
Healthier mac & cheese with bacon & broccoli
Print RecipeServings: 4 people
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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Equipment
- 1 Steamer pot
- 1 Large pot
- 1 Baking dish
- 1 Food processor or blender
- 1 Large frypan
Ingredients
- oil spray
Cauliflower
- 250 g macaroni pasta or gluten-free pasta
Pasta
- 1 cauliflower
Broccoli
- 1 broccoli
Bacon
- 250 g bacon
- 1 tbsp / 15 ml olive oil
Sauce
- 100 g / 1 cup parmesan
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 lemon
- 1 bunch parsley
- ¼ cup / 60 ml olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 cup / 250 ml vegetable stock
To finish
- ½ cup / 30 g panko breadcrumbs or gluten-free breadcrumbs
Instructions
Before you start
- Bring a large steamer pot of hot tap water to a boil. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Spray a baking dish with oil spray.
Cook cauliflower
- Cut 1 cauliflower into florets and cook in the steamer pot of boiling water for 5-8 minutes until tender. Place the cauliflower in a blender. Reserve the steamer pot with water.
Cook pasta
- Cook 250 g macaroni pasta in the pot of boiling water according to package directions or until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the prepared baking dish.
Cook broccoli
- Meanwhile, cut 1 broccoli into small florets. Bring the reserved steamer pot of water back to a boil - top up the water if needed. Cook the broccoli for 5-8 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
Cook bacon
- Trim the fat and roughly chop 250 g bacon. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frypan on medium high heat and cook the bacon for 3-4 minutes until crispy and brown.
Start sauce
- Grate 100 g parmesan. Peel and mince 4 cloves garlic. Juice 1 lemon. Roughly chop 1 bunch parsley. Add half the parmesan cheese, garlic, ¼ cup olive oil, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, and a grind of salt and pepper to the blender with the cooked cauliflower.
Finish sauce
- Blend to a smooth sauce (this may time a few minutes), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Using 1 cup vegetable stock, slowly add until desired thickness of sauce is achieved (you may not need to add it all). Slowly add the lemon juice to taste.
To finish
- Preheat the oven on grill function. Add the bacon and broccoli and slowly add the sauce to the baking dish with the pasta until you have a good amount of sauce, toss to coat. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over top then ½ cup panko breadcrumbs. Grill in the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the breadcrumbs are golden.Tip: If the sauce is too thick, add more of the vegetable stock and toss again to loosen the sauce and make it a bit creamier.
To serve
- Divide the mac'n'cheese with bacon & broccoli between plates. Serve with tomato sauce on the side.
Nutrition
Calories: 701kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 2077mg | Potassium: 1218mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 9g | Calcium: 460mg | Iron: 4mg
Dietary note: Be sure to check the label and ensure the ingredients match your dietary requirements/preferences.
Ingredients note: Nutritional information is an estimate based on average ingredients by all brands.