mac-less and cheese

This may be the easiest mac and cheese you’ll make. There is the cheese to contend with but there is no pasta and the dish is just as satisfying. Because the spiralized vegetables substitute for the pasta, You’ll skip the boiled pasta step, instead pouring the cheese sauce over the vegetables and bake!

In a recent Healthy Weeknight meals class I taught at ZEST!, (I’ll be teaching a Greek Cooking class on March 10th) we played with the Paderno brand spiralizer. I have the older version and do like it. It’s easy to use, quick to set up and clean. It’s a great way to play with your vegetables. If you do not have a spiralizer julienne the zucchini, it will still work!

Check out the Roasted Beet and Citrus Salad I made with the spiralizer.

mac-less and cheese

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Although not thoroughly guilt-free we can do our best! Cutting back on some of the hard cheese and substituting with fat-free yogurt is a step in the right direction. Using vegetables instead of pasta counts too! I prefer my vegetables with a bit of texture. If you prefer them very soft you may choose to bake the dish a few minutes longer. Just give it a quick taste test!

: phoebe's pure food

: vegetarian and gluten-free

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• ½ cup (2 ounces) diced onion
• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon dried mustard
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1½ cups (2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1, 5-ounce container non-fat Greek yogurt
• 4 Tablespoons milk
• 10 ounces sweet potato, peeled and spiralized (on the thicker option)
• 10 ounces zucchini, trimmed and spiralized (on the thicker option)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease an 8x8” or 9x9” baking dish.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat simmer the butter/oil with onion until the onion is tender, about 4 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat. Simmer for 2 minutes and add the spices, stirring to combine.
3. Add the cheese, yogurt and milk to the onion mixture. Stir the cheese mixture, over medium-low heat until evenly combined.
4. Spread the sweet potato and zucchini in the baking dish, top with the cheese mixture and gently stir the sauce into the vegetables. Do not stir to coat but just to spread evenly over the top.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 8 minutes.

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