The groundhog was seriously wrong and Spring did not come early.  In fact, it’s rather late…it’s snowing right now, no lie.  We were thinking today that comfort food would go well with this disappointing weather, and given it is MMM, Mac and Cheese was the first thing that came to mind.  Definitely a splurge meal, but we enjoyed it. 🙂  I used a Cooking Light recipe and tweaked it a bit – we will definitely do this again.  Recipe below is with my adjustments/additions.

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (or slice of wheat bread, toasted and pulsed)
• 1 tablespoon butter (I used SmartBalance)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat)
• 2 cups fat-free milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese
• 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 5 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
• 4 cups hot cooked whole wheat macaroni

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1/2 cup.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly with a whisk until blended. Bring to a boil; cook until thick (about 2 minutes). Add cheeses; stir until melted.

Add spinach and macaroni to cheese sauce, stirring until well blended. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until bubbly.