Creamy Spinach Pancetta Mac & Cheese

With Homemade Garlic Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Take your Mac ‘N Cheese from your childhood, up your cheese game, add some juicy pancetta, toss in an entire bag of spinach and you’ve got a grown-up version of your family favourite. Plus, with a side of homemade rosemary garlic focaccia… you’re restaurant ready for a delish full dinner!

Creamy Spinach Pancetta Mac & Cheese

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• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: about 1 hour

*Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of macaroni (or short) noodles
• 300g pancetta, cut into chunks
• 1 White onion, diced
• 1.5 cup cream cheese
• 1.5 cup white cheddar, shredded
• 1.5 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tbsp. flour
• 1 bag baby spinach
• 2.5 cups Milk
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Boil a pot of salted water
3. In a saucepan add the pancetta chunks and cook until crisp. Remove from pan and add to a paper-towel lined plate.
4. In a large deep pan, add butter and melt
5. Once butter is melted, add the onion and salt and pepper
6. Cook onion until soft and translucent
7. Once water is boiling, add the noodles and cook
8. Create a roux by adding in the flour in small batches and mixing constantly
9. Begin to add milk (in a small stream) and stir consistently until well mixed and thickened
10. Add nutmeg
11. Add spinach and stir until well mixed and softened
12. Add the cheese reserving a little bit of the shredded cheese for topping
13. Add the pasta and pancetta and coat well with the cheese onion sauce
14. Move pasta to a casserole dish (or keep in your pan if it is oven safe)
15. Top with cheese and breadcrumbs
16. Bake for about 30 minutes until cheese has melted and browned

Rosemary Garlic Sea Salt Foccacia Bread

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• Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: About 2 hours

*Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/3 cup warm water
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Sea Salt
• Dried rosemary (fresh would be better but I only had dried)

Instructions

In the bowl of a mixer, add warm water and sugar, stirring until well combined. Add yeast and stir lightly to combine. Let mixture rest for about 10 minutes until it becomes foamy. Gradually mix in flour, olive oil, and salt while having a mixer on low speed. Mix for about 5 minutes If the mixture is too sticky, add more flour as necessary. Take the dough out of the bowl of the mixer and coat the bowl in olive oil. Shape dough into a round ball and add back to the mixing bowl Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it rise for about 1 hour (it should double in size by then) Flour the surface of your counter and add dough ball Roll into a rectangle or the shape of your baking sheet (about 1/2 inch thick) Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rise for another 20 minutes Preheat oven to 400F Put dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet and use your fingers to poke large dents in the dough. Drizzle dough with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and add rosemary. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the dough is cooked through and has browned