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Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese

>> Printable version

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 oz whole grain or chickpea pasta(shells, macaroni, fusilli, etc)
  • 2 cups chopped broccoli (1 medium sized bunch)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion (about 1 cup), chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground pepper
  • 1 ½ cups butternut squash, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 ½ cups chopped cauliflower
  • 1 cup vegetable broth or water
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon or honey mustard

Optional:

  • 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 cup grated cheese (Gouda, cheddar,shredded parmesan, or vegan cheese)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 400
  2. Chop the broccoli into bite-sized pieces (About 1 inch). Note:you can choose to add the stalks of broccoli or just the flower part (both have great nutrition!) and set aside.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat, then add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant and slightly softened, about 2 minutes.
  4. Add the butternut squash and cauliflower florets and continue cooking for 2 minutes to help develop their flavor.
  5. Next, add the vegetable broth and mustard and stir well and bring to the boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are very tender and slightly overcooked, about 10 minutes.
  6. While the above mixture is cooking, cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water. Add chopped broccoli for the last 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Note: if you don’t like pieces of broccoli, you could also add broccoli to the cauliflower/butternut squash mixture and puree it.
  7. Spoon the cauliflower/butternut squash mixture and liquid along with the nutritional yeast (if you are using it) into a food processor or high-speed blender (or use a stick/immersion blender in the pot) and blend until completely smooth. Add the grated cheese, minus a handful, (which you’ll sprinkle on top of the dish later) and mix with a spoon until the cheese is fully melted (or blend on low speed to mix in) and the sauce is completely combined.
  8. Combine the cooked pasta/broccoli and sauce in a 9-inchsquare baking dish or similar size. Top with the reserved handful of grated cheese and bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden and the sauce starts to bubble on the sides.