I bet that’s one of the lightest versions of mac and cheeses you can find on the internet. And it’s also a great way to sneak in some veggies just so you can feel guilty free.
The weather has been messing up with my mood lately, very sunny between 8 and 10 a.m. and rainy for the rest of the day … like that song “All day long”. Crap, really! 🙁
So I needed some comfort food that I could stuff my face guilt-free. PASTA was definitely in my mind as it’s my absolute favorite kind of comfort food.
As I have been working out pretty hard lately (going to the gym twice a week and running outdoor the rest of the days), I didn’t have the heart to do it the right way. Therefore, I decided to swap out some ingredients just so I can lighten it up a little.
Easy, right?! All I had to do is to sneak some cauliflower and asparagus into some delicious mac and cheese.
It was a great meal even the next day. I’d say it’s a fair game. So delicious and creamy but not heavy at all, not to mention cheap too as it’s got only two cheeses?!?! Yes, cheddar and gouda. You don’t need anything else, it’s so gooooood.
I chose to steam the veggies in an Asian bamboo steamer but if you don’t have one you can simply add them within the last 3 minutes of pasta cooking time and then drain very well.
Another thing, you are not going to believe it, but the flavor comes mostly from the cauliflower and asparagus. So don’t you even consider for a second to skip them. 🙂
And it gets even better. Did I mention how simple it is? Just spread the cooked macaroni, steamed cauliflower and asparagus and the cheesy topping into the baking dish, a layer at a time and season them with basilicum, chili flakes and pepper. Then place into the oven and bake until crispy and brown-ish. That’s all, really – the perfect cozy meal for lunch, weeknights or the weekends. 🙂
This will be one mac and cheese you’ll want to make again and again. Even your picky eaters will be begging for seconds!
- – ½ package (250 g) of macaroni
- – 1 medium head of cauliflower, florets
- – 1 bundle of fresh asparagus
- – 250 g mix of shredded cheddar and gouda cheese
- – 100 ml almond milk (your favorite milk)
- – 1 egg
- – 1 tsp chili flakes
- – 1 tsp basilikum
- – 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- – pepper to taste
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (~400°F). Lightly oil a 9-inch baking dish or coat.
- Secondly, cut off the woody ends from the asparagus and cauliflower. Bring ¾ to 1 inch of water to a boil in a medium saucepan and put an Asian bamboo steamer on top. Put the cauliflower and asparagus together in the steamer, cover and let them steam for approximately 3 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni according to the package instructions (maximum 10 minutes). If you don’t have an Asian bamboo steamer, then within the last 3 minutes of cooking time, add the cauliflower and asparagus. When they are cooked, drain very well.
- For the cheesy topping, in a medium bowl add the cheddar and gouda cheese, the beaten egg and milk and mix together.
- Spread the macaroni, cauliflower and asparagus and cheesy topping into the baking dish, a layer at a time; and season with basilikum, chili flakes and pepper. Place into the oven and bake until crispy and brown-ish, about 15-20 minutes.
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Be healthy and happy!
Yay! Guilt-free Mac and Cheese! Looks wonderful 🙂
Thanks Sarah! :*
Funny! :)) Did you get the ingredients? I hope you will give it a shot. I promise it’s worth the effort.
Oh yeah! Me too to your review! 🙂 Muah! :*