Mac and Cheese – comfort food at its best but we’ve snuck in some veggies to make it a little more nutritious.
This Week
2 Dec - 8 Dec
Meal Prep Guide
- Steam and puree the vegetables.
Ingredients
½ a small pumpkin (cut into cubes) approx 3 cups.
½ cauliflower (cut into florets)
Method
1. Add the cubed pumpkin and cauliflower florets into a steamer and steam for 15 minutes or so until they are both cooked through.
2. Puree in a blender or using a stick blender. Allow to cool and put in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Make the breadcrumbs if using. Add a couple of pieces of stale bread to a nutri bullet or blender and blitz until breadcrumbs form. Pop in an airtight container.
- Make the salad dressing.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or vinegar of your choice
½ tsp dijon or wholegrain mustard
½ tsp maple syrup or honey
Method
1. Add all of the ingredients into a small jar and shake well to combine. Store in the fridge.
Tips
Tips
- If the sauce is a little thick add some more pasta water to get it to the desired consistency.
- Have a taste of the sauce and decide if you’d like to add a little more cheese.
Shortcuts
- You can use any nut milk/ dairy milk but make sure it’s unsweetened.
- If you don’t want to use cheddar you could use gouda, gruyère or a mixture of some parmesan and edam.
This recipe can easily be made vegan.
Ingredients
- ½ a small pumpkin (cut into cubes) approx. 3 cups.
- ½ cauliflower (cut into florets)
- 1 cup of raw cashews (soaked in water overnight or in boiling water for 30 mins and then drained)
- ¼ cup of nutritional yeast
- ½ cup of oat milk or any unsweetened plant-based milk
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 350g pasta
Method
- Steam the veggies for 15 minutes until cooked through.
- In a high speed blender add the drained cashews, oat milk, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, mustard, salt and pepper.
- Once smooth and creamy add the veggies and blend until smooth.
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, stir through the vegan cheese sauce and serve.
Ingredients
- ½ a small pumpkin (cut into cubes) approx 3 cups.
- ½ cauliflower (cut into florets)
- 2 Tbsp butter / olive oil
- ¾ of an onion (finely diced) *left over from the guacamole
- 1/3 cup bone broth / veggie stock
- 1/3 cup nut milk / dairy milk
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 350g of pasta (we used large macaroni elbows)
Optional
- ½ cup of cheese to sprinkle on top (extra cheddar cheese or a mix of cheddar and parmesan)
- ½ cup of breadcrumbs
Side salad
- 1 bag of baby cos
- 1 cup of baby tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp of vinegar of your choice
- 1/2 tsp of dijon or wholegrain mustard
- 1/2 tsp of honey or maple syrup
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees fan bake.
- Steam the cauliflower and pumpkin until nice and soft. Puree in a blender or using a stick blender.
- Sautée the onion in butter or olive oil for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Add the veggie puree and allow to cook on a low heat for a few minutes. Add the milk and stock slowly until you’ve reached a creamy typical cheese sauce consistency.
- Remove from the heat and stir through the cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook the pasta as per packet instructions. If you feel as though the sauce is a little thick you can add some pasta water to thin it out.
- Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and pop into an ovenproof dish. Top with the additional cheese and breadcrumbs (if using) cook for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
- While the mac and cheese is in the oven prepare the side salad. Roughly tear up the cos lettuce and cut the baby tomatoes in half. To make the dressing add all of the ingredients into a small jar and shake well until everything has combined.
Variations
- You can use any nut milk/ dairy milk but make sure it’s unsweetened.
- If you don’t want to use cheddar you could use gouda, gruyère or a mixture of some parmesan and edam.
This recipe can easily be made vegan.
Ingredients
- ½ a small pumpkin (cut into cubes) approx. 3 cups.
- ½ cauliflower (cut into florets)
- 1 cup of raw cashews (soaked in water overnight or in boiling water for 30 mins and then drained)
- ¼ cup of nutritional yeast
- ½ cup of oat milk or any unsweetened plant-based milk
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 350g pasta
Method
- Steam the veggies for 15 minutes until cooked through.
- In a high speed blender add the drained cashews, oat milk, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, mustard, salt and pepper.
- Once smooth and creamy add the veggies and blend until smooth.
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Once cooked, stir through the vegan cheese sauce and serve.
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