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Four-cheese mac and cheese

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.

Notes

TIP: If preferred, divide mixture between 8 small (1-cup capacity) ovenproof dishes and reduce baking time to about 15 minutes.