Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese
As much as I love a good classic mac and cheese, sometimes I'm looking for a slightly more balanced option! This hidden veggie mac and cheese is PERFECT! It's packed with veggies, protein and fibre while still tasting AMAZING.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
Vegetable Puree
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 2 medium red or orange bell peppers sliced
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 medium zucchini sliced
- 2 cups butternut squash peeled and cubed
- 1 medium carrot sliced
- 3 garlic cloves pressed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup pasta water reserved
- 1 cup vegetable broth
Mac and Cheese
- 16 oz uncooked chickpea or lentil elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup milk
- 1.5 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- hot sauce to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Arrange onion, bell peppers, cauliflower, zucchini, butternut squash, carrots and garlic on the baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 40 minutes.
- While the vegetables are baking, cook your pasta according to the package instructions. Don’t forget to reserve ½ a cup of pasta water for later!
- Once your vegetables are done, add them to a food processor or high powered blender with vegetable broth and reserved pasta water and blend until smooth ( you may need to do this in batches).
- In a large pot over medium heat add butter and flour and whisk until a roux forms. Add your milk and whisk until it begins to simmer. Reduce the heat to low, add cheese, vegetable puree, garlic powder, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper and stir until fully combined.
- Remove sauce from the heat and pour in your cooked pasta.
Notes
*I have included an estimation of the nutrition information for this recipe below. However, always remember a recipe is so much more than just nutritional content and these numbers do not need to dictate your food choices. Please don't forget that both your body and soul need nourishment! The owner of this website is not liable for this estimation.
Nutrition
Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 899mg | Potassium: 565mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 8485IU | Vitamin C: 85mg | Calcium: 330mg | Iron: 8mg
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