Healthier mac & cheese with bacon & broccoli recipe Family-Friendly Meal Planning Subscription Weekly Shoppable Dinner Recipes Easy Meal Plans with Shopping Lists

Healthier mac & cheese with bacon & broccoli

Print Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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.

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