Baked Mac and Cheese with Spinach
Sharp cheddar sauce studded with wilted spinach turns boxed mac and cheese into a vegetable-forward dinner that tastes homemade.
- Per serving
- $1.04
- Serves
- 4
- Time
- 25 min
- Whole dinner
- $4.16
Ingredients
1 box (11 oz) Cabot Creamery Farmer's Reserve Sharp Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese
On sale at Publix: Cabot Creamery Farmer's Reserve Macaroni & Cheese, Or Sharp Cheddar, Mild Cheddar, or Caramelized Onion, 11-oz
$1.50$3.995 oz, roughly chopped Fresh spinach
On sale at Publix: Publix Spinach, Fresh & Tender, 9-oz pkg.
$2.00$3.093 tablespoons Butter
On sale at Publix: Country Crock Spread, 15-oz; or Plant Butter Sticks, 16-oz pkg.
$2.40$5.790.5 cup Milk
about $0.750.5 teaspoon Salt
pantry0.25 teaspoon Black pepper
pantrypinch Nutmeg
pantry
Prices are from Publix the week of October 18, 2026. Sale prices change every week and differ by store.
Steps
- Cook the macaroni according to box directions. Drain and return to the pot.
- While pasta cooks, melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Whisk in the cheese powder packet and milk until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in chopped spinach and cook until just wilted, about 1 minute. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Toss pasta with the cheese and spinach sauce until evenly coated. Divide among bowls and serve immediately.
Why it’s cheap
3 of the 7 ingredients were on sale at Publix the week of October 18, 2026, led by cabot creamery farmer's reserve sharp cheddar macaroni and cheese at $1.50 instead of $3.99.
The sale items rang up $6.97 under their regular prices.
Penny Meals prices a dinner by the share of each package you actually cook, adds an estimated shelf price for anything that wasn’t on sale, and counts pantry staples like oil and salt as free. That came to $1.04 a serving, or $4.16 for 4 servings.
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