Greek macaroni and cheese

step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13" casserole dish; set aside.

step 2
Heat milk in a medium saucepan. In a high sided skillet melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. When butter is melted, add flour. Cook stirring for 1 minute. Slowly pour hot milk into roux while whisking. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. This can take quite a while. When the bechamel has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne, Gruyere cheese and Parmesan cheese. Set cheese sauce aside.

step 3
In a saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter and add sliced shallots. Stir occasionally cooking until softened and caramelized but not browned. Add chopped artichoke hearts and spinach and saute until spinach is tender and slightly wilted, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

step 4
Cook elbow macaroni according to package minus 2 minutes, until cooked but slightly under done. Drain and rinse with cold water.

step 5
Mix cooked pasta and vegetables with sauce and pour into prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle all of the feta cheese over the top of the mixture. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and toss with bread crumbs, sprinkle over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes.