Today was moving day for my parents. My husband and I woke up early to help pack boxes and move things into my mum and dad’s new home.
I know that moving can be a very stressful time but somehow we managed to get everything done with a minimum of fuss.
One of the big tasks was clearing out the old kitchen. That meant using up as much food as we could in the fridge. Fortunately there wasn’t much left, just some vegetables that needed to be eaten.
A great way to use up vegetables (and to hide them from kids who otherwise may not eat them) is to make macaroni and cheese. This is a super recipe I got from mum which I have adapted to use up stray veggies.
Unlike macaroni and cheese that uses a traditional white sauce, this recipe has a tomato base which makes it really quick and very simple.
The following recipe is for 4-5 people.
Luna Raye’s Moving Day Macaroni And Cheese.
Ingredients
2 tins of chopped organic tomatoes
2 cups of macaroni (uncooked)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, chopped finely
2 medium carrots chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup broccoli chopped into bite sized pieces
6 green beans cut into thirds
2 1/2 – 3 cups grated cheese (I use mature cheddar). Keep 1/2 – 1 cup for the topping.
1 cup bread crumbs or crushed crackers, corn flakes or crisps for a crunchy topping
9 cherry tomatoes cut into quarters
Directions
Empty the 2 tins of chopped tomatoes into a large casserole dish.
Add the dried herbs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, chopped onion and mix well.
Cook macaroni according to package directions.
While pasta is cooking prepare the vegetables. You can use pretty much anything. In the past I have also used celery, courgette (zucchini), pumpkin and red or yellow peppers. (I find green peppers can go slightly bitter when cooked).
Just make sure whatever veggies you decide to use are chopped finely as they will not be pre cooked. A little bit of texture is nice but you don’t want them too crunchy.
When all the veggies are chopped set the cherry tomatoes to one side.
Add the remaining vegetables along with the cheese to the tomato mixture in the casserole dish.
Once macaroni is cooked drain it and add to the casserole dish.
Stir everything around again to really mix it all up.
Cover with 1/2 to 1 cup of cheese and 1 cup of breadcrumbs or whatever you want to use for your crunchy topping.
Finally, scatter the quartered cherry tomatoes on top.
Cook at 180 degrees for approximately 40 minutes or until bubbling.
Cover the casserole dish with aluminium foil for about 25 -30 minutes of the cooking time so the top doesn’t brown too quickly.
Enjoy!
Of course you don’t have to put any extra vegetables in this dish at all. It works just as well with the tinned tomatoes, macaroni and cheese (plus herbs, mustard and Worcestershire sauce). But it IS a great way to use up those stray veggies lurking in your fridge. It also gave us a much needed boost of energy to pack a few more boxes!
