Marvelously Easy Mac & 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. 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!, 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!

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Mac-less n’ Cheese vegetarian and gluten-free

Recipe: Phoebe Canakis, PhoebesPureFood.com

Yields 6 servings

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!

Ingredients

• • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) diced onion

• • 2 Tbsp butter or olive oil

• • 2 Tbsp flour

• • 1 tsp dried mustard

• • 1/4 tsp salt

• • 1/8 tsp pepper

• • 1/8 tsp smoked paprika

• • 1 1/2 cups (2 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• • 1, 5-ounce container nonfat Greek yogurt

• • 4 Tbsp milk

• • 10 ounces sweet potato, peeled and spiralized (on the thicker option, not shredded)

• • 10 ounces zucchini, trimmed and spiralized (on the thicker option, not shredded)

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease an 8x8” or 9x9” baking dish.

1. 1. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat simmer the butter and onion until the onion is tender, about 4 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat. Simmer for 1 minute.

1. 1. Add the spices, cheese, yogurt and milk to the onion mixture stirring until evenly combined.

1. 1. 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.

1. 1. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for 8 minutes.