Who doesn’t love delicious homemade macaroni and cheese?! Macaroni and cheese has been a crowd pleaser for many years for all age groups. Both young and old can appreciate a delicious serving of mac and cheese. This recipe continues to please with its vegetable puree base, creamy texture and amazing flavor. I love the versatility of this dish. I have served it as a main dish to my family and I have taken it as a side dish to family cook outs. Whether you need a fun side dish for a family cook out or children’s birthday party, this recipe won’t disappoint. It can also be made the night before if needed. It doesn’t dry out or lose flavor when reheated. In the past I have made the sauce ahead of time and chilled it overnight. Then I boiled the pasta and warmed the sauce just before serving and it turned out great!
To make this recipe, start by steaming the carrots and cauliflower until they are very tender. They should be very soft when you poke them with a fork. You could also use steamable veggies for this recipe. If you do this, I would recommend steaming the vegetables in the microwave as instructed and drain any excess liquid before adding to the blender. I recommend cooking the pasta in a separate pot while the veggies are steaming, this multitasking will help cut down on time. When the veggies are very tender, remove them from the steamer and place in a blender with the milk. Puree the veggies until they are smooth. They will look like a pale peach color, but don’t worry, it will darken up once we add the cheese to it!
To add flavor, I saute the garlic in a small amount of olive oil until fragrant and light brown in color. Add the puree to the pan and stir to combine. Next comes the best part, adding in all the delicious cheese! If you are making this dish dairy free, use a dairy free milk alternative in the puree and use dairy free cheese. I have tried this recipe with oatmilk and Daiya dairy free cheese and it tastes very good. To combine the cheese I used a whisk, this seemed to work well and help the cheese incorporate well without clumping. Now just stir in the pasta and serve warm. I used Banza pasta which is made with chickpeas to add some extra protein to the dish, but you can use whole wheat or whatever your favorite pasta is. This recipe can also be made gluten free as well by using gluten free noodles.
Veggie Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz Pasta (I used Banza rotini, but whole grain noodles would be great too)
- 1 medium cauliflower cut into small florets (about 4 cups)
- 2 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Steam cauliflower and carrots together until very tender
- While vegetables are steaming, cook pasta according to instructions on the box and set aside.
- When vegetables are very tender, remove from steamer and add to blender with milk.
- Puree vegetables and milk until smooth.
- Add olive oil and garlic to large saute pan and cook on medium heat until garlic is fragrant and light brown.
- Add puree mixture to pan and stir to combine.
- Whisk cheddar and mozzarella cheese into mixture until the cheese is melted and well-incorporated. Stir in salt and additional seasonings to desired taste
- Stir in noodles and serve warm
Notes
- Additional nutritional information per 1 cup serving: Fat: 14g, Sodium: 443mg, Carbohydrates: 36g, Fiber: 9g, Protein:24g