Name: Cheese & spinach penne with walnut crumble
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 500g pack penne; 2 large leeks sliced; 85g butter; 85g plain flour; 2 tsp ready-made English mustard; good grating nutmeg; 1l milk plus a bit extra; 350g pack mature cheddar grated; 4 slices French bread diced; 85g walnut piece; 400g bag spinach

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Cheese & spinach penne with walnut crumble

Cheese & spinach penne with walnut crumble

Sara Buenfeld

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Serves 8

Easy

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 55 mins

A star rating of 4.6 out of 5.17 ratingsRate

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A twist on macaroni cheese, with added veg and a crunchy topping of bread and nuts - make in batches and freeze

Freezable (Freeze unbaked)

Vegetarian

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

500g pack penne
2 large leeks

sliced
85g butter
85g plain flour
2 tsp ready-made English mustard
good grating nutmeg
1l milk

plus a bit extra
350g pack mature cheddar

grated
4 slices French bread

diced
85g walnut piece
400g bag spinach

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal656
fat36g
saturates17g
carbs54g
sugars9g
fibre3g
protein28g
salt1.6g

Method

step 1

If you are eating one of the pasta bakes now, heat oven to 190C/170C fan/ gas 5. Boil the pasta with the leeks for 10 mins, then drain.
step 2

Meanwhile, put the butter, flour, mustard, nutmeg and milk in a large pan with some seasoning. Gently heat, stirring all the time, until bubbling and thickened, then cook for 2 mins more, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and stir in two-thirds of the cheese. Toss the remaining cheese with the bread and walnuts.
step 3

Cook the spinach in the microwave, or pour a kettle of boiling water over it to wilt, then squeeze out the excess water. Stir into the sauce with the pasta, leeks and some seasoning. If necessary, add a little extra milk to loosen. Divide between 2 ovenproof dishes and scatter the bread mixture on top. If eating straight away, bake for 40 mins until golden, or cool to freeze.

RECIPE TIPS

EAT ONE, FREEZE ONE

To freeze, cover the dishes with cling film, then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, then bake as above until golden and piping hot.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, October 2012

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A star rating of 4.6 out of 5.17 ratings

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