This is for you mac and cheese peeps, both with children and without. We could all use a few more vegetables in our diet, right? And what better way than smothered in cheese and pasta? With that, I give you a recipe that I have modified from Jessica Seinfeld's Creamy Macaroni and Cheese recipe. (You should know... I rarely measure anything these days unless I'm baking. So the amount below should be close to what I used, but really I just sort of threw general quantities in the pan, and certainly didn't measure the seasonings.)
Ingredients:
2ish cups macaroni (or if you’re me... whole wheat or barilla PLUS penne or something like that)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup nonfat skim milk
1+ cups butternut squash, sweet potato, or cauliflower puree (I used 1/2 cup-ish each of sweet potato and cauliflower)
2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces) (USE MILD OR MEDIUM CHEDDAR, NOT SHARP)
4 ounces (almost 1/4 cup) reduced-fat or nonfat cream cheese
sauteed mushrooms with garlic salt and pepper (one 8 oz container sliced)... (you could certainly leave these out if your young ones, etc. won't enjoy them, personally I LOVED this addition, either way, a little garlic salt is a good idea... it added something special to the mac 'n cheese flavor)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika (I forgot to add this and it was still good.)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the macaroni and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain in a colander.
While the macaroni is cooking, heat a pan and add the oil, then the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles a thick paste but has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the milk and cook, stirring every now and then, until the mixture begins to thicken, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable puree, cheddar, cream cheese and seasonings and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the macaroni and serve warm WITH BROCCOLI!!!
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4 comments:
So, I think I'm trying this recipe this week. I love a good mac n cheese (who doesn't? crazy people?) and I'm intrigued by all the additions.
Let me know how you like it... I didn't add smooth purees (sp?), but I kind of enjoyed the added texture. If you want it creamy just make sure to let the food processor do a little more work with the veggies... oh, and I learned from my sister-in-law that using canned sweet potato (yam) is a bad idea (not that it would ever seem like a good idea, at least not in my mind). Sure hope you like it!
Question: Do you use more than just one pureed veggie? I was thinking I'd just be using sweet potato.
Sorry for the delayed response... I used sweet potato and cauliflower (about a 1/2 cup of each).
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