Mac 'n cheese with wilted kale & crispy onion

By KatrinaB

Similar to my smoked mac 'n cheese with bacon and greens recipe this is a vegetarian version and was made with the intent of using up accumulated cheese in the fridge

Ingredients

• 2 cups elbow noodles (4 cups cooked pasta)
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups low fat milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups shredded cheese*
• I used what I had on hand- a mix of mild cheddar, Jack, Swiss, Provolone and Parmesan
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 8 cups torn kale, stems removed
• 1 cup French's fried onions

Preparation

Step 1

Cook pasta as directed on box. Drain and set aside.
In a heavy bottomed pan set over medium heat melt butter and sauté the onion until translucent (about 3 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and allow to cook for another minute. Slowly add the milk while stirring to combine. Season with salt and pepper. To make shredding quick and easy add your cheeses to a food processor and pulse until broken in to small pieces and you have 4 cups total. Stir the cheeses into milk mixture to melt. Add freshly grated nutmeg. Stir in the cooked pasta and remove from heat. In a large, deep roasting pan sprayed with non stick cooking spray fill with kale. Pour macaroni and cheese over the top. Finally, top with French's fried onions. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.