Nutty Macaroni and Cheese Burgers + Annie's Homegrown Giveaway

Recently, the great people of  Team Annie's over at Annie's Homegrown sent me an amazing package filled with boxes of mac 'n cheese, cheddar snack mixes, a reusable Chico grocery bag, a wooden spork and other great goodies. I was thrilled opening it up, but once the kids caught sight of it, I couldn't even hear my own thoughts over the chanting of, "Bunnies! Bunnies! Bunnies!" Annie's Snack Mix Bunnies are a big treat in our house and seeing two whole boxes sent the kids overboard!

Very rarely do we have leftover Annie's macaroni and cheese, but occasionally there's a cup still in the pot. I will usually use it as a substitute for breadcrumbs and make burgers with it. I wanted to go a little further and try a true macaroni and cheese burger. I used my Walnut Burger recipe as my guide. I replaced all of the breadcrumbs and cheese with macaroni. I knew the kids were going to go crazy over the idea of an Annie's macaroni and cheese burger, so I threw in some spinach so they would get their greens too, without even knowing it. The burger was a hit and it stayed together really well, which as we know, many vegetarian burgers have a hard time doing!

This really got my wheels turning, so I grabbed a box of Annie's Gluten Free Macaroni to see if the burger would still hold together. Not only did they stay together, but the ooey gooey cheesy goodness rained though! Thank you Annie's for the goodies to keep my cooking wheels turnin'!

I topped the burgers with a little tomato and kale for the kids, but I added some of Annie's dijon mustard to mine ... mmm mmm mmm.

Anyone interested in taking home their own goodie box filled with yummy Annie's Homegrown  food, products and coupons? Yup, That's what I thought! Just leave a comment below and log in to the Annie's Homegrown Giveaway to confirm your comment.

Have you used Annie’s products before? How do you incorporate them into your meals?

Nutty Macaroni and Cheese Burgers

Makes 4

1 c walnuts, toasted
1 box Annie's Mac & Cheese, divided (use your favorite flavor, original, white cheddar or even gluten free!)
1 T butter
1/2 10 oz box of spinach
1 egg
1/4 c onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t dill
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Make the box of Annie's Mac & Cheese but instead of using milk and butter, simply use 1 tablespoons of butter. This will make for a thicker almost gooey sauce.

In a food processor, mix walnuts, 1 1/2 cups mac & cheese, spinach. You want the walnuts to be broken down and everything to be thoroughly mixed.

Then, in a mixing bowl, mix your nutty spinach and mac & cheese mixture with egg, onion, garlic, spices and 1/2 c of the remaining mac & cheese.

Divide into 4 equal patties and lay them on a baking sheet. Bake at 375º for 15 minutes, flip and bake for another 5.

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Thanks Team Annie's! And don't forget to check out all of Annie’s Homegrown products at http://www.annies.com/.

#spon: I'm required to disclose a relationship between my blog and Annie's Homegrown. This could include Annie's providing me w/ content, product, access or other forms of payment.