We’ve replaced some of the pasta in this macaroni cheese pasta bake recipe with veg for a lighter, more nutritious bake that will still hit the spot when you’re craving comfort food!
We've added cauliflower, kale, peas and green beans but feel free to add any veg you like! Roasted sweet potato or pumpkin would also be delicious.
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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
35 mins
Total Time:
50 mins
Cal/Serv:
588
Ingredients
225g
macaroni
200g
green beans, trimmed and halved
250g
cauliflower, cut into small florets
3Tbsp.
olive oil
50g
plain flour
600ml
semi-skimmed milk
125g
extra mature cheddar, finely grated
2tsp.
wholegrain mustard
100g
frozen peas
50g
kale, shredded
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to boil. Tip in pasta and cook for 5min, add green beans and continue cooking for 2min more, then tip in cauliflower, bring back to boil for a final 2min, until just cooked and still crunchy. Drain.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat 2½ tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and whisk in the flour. Cook for 2min, until beginning to smell toasty, then take off the heat. Gradually add the milk, whisking until smooth between each addition. Return pan to the heat and cook for 10min, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Stir in 100g cheese and the mustard. Season.
Step 3
Add pasta, cooked vegetables and peas to the sauce, stir well. Spoon into 4 mini ovenproof baking dishes (or one large dish – see GH Tip). Toss the kale with remaining oil and cheese and scatter over the pasta. Cook in the oven for 15-20min, until bubbling and golden.
The mixture will also fit into a 1.7 litre ovenproof baking dish: cook for 20-25min, until piping hot through.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
