Foodie Fridays: Chickpea Macaroni and Manchego Cheese

This is the time of year when I crave macaroni and cheese, that warm, creamy, filling comfort food with the ability to take the chill off of a winter day.  I received a variety of cheeses as a Christmas gift, so I had many different types to choose from when making my favorite cold weather dish.  I decided to use some aged Manchego, which I think is a lot like Parmesan but not quite as hard or as sharp in flavor, modifying a simple recipe I found for Manchego Mac & Cheese.  Instead of grating the cheese, I chopped it into small bits with a knife, leaving some bigger pieces so that there would be small chunks of cheese in the cream sauce.  These little bits of deliciousness add a tiny explosion of flavor to each bite.

I also used macaroni made from chickpea flour since I am still trying out different legume-based pastas.  Chickpea flour pasta holds its shape well, and in my opinion is the most like wheat flour pasta in taste and texture.  Because I tend not to eat as many vegetables as I should in the winter I added mushrooms and baby greens to my mac and cheese as a way to increase my veggie intake.  The end result is my idea of perfect macaroni and cheese - firm pasta coated in a thick and tangy cheese sauce that also complements the added vegetables.  I have enough Manchego cheese to make this dish one more time, and then I still have quite a few more types of cheese left from my Christmas gift to try as variations of this recipe.  You may be seeing more macaroni and cheese recipes here in the near future!

Chickpea Macaroni and Manchego Cheese

8 oz. elbow macaroni (I used Banza Chickpea Elbows)
2-3 T. butter and/or olive oil
16 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. minced garlic
5 oz. mixed baby greens (such as baby spinach, kale, and/or chard)
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
4 T. butter
4 T. flour
2 C. whole milk
2 C. finely chopped aged Manchego cheese*

Cook the macaroni in a pot of boiling water according to package directions (about 8 minutes).  Drain, rinse, and set aside.  Rinse out the pot and set aside to use later.

Heat the butter and/or olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and sauté until soft, about 8-10 minutes.  Push the mushrooms to the edge of the skillet, put the garlic in the middle, and cook for about one minute.  Combine the mushrooms and the garlic and then stir in the greens, a handful at a time, cooking one batch down slightly before adding the next.  Cook and stir until the greens are wilted.  Stir in 1/4 tsp. salt and set aside.

Heat the empty pasta pot over medium heat.  Melt the butter.  Add the flour and stir until a smooth roux forms.  Slowly add about 1/4 cup of the milk and stir until smooth.  Continue to add the milk a little at a time, stirring until smooth after each addition.  When all of the milk has been added, continue to cook and stir until the sauce thickens and just comes to a boil.

Remove the pot from the heat and add the cheese in batches, stirring until almost smooth after each addition (the larger lumps of cheese will not melt completely, but that is what you want).  Stir in the mushroom mixture until well combined.  Stir in the pasta until completely coated in the sauce and serve immediately.  Serves 4-6.

*Leave some pieces in larger (about 1/4-inch diameter) chunks.