’t see why not. :) I’m usually too eager to eat to bake my mac and cheese after it’s done on the stove top, but if you have the will power, I say go for it. :P
I used banza chickpea elbows and everything turned out great, except my fresh baby spinach had a weird bitter flavor. Any tips?
Made this last night. We had some fresh spinach that was needing to be used up so we used that instead. Didn’t have milk, but had some whipping cream and some almond milk so those combined. Came out perfect and delicious. Thanks! I love when I can adapt a recipe a bit to use things I already have at home and it still works. :)
Delicious!
I used fresh spinach, 4 cups of cooked rotini instead of macaroni, and added 2 cans of tuna for protein.
Delicious!!! I doubled the sauce and added tuna…comfort food with a twist, for sure!
Is there an alternative to the whole milk? Something non-dairy?
Thanks!
I haven’t tried any non-dairy substitutes with this one so I can’t say for sure, but I suspect they wouldn’t be creamy enough.
Maybe plain oat milk or soy milk will be the creamier of plant milks. Canned coconut milk could work but it would have a stronger flavor.
Cashew milk might be a good option, I find it has nice creaminess to it.
This is seriously sooo good! I made tonight, and my whole family enjoyed it! I had fresh spinach, so I used that in place of the frozen, but no other alterations. Really creamy with lots of flavor from the pesto. Will make this again for sure!
WOW!!! I just made this tonight and it was amazing. Beth, I don’t know where you come up with these ideas and how you know what ingredients to use to make these recipes so tasty, but you are an amazing cook. Or should I say, chef? Everything I’ve had from your site is so good. You seem to have taste buds in your finger tips. I added mushrooms to the recipe and replaced the full fat milk with 2% milk. I keep forgetting what a thickener the cheese is. It was so good. I also had some leftover chicken and threw that in as well. I wonder what it would taste like with tuna. Can’t wait to try another one of your dishes. I’m still savoring the flavor of this meal as I sit here and write this. I also reduced the quantity a bit from the original increments as there’s only 2 in my our household. Great week night meal.
Hi There
Just curious. How much will 1/2 a pound (8 oz) of frozen spinach yield after being defrosted? I ask because I already defrosted my spinach before weighing it.
Maybe about a cup after being thawed and squeezed of the extra water.
Absolutely delicious. I had some extra shrimp in my freezer so I sauteed them in bacon grease and olive oil with some salt. Wonderful additions to a really flavorful pasta!
Super delicious! And quite easy. I feel whenever I make macaroni and cheese at home I use a ton of cheese and I’m still disappointed, but this one was perfect and only had 1/2 a cup! Added some chopped cherry tomatoes on top as well because why not!
So, something interesting happened while I was making this.
I’m allergic to tree nuts, so I usually make my own nut-free pesto. I like to amp up the garlic and lemon juice too, so it’s usually pretty potent.
I was starting to prepare the sauce when I opened the fridge and discovered: no milk. I tried to quickly recover with some half and half only to take a whiff and discover it had gone rancid. That left me with two choices: soymilk, and almond milk. The almond milk would’ve killed me so that was a no. The soymilk would’ve been perfectly fine…if it weren’t vanilla flavored.
I was out of options. My car recently broke down, so going to the store wasn’t an option. So I said “what the heck” and went ahead and dumped two cups of Kirkland Vanilla Soymilk into the pot.
At first it was the most utterly bizarre thing I had ever tasted. But then as things started to come together, the vanilla got less offensive. Finally I got to the point of adding the pesto and decided to throw in extra cheese and pepper to try and mask the taste and…it turned out pretty good. There was the occasional odd bite full of vanilla flavoring, but for the most part, not bad at all.
Probably wouldn’t try it again though.
Hahah, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found myself in a similar situation. Sometimes those last minute emergency substitutions can lead to amazing flavor discoveries! …and sometimes not. :D
Hello I just made this tonight! I was wondering how what the nutrition data for this dish is? in particular calories, protein and fatt? This is delicious!
I’m sorry, but I don’t have a reliable source for nutrition information for the recipes.
I doubled this recipe to get 12 servings (that’s right, 4 cups of milk required–i used 2%). I used fresh spinach cooked quickly in a pan with a little olive oil. I also added some fresh mushrooms (also cooked in skillet) and we had a rotisserie chicken that I tore into small pieces and stirred in as well. The sauce covered everything no problem. Delicious meal! Thanks for a great recipe!
So I just made this sauce with Almond milk instead of whole milk and I just got it say tastes amazing Thanks!!! This is a great recipe for a little money and I bought enough ingredients I can make it again at another time. I wouldn’t mind adding some carmelized onions, garlic, and mushrooms to it.
I’m just about to make this but have been reading the reviews on the amount of sauce. Could it be frozen if we can’t eat it all within a reasonable time?
Creamy sauces often don’t freeze well, unfortunately. But I haven’t tried freezing this particular sauce.
Excellent Recipe! Who would of thought spinach and pesto would make the ultimate Mac and Cheese! So thank you very much for posting this recipe. I made some changes of my own. I used Fresh Spinach, Fresh Shredded Parmesan, and made Homemade Pesto (store has a lot of sodium in it) served it with grilled Pork Chops! My husband kept going for more. Even said, He would want this over Normal Mac and Cheese.
I tried this tonight and although it had a good flavor it was way too soupy! I didn’t even use all the sauce. Surely 2c milk is a typo?! I can’t imagine using more than 1.5c.
just finished making. Wow Delicious. Definitely a keeper. Love your Website !
Really enjoyed this! I used 1 1/2 c of whole wheat pasta per suggestions from other commenters. I also added chicken. I think the sauce to solid ration would have been perfect if I did one or the other (extra 1/2 c pasta -OR- chicken).
Excellent recipe! Thank you.
On the pin I saved, it says 4 cups pesto for $1!!!! I was like…. where on earth is she buying her pesto?!? 😂. The recipe on your site was right though. I can’t wait to try this on my kids.
Yeah, unfortunately Pinterest auto-pulls ingredient information and for some reason it always messes up the numbers on mine! I’ve reached out to them for help, but haven’t gotten any solutions. :(
I was really nervous to make the bechamel but it turned out just great! Thank you for giving me the confidence to try new recipes. This mac’n’cheese is absolutely AWESOME!!!:-):-):-)
Hi – this sounds delicious! Wondering if you (or any readers) have ever made the bechamel with 2% milk. That’s what we usually buy and have on hand. I’m guessing it might make the sauce less thick and creamy, or it might have no effect at all. I’d love to benefit from someone else’s experience on this. :)
I did this and it just needed to simmer a bit longer before thickening :)
It just makes it a little less rich. :)
Delish! Didn’t have spinach on hand, so I left it out, and added some leftover roasted chicken. Very easy and so good. Leftovers heated well too. Next time will definitely try it with the spinach.
Awesome! I used to be scared of béchamels, but you’ve made it very easy. I just made this in about 15 minutes, even though I didn’t have pesto on hand. I just bought a basil plant, so since I wanted this super quick, I just cut up some leaves and threw them in and used garlic salt to season. I’m sure the pesto gives it even more depth of flavor, but it was still great! Looking forward to making it with pesto when I have some (or take a few minutes to make it!).
Can’t wait to make this! Does anyone know if it will be alright to use fresh spinach instead of frozen? I have some left over and need to figure out what to do with it. Thanks!
Yes, you sure can. I would just sauté it down first in a skillet until it’s wilted like frozen spinach so that it will stir into the sauce easily.
Oh my gosh, my family LOVED this dish. I added canned salmon, which was a great addition. My 16 month old son chowed it down!!
Hi, I just made this a few minutes ago and my boyfriend and I really like it. We’d like to add more vegetables in if we can figure out which ones would be good with this lol
Oh and the basil pesto I got from the store here is way darker so my pasta are a lot more dark green than what your pictures show but it’s very good anyway =)
Thank you for all the recipes on a budget, it helps us a lot :D
I’m battling a painful, stupid abscessed tooth. I hardly want to chew, and I’m sick of coming up with my own dinner ideas. This fit the bill of soft, comfort-food-ish dinner that I didn’t have to think of myself. I cheated and got a jar of Barilla pesto. My grandma is turning over in her grave as type this, but it’s surprisingly un-terrible for a jarred pesto. Next time when I’m feeling better, I’ll still make my own.
Might need some garlic, but I’m doubting that’ll be necessary with “real” pesto.
If you can afford it, get REAL Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese. It’s a bit pricier than the powdery junk, but it actually tastes like something. A little goes a long way.
I bet some sautéed hot Italian sausage would be great on this.
Overall, huge hit with my current sample size of one. When the boyfriend gets home, I’ll force-feed him some. He’ll love it, too.
For the people who have made this and think it’s bland, something went awry. If you use the right ingredients and follow directions, it’ll be delicious.
Thanks, Beth, for an awesome new option!
To honest, it came out very bland and watery. I should have added another cup of pasta but I didn’t think it would be that bad. I made this for a quick dinner with the kids but we just ended up tossing it and buying takeout. I don’t know what happened.
hey! i really wanna try this recipe out, and i will, but i am vegan. however i do got great stuff to substitute everything but the cheesy part. could i use anything else to ”thicken” the sauce? more flour? what do you think? thanks!
Hmm, I don’t have any vegan ideas for this one. More flour will most likely just make it taste very pasty.
Nutritional yeast! Or ground cashews and some nooch. Or ground sunflower seeds and some nooch.
I was vegan a long time. I’m not anymore, but I still love and eat all of my vegan substitutes on stuff. The things I mentioned will be great.
I got shredded cheese instead of the shaky cheese. Will the lack of sawdust (powdered cellulose) affect the thickness of the cheese sauce?
No, I think it will still work fine. :)
You’re right! It turned out delicious, even without the extra insoluble dietary fiber.
No need to be unnecessarily rude because you don’t like a particular food item.
We made this tonight and it was super good. Fast, easy and good!
Looks delicious! Pesto is so easy to make…cuts the cost down a good bit, too. I definitely freeze it and then pop it out of the ice cube trays as I need it, as you describe.
You should consider making your own pesto since it is mind-numbingly easy and sooo inexpensive. We plant basil in spring and then get at least two harvests of basil to make pesto through the growing season, plus enough for gleaning random leaves for pasta dishes, bruschetta, caprese salad, etc. Take your washed and dried basil leaves, cram them into a food processor with some toasted nuts (cashews, walnuts, pine nuts) some Parmesan cheese, salt, and stream in enough olive oil to make it the right consistency. Pesto accomplished!
Absolutely! Homemade pesto is the bomb! Sometimes I’ll make spanakopita, which is kind of like Greek pesto-using spinach and dill or basil. Use it-or regular pesto, on Provolone grilled cheese sandwiches. Mmmm
First béchamel is just white sauce – a roux and milk. Don’t be put off. Simple and fast.
Second we are approaching the time of year when in most of the US we can grow our own basil – in gardens, on stoops, on balconies, and even on window sills. Make your own pesto and it is really budget friendly. That’s why it is so common in peasant Italian food. Cheap.
Basil is expensive in my area, so I would purchase a jar of pesto. Sometimes, you have to do what you think is best.
This was delicious! It makes a lot of sauce though. I ended up boiling extra noodles. Next time I’ll use 12 oz of pasta and maybe the whole box. We also added some garlic and a pinch of nutmeg. Thanks for another winner!!
This is perfect!! We just received pesto and spinach in our hungry harvest box. Thank you! :)
Delicious! This recipe is a winner!
I substituted 8oz. Of rotini for the macaroni and I loved how the spirals picked up the sauce and spinach.
One tip: make sure you’re using a pesto that you really like for this recipe as it’s the main favoring agent. I used a very garlicky pesto and it almost overpowered the dish.
I love this! The flavors were so perfect. I used Parmesan and whole leaf frozen spinach, that wound up clumping too much so next time I’ll used chopped frozen spinach. My boyfriend said that he liked it… I smiled and told him that he is one step closer to liking macaroni and cheese. He claims to dislike cheese, but I keep telling him that he probably just doesn’t like it by itself.
My four year old nephew came over for a sleepover tonight and as it is St. Patrick’s Day, I wanted to have something green for dinner. Made this and we both loved it! Will definitely be adding this to the rotation. Thanks!
Once upon a time I had a sandwich (probably on a crusty roll) of vegetables that had been sauteed in pesto (it has enough oil). I haven’t ever recreated it, but very much want to. Just a suggestion for using pesto.
YUM!
This was the first recipe I’ve followed off of Budget Bytes, and the first time I’ve ever made a roux. It was a complete success, to my surprise! The directions were very easy to follow, and the measurements made the most perfect mac ever. Thanks for sharing!!!
Amazing Dish! I’ve made it twice now, once for my family for dinner and another for dinner with friends. They both loved it! I’ll be keeping this one in my pocket for a long time. Thanks :)
This was yummy! My only suggestion is to make a bit more pasta than 2 cups. I did use whole wheat rotini, though, so maybe that was the difference. Either way, I think 3 cups of pasta would have made this a bit less soupy!
I made this tonight and thought it was delicious. I was tentative that my 3 YO would reject the green as he’s getting pickier by the day, but instead he asked for thirds. I count this as a huge win. The only thing I might add to is a touch of garlic, but only because I love garlic.
My mom makes a “poor man’s” pesto with parsley, walnuts/pecans, parmesan, and olive oil. It’s delicious and MUCH less expensive than the basil variety (homemade or store bought). I can get the actual proportions of her recipe, if you’re interested.
Also, do you know if there is a good substitute for whole milk in a recipe like this for those of us who are lactose intolerant? I can eat a little bit of milk/cream/cheese, but the amounts in this recipe would put me over my limit. :(
Thanks!
You can substitute almond milk or soy milk for the whole milk.
You can, but it definitely won’t be as creamy. :(
Oooh yes, I love making parsley pesto! I have a few recipes on here that utilize parsley in that way. I haven’t experimented much with milk alternatives for bechamel sauces, though, so I can’t give good advice there. :(
Cashew milk is SO creamy!
Really delicious! I used homemade pesto (in the freezer from last summer’s basil), and also sauteed a finely minced clove of garlic in the butter before adding the flour. Substituted fresh spinach that was on hand. Also increased the amount of Parmesan as we are cheese freaks… Very creamy. Next time I think I could use 2 1/2 cups of uncooked macaroni for the same amount of sauce. I also mixed sauteed mushrooms into my serving. So good. My son loved it (no mushrooms for him) and used a rubber scraper to get every last drop.
There is an Instagram account called “healthy fitness meals”‘that is using your photos. This recipe and another pasta recipe with sun dried tomatoes have been featured on it in the last week or so. I thought you should know.
Thank you. :(
This looks easy and delcious! I’ve never cooked with pesto before, mostly because it’s so expensive. But I’ve always wanted to. You’ve convinced me to buy some next time I’m at the store. Definitely pinning this one. Thanks!
I live in Alaska, and we use pesto on a gluten-free pizza crust to make salmon pizza with leftover grilled sockeye. :)
This looks amazing. The addition of pesto and spinach takes it over the top….makes it seem healthy! lol! Pinned. Thanks for sharing.
This looks SO good! Can’t wait to try!
I made a variation of your tofu/broccoli dish (posted last week) last night and it was wonderful! Since we live only about an hour apart from each other, may I humbly suggest that you get a package of basil seeds and start sprouting them now in the house. By the time the soil warms up, they will be ready to set out and you can make pesto for much less than the sticker price of pre made pesto (you do still need to buy the pricey pine nuts but it still saves a ton). I freeze it in tiny canning jars and we get summer pesto all winter long. I grow it in my tiny NOLA yard (basil does not take up much space) but it is a plant that also does well in big pots on a patio or balcony. I will thaw a jar next week and try this recipe – it sounds delicious!
Yum!!! Mac and cheese is my favourite food, I love that you added spinach and pesto to it!
Yummmmm . This looks amazing and I love the spinach in this creamy , decadent dish!
Awesome i buy it! Delicious ;)
This looks amazing Beth! Would reduced fat or unsweetened almond milk work instead of whole milk? Thank you!
It probably will not be nearly as creamy, unfortunately. :(
What brand of pesto did you use??
It’s 365 brand from Whole Foods.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!! :-)
Thank you for this recipe! I was looking for something to make that would have leftovers for lunch for the rest of the week. I jazzed it up with a shallot, some cayenne pepper and a can of tuna. It is delicious!
Oh I love when I have everything in my pantry :) and pesto anything sign me up for!
yum!! cannot wait to try this. could I use fresh spinach? when would I add it?
You’ll probably want to sauté the spinach for a minute or two in a skillet to wilt it down first, then add it at the same time that I added the thawed frozen spinach.
When my mom makes macaroni and cheese, she puts whole fresh spinach leaves in the pasta strainer, then strains the pasta over the spinach. The heat from the pasta and water is enough to wilt the spinach. Then just mix the pasta, spinach, and sauce together in the pasta pot. Hooray for fewer dirty dishes!
That’s a great tip! Thanks!
My favorite use for leftover pesto is to swirl a little into some homemade tomato soup! I can’t wait to get home (traveling this week) and make this recipe – spinach, cheese and pesto – mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I make pesto out of a lot of different veg. I have used parsley, spinach, or basil to name a few. I also use walnuts (toasted first) instead of expensive pine nuts. It’s super quick to make in my food processor and I freeze it in individual portions for later use.
I use walnuts for my pesto too.
Great recipe! I think I will also throw in a few lonely mushrooms from my fridge in there. Pesto, spinach, moderate amount of cheese– not a calorie bomb like mac&cheese tends to be.
This looks so tasty! How well do you think it would freeze?
I don’t think this one will freeze so well. Cheese sauces and sauces thickened with a roux don’t usually stay smooth after reheating.
I love pasta pesto! I have never thought of making the sauce with bechamel – I always used cooking cream or something like mascarpone cheese. Great idea! By the way, grilled cheeses are also very nice with some pesto.
Love pesto! I buy it at Aldi (under $2) I’ll be trying this soon!