I was a weird kid. I loved vegetables but wouldn’t touch anything dairy with a ten-foot pole. Several years and many dinner table arguments later, I came to my senses. I now indulge in a cheesy bowl of mac from time to time like the best of us.
But I can’t seem to shake the guilt of consuming eight billion calories and tons of fat in one sitting, so I challenged myself to come up with a recipe that tastes good and is good for you (sort of). After numerous failures experimenting with different types of noodles, cheeses, and milks, this dish is the happy result.
If your kids have a tendency to avoid vegetables like the plague, this just might help them change their minds without too much of a fight. On nights when the family is hankering for some classic comfort food, you’ll still feel good thanks to this way-more-nutritious version of an American favorite.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried brown rice elbows (I highly recommend Tinkyada)
- 1/2 medium yellow squash, roughly chopped
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
- 1/2 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup cheddar, shredded
- 2 mini Baby Bell light cheese wheels, chopped
- 3 tablespoons reduced fat parmesan
- 1 cup milk (skim, low fat soy, or almond)
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp dijon or deli mustard
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- pinch each of onion powder, thyme, and paprika
- optional: dash of hot sauce
Directions
Heat butter on medium until melted; add flour and stir to combine. Turn heat to low and slowly whisk in milk, stirring until thickened. Add all the cheese except for 1 T of parmesan and continue stirring until smooth. When the cheese is mostly melted, add the mustard, garlic powder, thyme, paprika, hot sauce, salt and pepper, and the veggie puree and remove from heat. Taste and re-season if necessary.
In a casserole dish, mix together the pasta, red pepper, and cheese sauce.
In a small bowl, mix the remaining parmesan with the breadcrumbs and the oil until well absorbed. Sprinkle the mixture evenly on top and bake for 15 minutes, or until top is browned.
