Lighter lemony pasta and spinach bake

Name: Lighter lemony pasta and spinach bake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 300g/10½oz dried macaroni; 200g/7oz broccoli, cut into small florets; 100g/3½oz baby spinach, any thicker stems removed; 2 tsp olive oil; 2 spring onions, outer leaves removed, thinly sliced; 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced; 1 tbsp plain flour; 300ml/10fl oz skimmed milk; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp wholegrain mustard; 1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest only; 100g/3½oz cheddar or Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), finely grated; salt and freshly ground black pepper; mixed salad leaves dressed with a squeeze of lemon juice and 1 tsp olive oil, to serve

Instructions

Prep:30minCook:1h

This fantastic healthy pasta bake adds plenty of veg and flavour to a classic macaroni cheese. With spring onion and garlic in the cheese sauce, along with mustard and lemon, you can reduce the amount of cheese needed. Feel free to swap in your favourite green veg. Each serving provides 459 kcal, 24g protein, 63g carbohydrate (of which 6.5g sugars), 11g fat (of which 5.5g saturates), 6g fibre and 0.6g salt.

Updated at: Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:32:11 GMT