“Disclosure: This post was sponsored by I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter® through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated to write a post about I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter® Deliciously Simple™, all opinions are my own.”

In case anyone hasn’t noticed it is really cold out there! When the weather turns cold I start thinking comfort food. There is just something homey about cuddling up with some great comfort food when it is the great arctic freeze outside. I really love Mac N Cheese but sometimes I get tired of the same old same old. So one day I decided to make my own Mac N Cheese. And, I am sure that there are already 50,000 recipes out there like this one but this one is mine and I am rather fond of it. I like it because it is a lighter version ( not on calories, but taste) and the addition of spinach gets me a serving of veggies with my carb. So it is kind of healthy. Notice I said kind of, this is comfort food, calories are in there and that’s what make it taste so good!

Normally I use whatever butter I have sitting in the fridge but this time I am trying out I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® Deliciously Simple™ . This new spread has a creamy, buttery taste and is made with simple ingredients like non-fat yogurt and vegetable oil. I couldn’t wait to try it out in my Mac N Cheese! When I opened the package the first thing I noticed was how creamy it was. I could totally see myself spreading this onto a thick piece of homemade bread. ( Oh man, now I want homemade bread!) I could also see Deliciously Simple being the perfect topper for your favorite sweet or savory breakfast dish. I honestly think this is something I could use everyday and not feel guilty for it.

My biggest question was ” Can I cook with it.” Some butter you just can’t cook with. It won’t melt properly and it just turns it to a yucky mess. I normally use stick butter in my recipes because I just love how it works. And I use a lot of butter. I am like the Maryland version of Paula Deen, y’all. I was a little hesitant using a spread to cook with. Would it melt properly? Would it turn into an oily mess? Would it not melt at all? I was agonizing people, AGONIZING. But I am happy to report it melted just like..well, butter, even though it is a spread.Confusing..maybe, delicious? YES! And, it really gave a whole new depth of flavor to my Mac N Cheese. I think the yogurt did it. So it was kind of Italian, Meditteranean and Greek at the same time. BAM! Awesomeness!

I can honestly see me using this product a lot and I love how a little goes a long way. It is rich, creamy and very flavorful. It is also versatile, meaning I can use it in a lot more of my recipes. That is always a huge plus for me. Being a single Mom, that absolutely loves to cook, I need to save money every way I can. I think this will be a good addition to my staple ingredients!

Not Your Mamas Mac N Cheese:

I have always been a huge fan of pasta, but not a huge fan of red sauce. I am more of a white sauce kind of girl. And I do love my Mamas Mac N Cheese, as well as my Crab Mac N Cheese but sometimes I want something a little lighter, with more flavor. That is when I turn to my Mac N Cheese. I also want to give you a couple of hints while making this:

1. Most of these ingredients do not have a lot of salt. You will need to keep tasting and adding salt to your taste. Otherwise it is going to be bland, yuck!
2. Don’t forget the pepper
3. Feel free to switch up the cheeses. Any white, mild cheese can be used. Don’t like feta? Try fontina. Don’t like cream cheese? Try Mascarpone. The combinations are endless.
4. If you don’t have frozen spinach on hand you can use fresh. Just cook it in the sauce until it is wilted but not over done. Also, broccoli and kale can be substituted.

HUGE IMPORTANT NOTE- If you are using frozen spinach like me, rinse and drain the spinach. After it has drained well, squeeze it dry in paper towels. Do not skip this step. If you do you will end up with green sauce, which is fine for St. Patricks Day, but not normally

Ingredients:

1 small box of large shell pasta

1 box of frozen spinach, rinsed, drained and squeezed dry

2 tbsp I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® Deliciously Simple™

3 spring onions, chopped very fine

2 tbsp. garlic

1 cup of milk ( plus more as needed)

1/4 cup of whipping cream

1 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup of feta cheese ( plus some to sprinkle on top)

4 oz block of mozzarella, cut thin and diced

Directions:

( I HIGHLY recommend using a nonstick frying pan. It will allow you to simmer with stirring constantly.)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

Cook your pasta according to package directions. Make sure you cook to al dente.

Rinse, drain and squeeze dry your spinach, set aside. ( If you are unsure how to do this, check this post HERE.)

In a large non stick frying pan melt your I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® Deliciously Simple™ . Add your onions and garlic. Saute over medium heat until they are brown and fragrant. Usually about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add your milk and whipping cream slowly, stir to mix well, turn down heat to med-lo and let simmer for about 3 minutes.

Add 1 oz of cream cheese and let simmer until cheese is melted. If sauce is looking a bit thick, add a couple of tablespoons of milk to thin out.

Add your feta cheese and cook until cheese is melted. This may take a bit of time, just keep stirring. Again, If sauce is looking a bit thick, add a couple of tablespoons of milk to thin out.

Gently fold in your spinach. And I do mean gently. If you rush it it will all break apart and be like spinach bits. Not a good look. ( I know from experience, sigh). Simmer for about 8 minutes.

While everything is simmering and bubbling cut your mozz and dice it.

After draining pasta return it to the pan you cooked it in. Pour your sauce over the pasta and stir until the pasta is completely covered in the sauce. If it is looking dry add more milk as needed.

Pour the mixture into a greased ( or non stick) baking dish. Sprinkle with a little more feta cheese. Place your mozz. all over the top. Cook for about 25 minutes or until the Mac N Cheese is bubbly and brown on top.

 

 

 

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