Between our home-delivered farm-fresh milk and the cheese addiction my toddler shares, we consume a lot of (hormone-free) dairy products in our house. A favorite way to use up the assorted bits and ends of cheeses in our cheese drawer is my baked macaroni and cheese, with roasted red peppers. I don’t believe in hiding vegetables in food, but I do exploit the “better together” theory of adding vegetables to something the toddler is guaranteed to eat. He loves to look at different colored peppers, but rarely eats them. I find that roasting the peppers first gives them a velvety smooth texture that goes better in creamy pasta than crisp fresh vegetables, making them a little less objectionable to sensitive eaters.
Recipe: Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Red Peppers
Ingredients:
- 2 roasted red peppers, cut in thin 1-2 inch slices
- 2 cups uncooked macaroni
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups shredded cheese (favorite blend: cave-aged cheddar, smoked gouda, Wallaby)
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmigiano (or similar, used Dry Jack recently)
Instructions:
Cook macaroni according to package instructions, but subtract 3 minutes from cooking time. While macaroni cooks, melt butter in saucepan over low heat. When melted, stir in flour, salt and mustard and cook until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and whisk in milk, stirring until lumps are dissolved. Return to high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until boiling. Boil and stir 1 minute, until sauce begins to thicken. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheese until melted and smooth.
Drain macaroni. Combine with red peppers and cheese sauce and pour into 2-quart casserole pan. Mix together breadcrumbs and parmigiano cheese and sprinkle over top. Bake 25-30 minutes, until topping is golden. Makes 6 servings. Enjoy!
Shared with Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by its founder, Ruth of Once Upon a Kitchen. Check out this week’s round-up for more yummy pasta inspiration!
12 responses so far ↓
1 Jill // Mar 31, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Oh the deliciousness! Will definitely make this soon.
2 JessTrev // Mar 31, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Awesome! Can’t wait to try it!
3 Mama Kalila // Mar 31, 2009 at 6:11 pm
That sounds great! I’m trying another new mac and cheese recipe this week (a crockpot one) but will def have to come back here for this one at some point soon.
4 mary // Mar 31, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Yum. I’ve never thought of putting roasted red peppers in mac and cheese. Sounds delicious.
5 Tania // Mar 31, 2009 at 8:34 pm
OMG – that looks so delish! Going to make this without peppers for the hubby, but next time he is gone for work I will bring on the peppers!!!
Tania
6 Ruth // Apr 3, 2009 at 7:57 am
One word…HEAVENLY! Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.
7 sarah // May 1, 2009 at 1:52 am
hi, I was wondering which farm delivers milk? (in nova as well) thanks!
8 foodietots
Twitter: foodietots
// May 6, 2009 at 1:03 am
@ sarah ~ It’s South Mountain Creamery in MD, you can check their website to see if they deliver to your zip code.
9 FoodieTots.com » Blog Archive » Meatless Monday Meal Planning // Nov 9, 2009 at 12:23 pm
[…] Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Red Peppers […]
10 Kid Kat // Feb 10, 2011 at 6:25 am
Oh wow, this takes me back to school days – in food tech, this was always my dish of choice ever since I learned how to make it. It’s so satisfying to make a white sauce and watch it come together really smoothly.
11 web designing // Jul 25, 2014 at 9:11 am
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breakfast because I found it for him… lol. So let me reword this….
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12 FoodieTots.com » Blog Archive » Smoked Cheddar Pepperoni Pull-Apart Bread // Jan 30, 2015 at 12:11 pm
[…] smoked gouda at our old neighborhood farmers market weekly, and it’s still a favorite in my mac and cheese. Something about the word “smoked” suddenly made this crave-worthy. I happened to have […]