If you are pregnant or nursing, or at goal weight, then this a great THM XO recipe that incorporates hidden veggies into mac and cheese. And don’t worry – when you tell your family the recipe, “mac and cheese” is part of the name! No need to mention the first two words.
Equipment
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Although highly recommended, you do not have to have a Ninja chopper (I used the 48 oz pitcher for this recipe) or food processor for this recipe. You could, as mentioned in the recipe, crush the crackers by sealing them in a bag and smashing them with a mallet, and mash the butternut squash by hand as well… but if you do go that route, make sure to get the butternut squash very soft, or it won’t mash very well and might be detectable.
Mac and Cheese Ingredients
Adobo seasoning tastes wonderful on butternut squash (the hidden vegetable in this dish) but technically is not on plan due to a small amount of added sugar. You could make your own sugar-free Adobo seasoning, or simply leave it out… or, if you are a drive thru Sue, I just use the kind from the store and call it good.
Oat FIBER, used for making the roux in this mac and cheese, is NOT interchangeable with oat FLOUR. They are not the same thing. I love Trim Healthy Mama brand of oat fiber, and stock up in a big Trim Healthy Mama store order when I can.
You could probably use a different type of Wasa cracker if the multigrain ones aren’t available, but I have not tried a different variety yet.
Psst! Need another side dish to round out the table? This simple sautéed zucchini is quick and easy to make (which is nice when you are already laboring over one side!) and a delicious accompaniment to the mac and cheese.
Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese
Equipment
- Ninja chopper or food processor
Ingredients
- 1 med butternut squash peeled, finely diced
- 1 med yellow onion finely diced
- coconut oil spray
- 1 tsp Adobo seasoning
- 1 pkg bacon (about 14 slices)
- 12 tbsp butter salted, divided
- 4 tbsp oat fiber (NOT oat flour)
- 3 c almond milk original unsweetened
- 8 oz swiss cheese grated, divided
- 8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese grated, divided
- 16 oz Dreamfields pasta shape of choice
- 9 multigrain Wasa crackers crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large rimmed cookie sheet with foil.
- Toss the peeled, diced butternut squash and onion with a spritz or two of coconut oil spray, and the Adobo seasoning. Spread on the foil lined cookie sheet.
- Cut the bacon into about 1 inch chunks and top the squash mixture with it - do NOT stir.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for about an hour, or until the squash is soft and the bacon is cooked crisp.
- MEANWHILE, in a Ninja chopper or food processor (recommended since it will be handy later, but you could also use a gallon size zippered bag and a meat mallet) pulverize the Wasa crackers until only small chunks remain. Set aside.
- Grate both the cheddar and the swiss cheeses, set aside.
- Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- When the squash is fully soft, remove the bacon to a bowl and set aside. Place the remaining squash, bacon grease and onions in the food processor or Ninja you used to crush the crackers (sans crackers) and puree. Set aside.
- Now start the roux by melting 4 tbsp of the butter in a medium to large pot over medium low heat. Slowly whisk in the oat fiber, until the mixture has fully thickened and is golden brown. Now drizzle in the almond milk little by little, whisking constantly.
- Once mixture is fully incorporated, switch your whisk for a spoon, and a little bit at a time, add half of each cheese until fully melted.
- Stir in the pureed butternut squash.
- Now add the pasta and bacon pieces, and stir again.
- Pour into a glass 9x13 baking dish, and set aside.
- Melt the remaining 8 tbsp salted butter, and mix with the crushed Wasa crackers. Top the macaroni mixture with the remaining half of each cheese, and the crushed Wasa cracker mixture.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the crackers are slightly darker in color.
- Enjoy!
Notes
If you try this recipe, please let me know how it turns out in the comments below!
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
[…] get you started? Cooking and baking are excellent skills that can benefit your whole family! This hidden veggie mac and cheese is a personal favorite side dish… that while it takes a bit more effort than traditional mac […]