Nowadays I have got into the practice of innovating lunch box ideas just to make something convincing for my preschool so that she would eat her lunch at school. My little one is not a great fan of mac and cheese and would back off even if I say the name. I tried the mac and cheese recipe with white cheddar cheese instead of the orange cheese (which I have already posted in this blog) and named it as white pasta (Yeah!! I have to invent new names too). She liked it and ate it only the first day and it came back untouched for the next couple of times.. So I made a spicy version of the mac and cheese with broccoli (That's one of the few vegetables she likes) and packed it with a garlic bread and prayed that she should like it. With all that hype...Here's the recipe for the spicy mac and cheese..
Things you'll need:
Macaroni - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 small, chopped
Garlic - 2 gloves, minced
Italian seasoning - 1 tsp (optional)
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt - as required
Ground black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Fresh or frozen broccoli florets - 1/2 cup
Evaporated milk - 1/2 cup
All purpose flour - 1 tbsp
Shredded cheddar cheese - 1/4 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp
Yield - 2 Servings
Method :
Step1:
Bring 3 cups of water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and the macaroni, and let it cook for 10 mins until the pasta is cooked (should be firm and not too soft). Drain and keep aside. Cook the broccoli with some salt and pepper (I cooked it well enough to mash it. You could just blanch the florets and add them to the pasta)
Step2:
Heat the butter in a pan and saute the onion and garlic for couple of minutes. Add the Italian seasoning, chilli powder, salt and pepper and saute them for a while. Add the flour and stir until the flour is incorporated into the mixture. Its ok if the mixture turns dry after adding the flour.
Step3:
Add the evaporated milk slowly and mix well so that the flour mixture is mixed well with the milk and no lumps are formed. Once the mixture thickens and becomes creamy, switch off the stove and add the cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese melts.
Step4:
Add the pasta and the broccoli. Mix them all and serve with a toasted garlic bread. If you are packing it for lunch, warm 2 tbsp of milk and pour it over the pasta before closing the lunch box so that the pasta stays wet and creamy.
PS: My kiddo ate the garlic bread and had only a couple of bites of the mac and cheese. I would give it one more try before going for the next experiment.. I liked it with some nachos though.. :)
Things you'll need:
Macaroni - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 small, chopped
Garlic - 2 gloves, minced
Italian seasoning - 1 tsp (optional)
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt - as required
Ground black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Fresh or frozen broccoli florets - 1/2 cup
Evaporated milk - 1/2 cup
All purpose flour - 1 tbsp
Shredded cheddar cheese - 1/4 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp
Yield - 2 Servings
Method :
Step1:
Bring 3 cups of water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and the macaroni, and let it cook for 10 mins until the pasta is cooked (should be firm and not too soft). Drain and keep aside. Cook the broccoli with some salt and pepper (I cooked it well enough to mash it. You could just blanch the florets and add them to the pasta)
Step2:
Heat the butter in a pan and saute the onion and garlic for couple of minutes. Add the Italian seasoning, chilli powder, salt and pepper and saute them for a while. Add the flour and stir until the flour is incorporated into the mixture. Its ok if the mixture turns dry after adding the flour.
Step3:
Add the evaporated milk slowly and mix well so that the flour mixture is mixed well with the milk and no lumps are formed. Once the mixture thickens and becomes creamy, switch off the stove and add the cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese melts.
Step4:
Add the pasta and the broccoli. Mix them all and serve with a toasted garlic bread. If you are packing it for lunch, warm 2 tbsp of milk and pour it over the pasta before closing the lunch box so that the pasta stays wet and creamy.
PS: My kiddo ate the garlic bread and had only a couple of bites of the mac and cheese. I would give it one more try before going for the next experiment.. I liked it with some nachos though.. :)
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