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Why we love this recipe
This super simple, speedy recipe is what I like to call a “clean out the fridge” recipe. As I may have mentioned a time or two, I am a little crazy about keeping my fridge organized.
What can I say – it makes me happy! And as you will see at the very bottom of my fridge, the cheese has its own drawer…and given my love for making anything and everything that involves cheese, it is frequently full of odds and ends and bits and pieces of cheeses from various recipes.
You’ll also see that my veggie drawers are very well populated as well.
AND, we have a strict rule in this house called No Ingredient Left Behind. So one day as I was fretting over the overflowing cheese drawer it hit me: all kinds of cheese are good in macaroni and cheese, so what if we got a few of them together in one glorious pot of mixed up, odds and ends macaroni and cheese?
And what if I added some leftover veggies to the mix?
I live with a variety of folks who love macaroni and cheese, and I have to say, they were skeptical…until they saw it, and then everyone wanted in. (There was one taste tester who didn’t approve of the spinach. You know who you are.)
You basically want 8 ounces of any cheese you have around – mix and match! Cheddar, American, Parm, cream cheese, Brie, Velveeta, goat cheese…I’ve used all of these.
You want your cheese to be either shredded or chopped. Cut off the rinds, and no worries if you miss any, you can fish them out once the cheese sauce has melted.
I like to stir in baby spinach because it cooks up super fast in with the pasta, but if you have other veggies that need to be cleared out of the fridge, feel free to sub them in! Just make sure they are cooked through if they need to be, either by dumping them in with the pasta water or cooking them on their own.
Green beans, zucchini, halved cherry tomatoes and so on…they have all made an appearance in this recipe. It’s a leftover ingredients extravaganza!
Ingredients you need
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
Here’s how to make this recipe
STEP 1: Cook 8 ounces of your favorite short pasta (we like campanelle, but elbows or penne will work just fine!) according to package directions until tender in boiling salted water. Add 9 ounces of baby spinach and stir until wilted. Drain and set aside. (And as I mentioned earlier, you can swap in any other veggie you like – just make sure it’s cooked if it needs to be.)
STEP 2: Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat until foaming. Add ¼ cup of flour and whisk to combine, about one minute. Whisking constantly, add 2 ½ cups of milk.
STEP 3: Bring this mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until things are thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, whisking occasionally.
STEP 4: Turn down the heat and stir in 8 ounces of assorted cheeses until cheese is fully melted (if you have used cheese with the rind on it and there are pieces of rind in the sauce, you can fish them out now if you want). Add the cooked spinach and pasta and stir over medium low heat until heated through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Cheeses with a strong flavor (like blue cheese) are going to give your mac and cheese a more powerful taste…but if you like that taste, any cheese will work!
Exactly what my daughter asked, and I said NO WAY. But of course you can…and/or you can swap in other veggies.
It’s best made right before you want to eat it, but if you need to make it ahead, just warm it up slowly with a little milk.
Just pop your question in the comments section below and I promise to answer pronto!
A fridge full of leftovers – it’s the gift that keeps on giving!
What to serve with this recipe
Other macaroni and cheese recipes we love!
We want to know what you think! 🤔
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe.
Odds and Ends Macaroni and Cheese
This easy recipe for odds and ends macaroni and cheese helps clean out your fridge while making a luscious creamy pasta supper at the same time!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 8 ounces short pasta (elbows, penne, campanelle, etc)
- 9 ounces baby spinach
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 2.5 cups milk
- 8 ounces assorted cheeses, shredded or chopped depending on the cheese
Instructions
- Cook 8 ounces of your favorite short pasta (we like campanelle, but elbows or penne will work just fine!) according to package directions until tender in boiling salted water. Add 9 ounces of baby spinach and stir until wilted. Drain and set aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat until foaming. Add ¼ cup of flour and whisk to combine, about one minute. Whisking constantly, add 2 ½ cups of milk.
- Bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, whisking occasionally.
- Turn down the heat and stir in cheeses until cheese is fully melted (if you have used cheese with the rind on it and there are pieces of rind in the sauce, you can fish them out now if you want). Add the cooked spinach and pasta and stir over medium low heat until heated through, 3-5 minutes.
Jeanie says
I love a good Odds & Ends, clean out the fridge recipe and this one for Mac & Cheese looks like a great one! But, I must say, the thing that caught my eye and took my breath away is your refrigerator. I am so envious!!! I love a clean and organized fridge and pantry. You must have the Southern Family very well trained to keep it like that…lol. The bar has been raised and I now aspire to reach new heights!
Sounds like we are birds of a feather, organization-wise! Our daughter and son-in-law have their own fridge on the other side of our multigenerational house, and let’s just say it doesn’t look like mine. :) Go for it – I love my fridge bins! They came from The Container Store, and I had a friend make vinyl labels for them. :)