Four-cheese mac and cheese
6
Points®
Total time: 1 hr 10 min • Prep: 20 min • Cook: 50 min • Serves: 8 • Difficulty: Easy
Looking for a healthier version of mac & cheese? We use cauliflower and carrots, as well as a little pop of mustard and vegetable stock, to create a velvety-smooth sauce that’s just as good as the original.
Ingredients
Butter
1 tsp
Panko breadcrumbs
20 g
Grated parmesan cheese
2 tbs
Cauliflower
1000 g
Carrot(s)
4 medium, thinly sliced
Vegetable stock, liquid, salt-reduced
1 cup(s), (250ml)
Extra light cheddar cheese
½ cup(s), grated, (60g), grated
Light Swiss cheese
¼ cup(s), grated, (30g), grated
Light cream cheese
¼ cup(s), (60g)
Dijon mustard
1½ tsp
Tabasco sauce
¼ tsp
Dry pasta
250 g, elbow variety
Oil spray
1 x 3 second spray(s)
Instructions
1
Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly spray a shallow 2L (8-cup) capacity baking dish with oil.
2
Melt butter in a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add panko and cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes or until lightly golden. Transfer to a small bowl to cool, then stir in parmesan.
3
Cut 3 cups small florets from cauliflower and set aside. Cut remaining cauliflower, including stems, into 5cm pieces.
4
Cook carrots and large cauliflower pieces in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes, or until very tender. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon and transfer to a blender. Add stock, ¼ cup cheddar, Swiss cheese, cream cheese, mustard and tabasco sauce to the blender. Blend until smooth.
5
Return same pan of water to the boil. Add pasta and cook for about 4 minutes (or half the time recommended on packet instructions), adding reserved small cauliflower florets during last 1 minute of cooking. Drain pasta mixture and return to saucepan. Add vegetable puree and stir to combine. Spoon mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese and panko mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown.
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