Mac and cheese
Warm up winter evenings with this easy, cheesy macaroni and cheese. Our budget friendly, family favourite has heaps of hidden veges, making it a nutritious go-to dinner recipe.
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
- 250g dry pasta*
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced or 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- ½ head cauliflower, florets, stalks and any nice leaves chopped into small chunks
- ¼ cup flour
- 500ml (2 cups) milk
- ¼ pumpkin*, grated
- 200g cheese, grated*
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Salad
- 120g (1 pack) seasonal salad leaves
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 large carrots, thinly sliced, cut into matchsticks, or grated
- 1 apple, thinly sliced or cut into matchsticks
* These ingredients are shared with other recipes from week three of the the winter weekly meal planner.
Method
- Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
- Combine the salad ingredients together, toss with your favourite dressing if desired and set aside.
- Heat oil in a deep, frying pan or pot on the stove over medium high heat, sauté onion until softened. Add garlic and cauliflower, stir fry for around 5 minutes or until the cauliflower starts to become tender.
- Add flour, stir through, and cook for about a minute. Carefully pour in milk and add pumpkin. Stir consistently as the milk heats up to make sure it thickens up evenly and doesn’t catch at the bottom of the pan.
- Add cooked pasta and cheese and mix to coat in the sauce. Test taste adding salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve mac n cheese with the salad.
Cooking tips:
- The mac and cheese can also be baked at 180oC bake for 10-15 minutes before serving if desired. Save ¼ of the cheese before stirring it in the sauce and scatter this over top before baking.
Adapt it:
- Make it gluten free with gluten free pasta and flour.
- You can use a combination of broccoli and cauliflower if preferred.
Kid friendly alternatives:
- Serve with any salad veges your kids enjoy.
Leftover tips:
- Reheat for lunch the next day or freeze mac and cheese in portions and reheat thoroughly before serving.