Comfort Food – Made Healthier

From Meg’s Kitchen

A friend returned recently from a week’s vacation on the East Coast.  Not only is the plane flight long but getting to and from airports, long TSA check-in lines, and wait times between flights make the actual in-the-air time shorter than the on-ground time. Oh, and plus the time change…  All my friend wanted when she got home was comfort food so she stopped at grocery store and picked up some frozen mac and cheese and ate it with relish (joy, not the condiment).

I too, enjoy a hearty bowl of mac and cheese from time to time but I do try to doctor it with vegies to make it more healthful and tasty. 

Vegetables and Mac and Cheese

Serves 2 (with hearty appetites)

1 TBSP vegetable oil
½ small yellow onion, diced
½ cup sliced mushrooms
1 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour (I use gluten free)
1 cup milk (I prefer 2%)
1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz)
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
¼ tsp salt (or to taste)
1 cup frozen or fresh peas
½ cup chopped broccoli or carrots or asparagus (bits should be about a ¼ inch dice)
2 cups cooked macaroni (I use gluten free)
 ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Sauté the onions and mushrooms in the oil until limp.  Add the butter and when melted, stir in the flour.  Continue stirring until you have a fairly thick paste.  Gradually add the milk while stirring making sure that the mixture thickens and stays thick.  Mix in the cheddar cheese, cayenne pepper and salt.  Continue stirring until the cheese has melted and is incorporated into the sauce.

Once the cheese is melted add the vegetables and macaroni.  Spoon the mixture into a small baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees until the mac and cheese is bubbly and golden on top – about 30 minutes.

Note:  I like to use my toaster oven for this dish.  My toaster oven runs hot so I usually lower the temperature to 250 degrees and check on it after 15 minutes.  I really need to buy an oven thermometer for my toaster oven.

Another Note:  You can doctor ready-made and even box mac and cheese with the above mentioned and/or other vegies.