Mac and Cheese, a classic. So much so that you can buy it in a box, but out of the box tastes like it is out of the box. When I was a kid, we ate mac and cheese all the time. It was a personal favorite. These days I really only eat the stuff out of the box when I am pregnant and having those weirdo cravings. But there is still something about a classic comfort food like mac and cheese.
This week I made roasted veggie enchiladas. They were awesome. You can find them here. Anyway, they require roasted vegetables. I like variety in my dishes so I add a TON of different veggies in. Needless to say, this meant a rather large amount of the finished product. More than I needed for the enchiladas, even though I made a few batches to stick in the freezer. I was trying to decide what to use the leftovers in, and this is what I came up with: Roasted Veggie Mac and Cheese. Thank you Pinterest for the idea! I decided to put my own spin on it. Take a classic and amp up the health factor just a little. It didn’t hurt that I used a little Romano/Parmesan cheese to roast these with, so the end result is Yummy.
Here is the recipe, but the idea is to make your favorite homemade mac and cheese recipe, and add in roasted veggies.
Ingredients
- Choice of Vegetables Cut into half inch cubes. Great options: Sweet potatoes, yams, cauliflower, peppers, sweet mini peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, Brussels sprouts, onion, carrots, asparagus
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 Tbs Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 8 ounces Elbow macaroni
- 2 tbs butter
- 3 tbs flour
- 2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup cream if you do not have it, use milk
- pinch of salt pepper, garlic powder (season to taste)
- 2 tbs panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Cut veggies, toss with 1 tbs olive oil, and 2 tbs Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper
- Roast your veggies in a 400 degree oven for 25 mins
- Cook and drain elbow macaroni according to package directions
- Melt butter in pan, slowly stir in flour
- Add in milk and cream, slowly, letting it thicken.
- When thick, stir in cheese
- Season to taste
- Mix veggies, noodles, and sauce together
- Place in casserole baking dish
- Sprinkle panko bread crumbs on top
- Broil until golden grown (3-5 minutes)
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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My kids like anything that is individualized or personalized. For example, sliders go over way better than full on burgers, pan pizzas are eaten better than pizza by the slice, yogurt cups get eaten faster than if I buy a big tub of yogurt, the same goes for pudding, etc. Basically, make it individual, or portion size, and they get so much more excited by it. Thus, when baking these, you could put them in a souffle cup, or ramekin and serve them individually that way, or family casserole style.
I have these ones, and my kids love when I serve dinner in them, although it does make for more dishes.
Here are the steps by steps with photos:
Cut and roast veggies
Put oil and flour in pan and mix well
Slowly add milk and cream
Mix in sharp cheddar cheese.
Mix well and season
Mix in roasted veggies
Add noodles, stir together, put in ramekins or casserole dish, top with Panko
Broil for 3-5 minutes until panko is brown and crispy
Serve with warm garlic bread, or however you like!
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