{recipes} Three Cheese Macaroni with Kale

A few weeks ago my mom bought a huge bag of fresh kale from Trader Joe's and sent me home with half of it. Prior to this I had never really cooked with kale so I was excited to find discreet ways to add it to my dinners. This was one of my favorite results. What better way to hide the somewhat bitter taste of kale than to cover it in cheese?

I originally found this recipe on Skinnytaste (love that site) but had to improvise the first time I attempted to make it because I didn't have the 8 oz. of cheddar cheese that the recipe calls for. Luckily, my husband and I both loved the result and it's now one of our favorite dinners. The pepper jack cheese gives it a nice, flavorful kick that keeps me from helping myself to seconds. (Well, sometimes... :)

This recipe yields two large servings.

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{Three Cheese Macaroni with Kale}
adapted from this recipe.

8 oz. elbow macaronis
3 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded
1/8 c. + 1 T. parmesan cheese
1/4 c. milk (can be substituted with rice or soy milk)
1/2 c. chicken broth or water
1 medium onion, chopped
1/8 c. Italian bread crumbs
2 T. all purpose flour
2 T. olive oil
a handful of kale, chopped
cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta as directed, adding kale two minutes before pasta is finished. Once finished, drain and toss pasta in 1 T. olive oil and 1 T. parmesan cheese. Transfer to a large baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking oil then set aside.

Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large skillet on low heat. Stir in flour with a whisk. Add onions and cook until translucent. Raise heat to medium. Stir in milk and chicken broth. Once thickened, remove from heat. Stir in cheddar and pepper jack cheese until melted. Pour over pasta and stir well until all the noodles are coated in cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle parmesan cheese, then bread crumbs over top. Bake for 15 minutes, then serve.

{enjoy!}