Creamy Mac and Cheese with Vegetables

A plate of macaroni and cheese with a broccoli and bread crumb topping.

5 from 1 vote

Creamy Mac and Cheese with Vegetables

This nutritionally amped up mac 'n cheese recipe is a great option for a family night. I use parmesan and sharp cheddar cheeses to pack in a ton of flavor without too much cheese. I love the blend of onion, cauliflower and carrots because it yields a beautiful orange sauce that isn't sweet and doesn't overpower the cheesy flavor. Don't skip the broccoli and bread crumb topping! Both crisp in the oven and make this dish irresistible!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 802kcal

Author: Michelle Miller

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion diced
3 cups carrots diced (10 ounces)
5 cups cauliflower chopped (12 ounces)
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable bouillon
1 teaspoon paprika
4 cups gluten free macaroni uncooked
5 cups broccoli (12 ounces), chopped
1 cup parmesan cheese shredded
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded

Gluten Free Breadcrumbs

1 cup crisp brown rice cereal
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon butter melted

Instructions

Make gluten free breadcrumbs by adding brown rice cereal, sea salt and Italian seasoning to a blender, and blending until the cereal is completely crushed up. Set aside.
Boil pasta. Remove from heat and drain before the pasta is completely cooked. It will soften more when the pasta is baked. It's especially important to not overcook gluten free pastas.
Create the veggie puree cream sauce. In a large saucepan or dutch oven, add olive oil and diced onion. Sauté for 5 minutes until the onion is softened. Add carrots, cauliflower and 1 cup of water. Cover, and steam vegetables on medium high heat for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are very tender. Add 1/4 more water if necessary.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
While veggies are steaming, chop broccoli. Reserve 1 cup of finely chopped broccoli for topping, and roughly chop the rest.
Shred cheese, and mix Parmesan and cheddar together.
Add steamed veggies to a blender along with vegetable bouillon powder and paprika. Blend until a creamy sauce is formed, about 3-4 minutes. Season with black pepper.
In the sauce pot, add undercooked pasta, and pour the veggie puree sauce over the top. Add in roughly chopped broccoli and 1 cup of the mixed shredded cheese. Mix together, and then put into a 8x8 baking dish (or oven safe dutch oven).
Mix 1 tablespoon of melted butter into rice crisp breadcrumbs.
On top of the pasta, layer the cheese first, then the broccoli, and the breadcrumbs last. This will keep the cheese from drying out, but allow the broccoli and breadcrumbs to get crunchy.
Bake pasta dish for 25 minutes if all ingredients are still warm, and up to 35 minutes if ingredients have cooled before baking. To keep the topping crunchy, I don't cover with foil, but place a baking sheet on the rack above the casserole for the first 20 minutes to keep the topping from over-browning.

Notes

See post above recipe for ideas on substitutions and time-saving tips. *I first tried blending half of the cheese into the veggie sauce, but found that adding the veggie sauce and the cheese separately gave it a much cheesier flavor.

Nutrition