Covert Veggies in Secret Places…

I’m always looking for ways to sneak veggies into a meal and I came across Ellie Krieger’s recipe for Macaroni and Three Cheeses the other day, which does exactly that. Ever had mac and cheese… and squash?

Here’s the deal – right off the bat – honesty. This recipe will not yield the expected comfort food mac and cheese from childhood. It’s definitely a bit of a departure. But who cares as long as it tastes good and is good for you?

This recipe adds cooked squash into the mix and is a great way to add nutrition and vibrant orange color to the mac ‘n’ cheese spin off. The squash adds some great body and creaminess to the cheese sauce.

Check out Ms. Krieger’s recipe.

Macaroni and Cheese – Squash Style...

·  16 oz GF pasta (I used Jovial's

     fusilli)

·    2 (12-oz) packages frozen 

     winter squash

·    2 C milk (dry Organic Valley)

·    2 oz extra-sharp Cheddar, 

     grated

·    6 oz Monterrey jack cheese, 

     grated

· 1/2 C part-skim ricotta cheese

·    1 t salt

·    1 t powdered mustard

· 1/8 t cayenne pepper

· 1/2 C GF breadcrumbs (Orgran)

·    1 t olive oil

I posted the link above for the official recipe, but here’s my quick n dirty directions:

 

Cook the pasta in a big pot of water (it’s a lot of pasta)

While the pasta cooks, put the milk in a large saucepan along with the frozen blocks of squash to begin melting it down.

Once the squash is melted, add the shredded and ricotta cheeses while stirring. 

Add the seasonings and turn off heat.

Combine 2 ounces of the jack cheese with the bread crumbs and oil in a small bowl.

Pour cooked pasta into large bowl and follow that with the cheese mixture. Stir to combine.

Pour pasta mixture into 9x13 pan and spread evenly.

Cover pasta with bread crumb mixture topping.

Cook in oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

I made a few modifications of my own – namely gluten free noodles and bread crumbs. I also didn’t use four different cheeses as the recipe does. I also keep powdered organic milk on hand because I only ever use cow’s milk occasionally for cooking. It doesn’t change the end result and it’s a great way to only make as much as you need for each recipe. Here’s my theory for what it's worth. I typically add whatever nut milk I have in the fridge at the time to a given recipe when it calls for less than a cup. When it comes to a recipe using two cups of milk like this one, and it’s a savory recipe, I’ve gotten some more-than-funky results when using anything but cow’s milk. So having the powdered cow’s milk is quite handy for this type of thing.

This recipe makes a lot and keeps pretty well. I bet freezing it would work well too.

Squash in macaroni and cheese? Why not? This is an excellent way to sneak a veggie into a dish.