- 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
- 8 ounces baby spinach leaves, or to taste
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup prepared basil pesto, divided
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1 3/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
- 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
- 3/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese, divided
- 4 slices multigrain bread with crusts, cubed
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a casserole dish.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Add baby spinach to the pot in the last minute of cooking; drain.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir garlic into onion mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk 2 tablespoons pesto, flour, black pepper, and salt into onion mixture until smooth; whisk milk in gradually. Cook and stir milk mixture until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes; stir in 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup Asiago cheese; remove saucepan from heat and stir until cheeses are melted, about 1 minute.
- Stir cheese mixture into macaroni mixture; pour into prepared casserole dish. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove casserole from oven; increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
- Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons pesto, 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup Asiago cheese, and bread cubes. Remove casserole dish from oven, uncover, and top with bread mixture.
- Bake casserole with topping in the preheated oven, uncovered, until bubbly and golden, about 10 minutes.
05/18/2018
recipepes.com
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