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 aded couple handfuls of thawed frozen spinach (because I’m all about balance), and had myself the most delicious and creamy pesto mac and cheese.
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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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.
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!