My most favourite freezer meal in the world… Macaroni Cheese with a Twist (Macaroni Cheese Thermomix recipe with 4 different hidden vege!).
This healthy kids Thermomix recipe is so incredibly easy to make and makes A LOT. I like to make this for dinner and then freeze any leftovers in portions for easy kids dinners.
Over the years this Macaroni Cheese Thermomix recipe has saved the sanity of so many Skinnymixers parents, who needed to try and get their children to eat more vegetables.
This Macaroni Cheese Thermomix recipe is a fantastic base recipe, that you can easily adapt to your family’s taste. Some prefer to swap the ham for crispy bacon or tinned tuna or even crispy chorizo… drool!
Whichever way you decide to go, one of the best tips when making this recipe is to cut your vegetables small and really make sure it is cooked well before blitzing. This will avoid any strange texture from slightly undercooked vegetables.
If you are making this Hidden Vegetable Mac n Cheese for a fussy eater, you may find this fantastic ‘Thermomix Recipes for Toddlers:Surviving a Fussy Eater’ recipe guide useful.
For any Skinnies needing a Dairy Free Macaroni & Cheese, I highly recommend my Dairy Free Cheesy Spelt Pasta recipe.
Ingredients
- 100 g cheddar cheese - 2 cm cubed
- 60 g parmesan cheese - 2 cm cubed
- 100 g sweet potato - peeled, 1 cm cubed
- 100 g carrot - peeled, 1 cm cubed
- 100 g pumpkin - peeled, 1 cm cubed
- 1 zucchini - roughly chopped (peeled if you don't want your children to spot the microscopic green specks)
- 300 g macaroni
- 500 g milk
- 50 g spelt or plain flour
- 40 g butter - 1 cm cubed
- 200 g ham - diced
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp mild paprika powder
- 1 Tbsp chicken stock concentrate
- 1 pinch freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Add cheeses into mixer bowl, mill for 10 sec/speed 9/MC on. Set aside.
- Place 1,200 g or 42.3 oz water into mixer bowl, boil for 10 min/steaming temp/speed 1/MC on.
- While the water is boiling, prepare your vegetables making sure they are cut very small and put into the large steaming tray.
- After 10 mins, add your macaroni to the boiling water, and put your large steaming tray in place.
- Cook for 10 min/steaming temp/speed 1/reverse.
- Drain macaroni and put into a large thermal pot to keep warm.
- Put your steamed vegetables into the mixer bowl with 100 g of the milk, purée for 30 sec/speed 8/MC on or until smooth.
- Stir puréed vegetables through macaroni.
- Put flour, remaining milk & butter into mixer bowl, cook for 6 min/90°C or 195°F/speed 2/MC on. While this is cooking you may like to pan fry your ham (or bacon if preferred).
- Add ham, reserved cheeses, mustard, paprika, stock concentrate and pepper to mixer bowl. Cook for 2 min/90°C or 195°F/speed 2/reverse/MC on.
- Pour sauce over maraconi and stir through. I highly recommend you give it a taste at this point, and add a pinch or two of salt depending on your preference.
Notes
Nutrition
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