• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Live-In Kitchen logo

  • Recipes
  • About
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Work Together
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Vegetarian Pasta Recipes

    Mediterranean Macaroni and Cheese

    Lindsay Moe

    2402 shares

    Mediterranean Macaroni and Cheese is a luxurious take on a classic comfort food! Feta, spinach, and sun dried tomatoes give this mac and cheese casserole it’s rich flavor.

    a baking dish with mediterranean mac and cheese
    Jump to Recipe

    If there’s one thing I can make and know my kids will eat without a problem its mac and cheese. To be perfectly honest I’ve never been a huge fan of the boxed stuff.

    Even as a kid it weirded me out that powder could turn into cheese. Also once it becomes the tiniest bit cold it turns into a texture nightmare. Yuck.

    While we do occasionally still indulge in an old fashioned (organic) box of mac and cheese I’ve recently had my eyes opened to the idea that mac and cheese can be so much more.

    What makes Mediterranean mac and cheese special?

    You can add vegetables like spinach, leeks, and sun dried tomatoes, change up the pasta shapes (rigatoni!), and swap out the cheeses for tangy favorites like feta and asiago. Now things are getting delicious, and I might be sneaking vegetables into my kids mouths.

    close up photo of rigatoni with cheese and vegetables in a mac and cheese bake

    I’ve made baked macaroni and cheese, penne with tomato, feta, and basil, and spinach and artichoke mac and cheese. This Greek version takes it to a whole new flavor level. We’re talking total flavor bomb in your mouth. You didn’t even know this much flavor was possible.

    a baking dish with greek macaroni and cheese

    I won’t fool you, this dish is a bit of work. But its totally worth it. This is what you’ll make when you want to impress.

    Out of town guests, in-laws, a new boyfriend perhaps. Its a flavor explosion of love.

    Its also kind of a gut buster. It doesn’t need to be, but once you find out how amazingly tasty it is its hard to stop eating it. I definitely ate more than my fair share of it but, again, totally worth it.

    a fork grabbing some feta mac and cheese

    If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!

    sign up for our newsletter graphic

    Recipe

    Mediterranean Macaroni and Cheese in a dish next to a bowl of feta cheese and sun dried tomatoes

    Mediterranean Macaroni and Cheese

    Salty feta, savory vegetables, and al dente pasta make this Mediterranean Mac and Cheese a super flavorful meal.
    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 533kcal
    Author: Lindsay Moe

    Ingredients

    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 3 teaspoons olive oil
    • 1 leek,, white and light green part only, thinly sliced
    • 1 small yellow onion,, chopped
    • 1 head garlic
    • 16 ounces dry rigatoni
    • 1 cup fresh baby spinach,, chopped
    • ⅔ cup milk
    • ⅓ cup heavy cream
    • ½ cup sun dried tomatoes,, chopped
    • 1 teaspoon flour
    • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano,, chopped
    • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary,, chopped
    • 1 ¼ cup Asiago cheese,, shredded
    • 12 ounces feta cheese, (preferably a brick packed in brine, not pre-crumbled)
    • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Coat a 9 x 13 casserole dish with olive oil or cooking spray. Set aside.
    • In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of butter and a teaspoon of olive oil over medium low heat until the butter melts. Add the onions and leeks and stir to coat in the butter mixture. Turn the heat to low and allow to cook for one hour, stirring every ten minutes, until golden brown in color. The vegetables should just barely sizzle as they cook. If they are browning too quickly lower the heat as much as possible and if they don’t seem like they’re cooking at all raise the heat by small increments until they begin to do so. Once they are done remove from the heat and set aside.
    • Meanwhile, cut the top quarter off the head of garlic. Drizzle the other teaspoon of olive oil over the top and wrap it tightly in aluminum foil. Place in the oven and allow it to roast for 30 minutes. Remove and allow it to cool before squeezing the garlic out of the papery peel.
    • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the rigatoni according to the package’s directions. Once done cooking, drain, drizzle with olive oil, and shake the colander to keep the noodles from sticking together.
    • In a small skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the spinach and sauté until wilted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
    • Preheat the oven to broil on high. Heat the remaining tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat until melted. Whisk in flour until fully incorporated. Whisk in the milk and cream and continue to heat until hot but not boiling. Add the oregano and rosemary and mix well. Add 1 cup asiago and crumble in the feta cheese. Stir until the feta is just beginning to melt.
    • Remove the pan from the heat and combine the cheese mixture with the rigatoni, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, leeks, and roasted garlic in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with black pepper and remaining Asiago cheese. Place in the oven and broil until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove and serve.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 804mg | Potassium: 523mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1230IU | Vitamin C: 7.3mg | Calcium: 477mg | Iron: 2.4mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @theliveinkitchen or tag #theliveinkitchen!

    More Vegetarian Pasta Recipes

    • A baking dish full of meatless baked ziti on a linen striped napkin next to bunches of parsley.
      Meatless Baked Ziti
    • halloumi carbonara on a plate with a blue striped napkin underneath
      Halloumi Carbonara
    • a plate of halloumi stroganoff served over egg noodles
      Halloumi Stroganoff
    • a bowl of baked ravioli topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese
      Baked Ravioli

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Gillian @ the haas machine says

      March 12, 2013 at 12:12 pm

      What’s with us & our time consuming pastas lately? Are we crazy? Yes. Is it worth the craziness? Yes. This dish looks delish!!

      Reply
    2. Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen says

      March 14, 2013 at 1:08 pm

      OH yum, this looks so delicious!

      Reply
    3. Rachel @ {I Love} My Disorganized Life says

      March 27, 2013 at 10:33 am

      Lindsay, this looks incredible! We are hughe mac n’ cheese lovers over here! Y-U-M!

      Reply
      • Lindsay Moe says

        March 27, 2013 at 2:11 pm

        Thanks! You have to try it, I think you’ll love it!

        Reply
    4. leslie says

      April 19, 2013 at 6:45 pm

      three teaspoons is a tablespoon…

      Reply
      • Lindsay Moe says

        April 20, 2013 at 1:26 pm

        You’re right! I just wanted to be clear that it gets measured out in teaspoons throughout the recipe.

        Reply
    5. Meghan-Rose says

      December 15, 2013 at 4:12 pm

      Well worth the little extra TLC it takes!!! So good.

      Reply
      • Lindsay Moe says

        December 16, 2013 at 1:13 pm

        I’m so glad you liked it!

        Reply
    6. Venera Foti says

      December 23, 2014 at 12:40 pm

      Question about the Mediterranean Mac & Cheese–can this be done ahead?

      Reply
      • Lindsay Moe says

        December 29, 2014 at 1:21 pm

        Yes, but you may need to bake a few extra minutes if it starts out cold.

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    lindsay moe in a kitchen with glasses on shelves behind her

    Hi, I'm Lindsay! I've been creating easily customizable vegetarian recipes since 2011. I love the outdoors, brownies, and brand new books. I live and work in La Crosse, Wisconsin and founded Wild Flour Media to expand on my love for food photography and videography to my community and beyond.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • single serving vegan cookie dough on a spoon
      Vegan Cookie Dough for One
    • featured image of two shot glasses with buttery nipple shot
      Buttery Nipple Shot
    • zesty cream cheese stuffed mini peppers close up
      Zesty Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers
    • single serving lemonade in a glass with lemons
      Single Serving Lemonade

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • About Lindsay
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Extras

    • Newsletter
    • Resources
    • On the Side

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with Me
    • Wild Flour Media

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 The Live-In Kitchen

    Please read my Privacy Policy.
    2402 shares