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This Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese is creamy, smoky, and filled with fresh spring vegetables like kale, peas, and leeks. It’s very spring-forward, 100% vegetarian and quick and easy to make in 35 minutes! Pair with a Honey Deuce Cocktail or this Lemon Coconut Cake for dinner!
I love me some mac and cheese. It’s the best comfort dish whether you decide to add in spring vegetables like this recipe or seafood or keep it simple! Everything from Lobster Mac and Cheese, Pumpkin Mac and Cheese and this Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese has my heart!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
- Pasta – 1lb of the pasta of your choice. I used pasta shells because they are fun but regular macaroni noodles works fine too!
- Spring vegetables – This mac and cheese is spring forward so tons of chopped leek, kale and peas are mixed right into the cheese sauce.
- Cheese – I used a mix of smoked gouda and fontina. Smoked gouda gives the mac and cheese a rich and smoky almost meaty flavor and fontina is just amazing. Feel free to swap these cheeses out with gruyere, provolone, mozzarella, or sharp cheddar.
- All-purpose flour- This is what’s going to give you a rich and creamy cheese sauce. The flour is cooked with ghee or olive oil then the milk and cheese is added to make the creamy sauce.
For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!
How To Make Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
- Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles until al dente, drain the water then drizzle with olive oil.
- Cook the vegetables. In a medium skillet cook the chopped leek, kale and peas in melted butter until soft then set aside.
- For the cheese sauce. Melt butter in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Stir in flour cooking it for 1 minute, pour in milk then bring to a simmer. Continue to cook until the mixture is thick and can coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the cheese then taste and adjust the salt if needed.
- Serve. Stir in cooked pasta noodles and vegetables. Serve topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese and ground black pepper.
Tips and Tricks
- Use different spring vegetables. Use dandelion greens and Swiss chard in place of the kale. Green onions, spring onions, and ramps in place of the leeks, and fava beans instead of peas!
- Don’t overcook your pasta. You really want to boil your pasta to al dente so that it doesn’t end up mushy in the mac and cheese.
- If possible, shred the cheese yourself. Skip the pre-shredded cheeses because they often contain anti-clumping ingredients which can cause the cheese to not melt as readily in the sauce.
- Add a protein. This stovetop mac and cheese recipe is completely vegetarian, but if you aren’t going for a meatless meal try pairing it with salmon, chicken, seafood, or crispy bacon.
Recipe FAQs
By using flour! Cook it with butter for a 1 minute then whisk in milk. Once the mixture comes to a simmer you can add in your cheese!
By using milk and/or cream in the cheese sauce. The added fat will keep the cheese sauce perfectly creamy.
More Vegetarian Recipes
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Bring a pot or Dutch oven of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente (my box of pasta said about 16 minutes—total lies! Mine took about 8 minutes). Drain and drizzle with a teeny bit of olive oil (this will prohibit them from sticking to each other).
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In a medium skillet, set over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt; cook for about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the kale and add a pinch of salt; cook for an additional 3 minutes, until the leeks and kale have softened. Lastly, add the peas and stir until the peas turn a bright green color, about a minute. Turn off the heat and set aside (to leave them in the pan is totally fine).
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In a medium saucepan (I used the same dutch oven I used to boil the pasta), set over medium heat, add the butter. When melted, add the flour and stir until combined. Cook for about 1 minute. Pour in the milk and bring to a simmer; cook until it’s thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. It should coat the back of a spoon. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Stir in a few rounds of freshly ground pepper (I did about 5).
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Next, stir in the cheese and mix until melted. If needed, turn the heat to medium-low to completely melt the cheese. I found the smoked gouda needed some additional warmth to melt completely. (The fontina was perfect.) Give it a taste and add salt to taste.
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Stir in the shells and add the reserved kale and leek mixture. Toss until evenly coated. Divide amongst bowls and top with a bit of parmesan and black pepper.
Tips and Tricks
- Use different spring vegetables. Use dandelion greens and Swiss chard in place of the kale. Green onions, spring onions, and ramps in place of the leeks, and fava beans instead of peas!
- Don’t overcook your pasta. You really want to boil your pasta to al dente so that it doesn’t end up mushy in the mac and cheese.
- If possible, shred the cheese yourself. Skip the pre-shredded cheeses because they often contain anti-clumping ingredients which can cause the cheese to not melt as readily in the sauce.
- Add a protein. This stovetop mac and cheese recipe is completely vegetarian, but if you aren’t going for a meatless meal try pairing it with salmon, chicken, seafood, or crispy bacon.
Serving: 6g | Calories: 1132kcal | Carbohydrates: 111g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 165mg | Sodium: 780mg | Potassium: 759mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 2779IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 849mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
