Food Revolution Mac and Cheese

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution show made my very short list (read: we don’t watch a lot of TV) of shows to check out when it debuted a couple of years back.  What I like about Jamie is that he thinks of yummy ways to add veggies to food without hiding them, and I like to do that too. 

A while back I pinned his delicious looking mac and cheese recipe, and decided to give it a try. 

Of course, we tweaked the recipe to reduce the cheese, and increase the veggies even more.  Using extra sharp cheddar cheese gives you more flavor for fewer ounces of cheese, and we do love our veggies.  Hey – what can I say, I’m addicted to making food even better for us! 

Food Revolution Mac and Cheese – Adapted from Jamie Oliver

Ingredients

• 1 (14oz) bag of frozen cauliflower florets
• 1 (14 oz) bag of frozen broccoli florets
• 7 oz (half a box) of pasta {macaroni or shells, preferably whole wheat}
• 6 oz. Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/4 C Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 C Sour Cream
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• sea salt & pepper, to taste

Begin by bringing a large stockpot of water to a boil.  Add in your pasta and boil until nearly done.  Then, add the cauliflower and broccoli to the pasta and cook for the last 5 or so minutes of the pasta. 

Meanwhile, find a heat-proof bowl that will sit on top of one of your saucepans.  Shred the cheeses into the sauce pan and add the sour cream. 

In the smaller saucepan, place about 1 inch of water.  Set the cheese in the bowl on top of the saucepan.  Turn the burner on to medium high and allow the steam from the boiling water to melt the cheese. 

Stir the cheeses occasionally, using a hot pad to carefully hold onto the glass bowl.  If the water is boiling too hard, it might splash out the top – so reduce the heat and use extreme caution during the cheese melting step. 

Add in the parsley, salt and pepper.

When pasta and veggies are done, drain them, reserving about 1/2 C of the pasta water.  Place them in a large serving bowl. 

Carefully remove the bowl of hot, melted cheese from the saucepan.  Allow it to cool for just a moment so you can handle holding it with a hot pad.  Then, pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and veggies. 

Stir to coat.  If the mixture seems a bit dry, add a little bit of the reserved pasta water to increase the creaminess. 

Sprinkle with additional parsley, salt and pepper, if desired. 

At this point, you can pop the dish in your oven to broil it until lightly browned and bubbly.  Or, serve without broiling – that’s what we did.  Mainly because we were too excited to try it!

We enjoyed leftovers with yummy grilled diced chicken thrown in – so consider adding that to the mix as well, for an all-in-one meal dish!

Linked to: Tasty Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday

Don't miss a recipe! Sign up for free email updates.

Roasted Garden Vegetable Lasagna

If your garden is producing a few extra-large zucchini, then this recipe is for you!  Using those big veggies for good, this roasted garden vegetable lasagna turns zucchini into noodles. 



And, there are 9 vegetables in this lasagna.

But who’s counting. 



Roasted Garden Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 –2 extra large zucchini*
• 1 medium green bell pepper
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms
• 3-4 C fresh spinach
• 1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 C baby carrots
• 1 small onion
• 1 head garlic
• 1 (8oz) can tomato paste
• 1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 24 oz. cottage cheese
• 2 oz. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 oz. Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Begin by slicing your zucchini the long way into long thin layers – about 1/4 inch thick.

Place these zucchini strips into a 9x13 glass baking dish. Sprinkle with sea salt and allow the zucchini and salt to sit together for about 20 minutes. 

This salting phase removes much of the liquid in the zucchini – and you’ll be thankful for that later.  Rinse the zucchini after 20 minutes, and pat each slice dry.

Then, place the zucchini strips onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Spray the zucchini lightly with olive oil and the season with a few shakes of Italian seasoning. 

Place the zucchini in an oven heated to 450 degrees.



Allow the zucchini to roast – about 10 minutes, and then flip them over to roast the other side.  If any of your zucchini slices are thinner than others, check on the roasting zucchini to make sure they don’t get overdone.  If they do, just nibble on those! 



In a large baking dish, toss the diced up bell peppers, quartered mushrooms, quartered onion with 1 T olive oil.  Season with Italian seasoning and pepper. 

Add in 1 large garlic clove {slice the top off} and make sure that is coated with oil too.

Place these veggies in the oven with the zucchini and roast for about 15 minutes.



Meanwhile, lightly steam the 2 C of carrots; you don’t want them mushy, but it’s better if they aren’t super hard either.  Then, using a food processor, finely chop the carrots.  Alternatively, you can chop them first and then steam them; just pour off any water before using them. 

In a large saucepan, combine drained tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, carrots, basil and oregano.  {if you don’t have onion, or prefer onion flakes, add those here}



Bring the dish to a simmer and cook for about 10-15 minutes until bubbly and thick.  You want this sauce to have as little water as possible!



When the veggies and zucchini are roasted, remove these from the oven and decrease the oven temperature to 400.



Allow the zucchini to cool enough that they can be handled. 

Carefully remove the roasted garlic clove from the veggie mixture, and carefully {they will be HOT!} pop the garlic out of the skins and add these all into the tomato mixture.  Stir to combine.
 
Then, remove the tomato mix from the heat.   



At this point, gather up the cottage cheese, fresh washed spinach, and shredded cheeses.  You’re just about ready to assemble! 

To begin, lightly grease a lasagna (or 9x13) pan.

Using a ladle, cover the bottom of the pan with the tomato carrot mixture. 

Then, layer the zucchini as “noodles” over the sauce. 



Top that with 1/3 of the cottage cheese, 1/3 of the spinach and 1/3 of the roasted veggies. 



Then, add more tomato-carrot sauce, zucchini “noodles”, and the next 1/3 of the cottage cheese, spinach and the roasted veggies. 



Repeat the layers one more time. 

If you still have zucchini left, add those at this point over the top of the roasted veggies.  If not, just add the final layer of sauce over the top. 

Sprinkle with cheese. 



Place in the oven, uncovered, and bake at 400 for 30-45 minutes until bubbly and cheese is lightly browned.
 


Allow the lasagna to sit for 15 minutes before slicing to serve.  Use a good knife to cut the slices because the zucchini is “harder” to cut through than typical lasagna noodles. 



*You’ll want enough zucchini slices to act as noodles – three layers worth.  Plan accordingly. 

Linked to: melt in your mouth monday, mangia monday, recipe sharing monday, slightly indulgent tuesday, kitchen tip tuesday, what’s on your plate? URS, works for me wednesday, these chicks cook, ingredient spotlight x2

Don't miss a recipe! Sign up for free email updates.

Crockpot Baked Beans

With all the heat fired up across the country, grilling is probably the preferred way enjoy dinner without heating up the kitchen.  However, that poses a problem... what to serve with the grilled goodies that doesn't heat up the kitchen?  Try these crockpot baked beans.

What I love about this recipe - it doesn't rely on canned baked beans.  Instead, it uses basic ingredients to make a delicious baked bean.

Crockpot Baked Beans - Adapted from Eat at Home


4 cans white beans {pinto, navy beans}
1/3 C molasses
1/3 C brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 T minced onion
2 T bacon bits
1/4 C ketchup
2 T apple cider vinegar

Rinse and drain the beans.  Place them into a lightly greased crockpot.

Add the onions and bacon bits.

Stir in the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, molasses and brown sugar.

Cover. Cook on low for 3-4 hours.

Stir occasionally during the cooking process.

Serve warm!

Linked to: What's Cooking Thursday, Mangia Mondays

Zucchini Melts

This cheesy goodness was a nice side dish -- and another way to use up zucchini!

Zucchini Melts - Adapted from Real Mom Kitchen
{Print Recipe}

2-3 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
Season salt
Mozzarella cheese

Slice the zucchini into rings and place in a 9x13 glass baking dish, or on a cookie sheet.

Sprinkle the zucchini slices with season salt.

Roast the zucchini in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes, or until zucchini becomes crisp/tender.

Then, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

Return the pan to the oven and broil until the cheese is browned.

Enjoy!

Linked to: URS

Zucchini Mac

We love zucchini.

And, from what I hear, many of you have it coming out of your ears right now.

Hopefully, this recipe will help.

It's cheesy.

And, filled with veggies and whole wheat!

I also reduced the fat in the recipe by eliminating the butter ... you'd never know the difference.

Zucchini Mac - Adapted from Eats Well with Others
{Print Recipe}

1 1/4 C milk
1/2 lb. whole wheat pasta
1 1/2 T white wheat flour
4 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
4 oz. Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 C whole wheat bread crumbs
2 C shredded {and drained} zucchini

Begin by grating the cheese and zucchini.

When the zucchini is shredded, place it in a thin, clean kitchen towel and squeeze/ring as much water out of the zucchini as possible.  This is a really important step ... otherwise your mac and cheese will be watery... like the Great Lakes.  Then, season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, boil the pasta until just about done.  Drain.

Mix the zucchini, Parmesan cheese and pasta together in a large bowl.

Place the mixture in a lightly greased 9x9 inch glass baking dish.

To make the sauce, begin by combining flour and milk in a measuring cup.  Whisk until combined.

Then, pour the milk/flour mixture into a saucepan.

Heat, while stirring, until thick.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese.

When the cheese is melted, pour 2/3 of the cheese sauce over the pasta and zucchini.

Stir the sauce in with the noodles.

Then, pour the remaining cheese sauce over the top.

Sprinkle with whole wheat bread crumbs.

Bake at 400 {I made mine in the toaster oven} for 15ish minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly!

Enjoy!

This recipe is linked to:
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tuesday Tastes
URS
What's on Your Plate