It’s an unapologetic homage to vibrant green veggies (in this case spinach and parsley), wrapped in silky sharp cheddar béchamel, tossed with elbow macaroni pasta. There is a salad dressing called “Green Goddess” that was popular for a time in the 70s. It has garlic, sour cream, parsley, tarragon, and anchovies, and is absolutely delicious. This mac cheese is sort of a riff on that dressing. I’ve even included anchovies as an option if you have them (if you’ve never cooked with anchovies, they don’t make food taste like fish, they just make savory food taste better), but you can use Worcestershire sauce instead if you like, or leave either out entirely if you want a vegetarian dish. The recipes uses a full 1/2 pound of baby spinach, and a large handful of fresh parsley, so it really is packed with greens. You could probably sub out some of the spinach for basil or chard too. Feel free to experiment! Strain the spinach and parsley. Wrap in paper towels and squeeze out excess moisture. Drain the macaroni, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, and set aside. Lower the heat to medium low and let cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. At this point you can eat as is, or you can put into a casserole, top with a little more cheese and broil it for 5-10 minutes.
