Well, now that I'm off island time and back to reality, I wanted to post my *famous* roasted veggie mac 'n cheese! Yes, I still eat mac n' cheese and no I don't feel guilty about it! Why? Because I don't use ANY butter, the pasta is made from vegetables, it's chalk FULL of mixed veggies. Not to mention, it's sooo good!! I originally found this recipe from Pinterest and I've made it several times. However, I don't think I have made it the same exact way twice! It's a fun recipe to mix up and I love trying new things. I decided to make this on Wednesday night, the day before we left for Captiva. We didn't grocery shop last week because we had left overs from Superbowl to munch on throughout the week as well as a few remaining vegetables from the green market. So, I figured I would try and use up all perishable items before leaving them to go bad over the weekend. I had a great gym sesh after work that day and had worked up a nice appetite so I was ready for something hearty. (Also, the leftovers made for a great lunch the next day!) I rummaged through my pantry and fridge to see what I could throw into this yummy dish & this is what I came up with!
Roasted Veggie Mac 'n Cheese
1 cup frozen broccoli florets, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn kernals
4 sweet little peppers (2 yellow, 1 orange, 1 red), diced
1/4 tomato, diced
6-8 baby carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 onion, chopped
3/4 box of Rontoni Garden Delight Tricolor Rotini pasta (approx 2-3 cups)
1/3 cup virgin olive oil
3-4 tbsp all purpose flour (I used unbleached, whole grain flour)
1 1/4 cup milk (I used unsweeted almond but dairy will do just fine!)
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese + 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (you can stick to just cheddar if you prefer, I just didn't have enough so I supplemented with the mozz)
cayenne pepper
red pepper flakes
paprika
S & P
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place foil down on a baking sheet. Throw your chopped veggies (all but the garlic) onto the foil & coat lightly with olive oil & toss around. Place into oven & bake for about 20 minutes or until most the veggies are soft (the carrots took a little longer than the rest but I like mine a little crunchy anyways). I also threw on some seasonings before placing into oven, but you can wait until after. Your choice!
While the veggies are roasting, heat a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, lower heat and add in pasta. When the veggies are done, take them out a place aside. While the pasta cooks, heat a medium size skillet with the olive oil. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute or until the garlic starts to brown. Slowly start to whisk in your flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. You'll see the mixture start to bubble, add in your milk gradually, whisking constantly to avoid clumping. Once all the milk is added, remove from heat and switch from whisk to a mixing spoon and continue to stir while adding in your cheese. Shake in some cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, paprika and salt and pepper. Bump up your oven temperature to 500 or to a broil setting.
Put your drained pasta into a glass casserole baking dish. Place roasted veggies on top. Then, begin evenly pouring your delicious cheese mixture on top of the veggies and pasta. Once all the mixture is distributed, stir it all up to ensure a nice, even coating. Now, you can add some bread crumbs if you'd like or some additional cheese (I've used grated parm and it's yummy) but I didn't have either on hand so I went without.
Place your casserole dish into the oven and let your mac 'n cheese come a slight bubble or until the top begins to brown. Take it out & serve it up! ENJOY! :)
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