Grilled Vegetable Mac & Cheese

Love traditional mac and cheese but want to make it healthier? This veggie mac and cheese is brimming with delicious vegetables! Summer squash, zucchini, red and green bell peppers, Portobello mushrooms and Vidalia onions provide not only wonderful flavor, but plenty of nutrients too. Combine these veggies with pasta, seasoning and Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar and you have a scrumptious meal that will satisfy your craving for comfort food while delivering extra nutritional benefits. Try it out and then share the recipe with friends and family on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Ingredients

Vegetables:
1 summer squash
1 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 portobello mushroom
1 vidaila onion

Mac and Cheese:
1 lb. penne, large elbows or shells
4 cups milk*
16 ounces Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, grated (about 4 cups)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) Cabot Salted Butter
1 cup of Panko bread crumbs
8 tablespoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

For the Vegetables:

Slice the zucchini and summer squash lengthwise, into ¼ inch thick slices. Cut off tops and bottoms of peppers, cut into quarters lengthwise and remove seeds and veins. Clean the Portobello mushroom and peel the onion and cut it into ½ inch thick slices.

Place all the vegetables into a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss gently to coat. Add salt and pepper and toss gently again. 

Grill the vegetables over a charcoal or gas grill for about 10 to 15 minutes, turning two or three times. Remove from grill once tender with slightly charred grill marks.

Coarsely chop vegetables, cover and set aside.

Note: Feel free to use any combination of your favorite vegetables in this recipe. You can also roast or sauté the vegetables if you don’t have a grill or prefer not to grill.

For the Mac and Cheese:

Begin by preheating the oven to 375°F. Cook pasta until al dente, drain, place in a large bowl and set aside.

Melt Cabot Salted Butter in a heavy-bottomed pot or saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, a little at a time, until well blended. Continue stirring for one to two minutes, then slowly add the milk and keep whisking for another two or three minutes. Add the Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar and stir until it melts completely and is fully blended into the mixture.

Place heat on low and add dried basil and dried thyme. Cook while stirring for about 3 or 4 minutes. When sauce is done, add half of it to the pasta and mix well. Add the grilled vegetables and the other half of the cheese sauce and mix again.

Place in a lightly greased 13×9 inch baking dish. Top with breadcrumbs until the top of the pasta is lightly covered. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

For another delicious, healthy mac and cheese dish, try our Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese Gratin! Did you know Cabot is a co-operative of over 1,100 farm families who continuously strive to produce the best dairy products around? If you love this veggie mac and cheese as much as we do, we’d really appreciate it if you could rate and review the recipe when you have the chance!

Recipe courtesy of Jimmy Kennedy.