Kale Macaroni & Cheese in Homage to Woodberry Kitchen Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Cast Iron

by: healthierkitchen

January18,2014

4.3

7 Ratings

Kale Macaroni & Cheese in Homage to Woodberry Kitchen Recipe on Food52 (1)

Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 58 minutes
Serves 4 to 6 as a main, 8 as a side dish

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Author Notes

I had a dish like this for a birthday dinner at Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore, MD. It was an unusual choice for me, and just about everyone else at the table had local seafood. The dish just spoke to me, and it was perfect -- not too cheesy and not too dry. It was definitely kale-y, and it had just the right amount of crispiness on top. I played around with it all summer trying to replicate the dish, and this is what I came up with. —healthierkitchen

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Healthierkitchen lives in Washington, D.C., where she teaches wholesome cooking practices.
WHAT: A penne and cheddar casserole made slightly bitter by the addition of lacinato kale.
HOW: In a large saucepan, combine melted butter with olive oil, flour, and milk, then stir in cheddar and Asiago cheese. Mix in lightly-blanched chopped kale and al dente penne pasta, then bake topped with breadcrumbs and Pecorino Romano until golden brown. Serve warm.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Few meals are as satisfying as a bowl of macaroni and cheese. This recipe takes the best parts of the cheesy classic -- melted cheddar and a breadcrumb finish -- and makes it more complex with the addition of earthy lacinato kale. It's simple enough to throw together on a weeknight, but interesting enough to keep you looking forward to the leftovers. —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

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Kale Macaroni & Cheese in Homage to WoodberryKitchen

Ingredients

1 bunch lacinato kale
1 pound penne pasta
1 tablespoonbutter
1 tablespoonolive oil, plus some to grease
2 tablespoonsflour
2 cupswhole milk
15 ouncesshredded cheese (I use a mix of mild and sharp aged cheddar and Asiago), up to 20 ounces
¹/₂ cupbreadcrumbs (I like a mix of whole wheat and panko)
¹/₂ cupgrated or ground Pecorino Romano cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º F.
In a large pot, bring 6 cups water to a boil, then blanch the kale in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Leaving the boiled water in the pot, use a slotted spoon to scoop the kale out of the water and into a strainer, and allow the excess water to drain. Let cool, then chop, removing and discarding the stems.
Bring the water in the pot back to a boil, add the penne, and cook according to the package until just under al dente, then drain and set aside. The pasta is going to be baked, so you want it to be just under cooked at this stage.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat until the butter starts to foam. While whisking, add in the flour and continue whisking for another 2 minutes.Add the milk slowly while whisking continuously to make sure there are no lumps. Once you have a smooth texture, turn off the heat and add the cheese. Mix well until the cheese is melted, then add the kale, making sure it doesn't stay in clumps.
Add the pasta to saucepan and combine with the cheese sauce. If your saucepan is not large enough, add the pasta and the cheesy kale mixture back into the drained pasta pot and mix well.
Grease an 11- or 12-inch cast iron pan or other oven-proof baking dish with some oil. Transfer the pasta/cheesy kale mixture into it, then sprinkle the breadcrumbs and Pecorino Romano over the top.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until bubbling and golden brown on top.If after 40 minutes this has not happened, raise heat to 400º F and check again after 5 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Tags:

Pasta
Macaroni and Cheese
Italian
American
Breadcrumbs
Cheese
Kale
Vegetable
Milk/Cream
Cast Iron
Breakfast
Entree

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23 Reviews

BakerMary December 12, 2022

Had too much cooked pasta (only added 3/4 of it) and added a healthy glut of cream at the end as it wasn’t as ‘saucy’ as I’m used to. Dash of ground mustard powder, leftover marinated farmer cheese and Cabot sharp cheddar. Thanks for the recipe, saved me having to toss some kale that had no purpose.

Barbara March 5, 2020

This turned out very dry, which reduced the flavour a lot. I halved the recipe but otherwise followed it exactly. I wonder what went wrong.

Debra January 22, 2020

This is a great recipe! I made a few tweaks that I'd like to share which made it over the top! I sautéed a medium onion chopped fine with a pinch of maldon sea salt in butter until light golden, then added 3 good sized fresh oyster mushrooms sliced and sautéed them with the onions until tender. I added a few gratings of fresh nutmeg to the sauce before folding in all of the vegetables and pasta then baked it per instructions. Absolutely yummy !! Will definitely make this again!

mstv December 9, 2015

I am not normally a fan of macaroni and cheese but I liked that this recipe did not seem to have the pasta swimming in sauce. I made it with a few changes (different pasta shape, generous with the kale, parmesan instead of pecorino, cheeses were a mix of sharp cheddar, pepper jack , and parmesan, and brioche crumbs instead of panko). It was really excellent - very delicious. I had a half recipe and baked it in an 8 in square glass baking dish.

healthierkitchen October 22, 2016

Glad it worked out for you mstv!

akweyant March 13, 2015

My family loved this dish so much I made it for my friend's family and they loved it, too! Thank you!

healthierkitchen March 30, 2015

Thanks for letting me know ak! ;)
So glad to help feed families!!