Mixed Bell Pepper Mac and Cheese

Mixed Bell Pepper Mac and Cheese by DK on Mar 5, 2014

Pepper Mac and Cheese | Kid friendly recipes | Easy Kids lunches

You know the problem with being a food blogger? Or say a cooking enthusiast? I will tell you. The family members of such a person can't recognize a special dish from a regular one. Or they take it for granted. Or they get tough to please. Or.... I dunno. May be its my family. Asking for Gulab jamuns (its been so long..), Shahi Paneer (just feel like it all of a sudden, Dinner is 20 minutes away, so you have time don't you?), an apple pie (hey, there's some apple on the counter, so why don't you), Angel Food cake (need a protein kick today!) comes very naturally to them and that too on a regular week day. You get the idea, don't you? Sigh!

So, when they ask me to make something special, what do I do? Nothing seems "special enough". But given that it comes with the package of trying out a variety of dishes to my heart's content, I realize I am in a good place indeed. Touch-wood!. So once when such a situation arose on a weekday, I tried this version of Macaroni and cheese. Given that they absolutely love Baked Macaroni and Cheese, I knew this one would go through their taste test. It did and how!

I especially love the addition of greek yogurt and vegetables. Though this one uses only bell peppers (duh!), you can add in others as well. The crunchy topping is optional, but oh my; what that crunchy top does to the gooey pasta is to be eaten to believe. You can also add in your own seasoning instead of Cajun mix. Easy to customize and not much of an effort either. More importantly, given how seeing them eat with such gusto puts a smile on my face -its worth every single minute. We, cooking enthusiast can at times be such emotional and passionate wrecks...Sigh! :)

References

Adapted from Eating Good 4 Life's recipe

Basic Information

Prep Time: Under 30 min

Cook Time: 30 min to 1 hour

Serves: 4 person

Yield: Makes enough for 4 - 5 people plus might have leftovers

Ingredients

For the Pepper Pasta

16 ounce Whole Wheat Elbow Pasta
1/2 large Red Bell Pepper
1/2 large Yellow Bell Pepper
1/2 large Green Bell Pepper
1 Large Scallion/Green Onions, chopped
2-3 Garlic cloves, chopped

For the Sauce

3/4 cup Greek Yogurt, see Tips
3/4 cup Milk, see Tips
8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated, see Tips
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated, see Tips
1 tsp Cajun Seasoning, or see Tips
1/2 tsp Sea Salt, or to taste

For Crunchy Topping

Tips

1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1 tbsp Coconut Oil
1/2 tsp dried Basil
1/4 tsp dried Thyme
1/4 tsp dried Oregano

Tips

1. Greek Yogurt: I use fat free Greek Yogurt.

2. Milk: I have used Raw Whole Milk. Use the one you have on hand.

3. Cheddar Cheese: I have used Vegetarian Raw Milk Sharp Cheddar. Please refer: Is Cheese Vegetarian?

4. Parmesan Cheese: I have used Vegetarian Parmesan Cheese. Please refer: Is Parmesan Cheese Vegetarian?

5. Cajun Seasoning: I have used store bought Cajun seasoning in this recipe. But Food.com and AllRecipes.com have recipes if you want to make some at home. If this seasoning is not your thing, you can totally add your own seasoning mix like any Mac and Cheese recipe of your liking.

6. For the Crunchy Top: Depending on the size of your baking pan and taste preference, you might need to double the recipe. Also the herb seasoning mix is my favorite and you can add any herbs of your choosing. Instead of Extra Virgin Coconut oil that I use, you can add Butter instead.

Method

Chop the peppers finely. I have used large peppers and all the three together amounted to 2 cups.

In a skillet add 2 tsp coconut oil (or olive oil/butter) and place the peppers.

Cook them until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the scallions and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Switch off heat and set aside.

Prepare the pasta according to package instructions. Under cook the pasta for a couple of minutes as it will cook further in the oven.

While that's cooking , place the sauce ingredients in a food processor

and pulse until well combined.

Preheat your oven to 375F. Transfer the cooked pasta to a baking dish.

Add the veggies followed by the sauce.

Mix all the ingredients until the pasta is well covered with the sauce.

Cover the dish with foil paper

Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes. While its baking, mix the ingredients for crunchy top in a bowl. Set aside.

Remove the Pasta from the oven.

and sprinkle the topping until it covers the top completely. Depending upon the size of the pan and your taste, you might need double the recipe. Extra crunchy is always good no?

Now broil this on high for 2 minutes or until golden.

Be very careful here since even a minute of distraction can burn the whole thing. Once reddish golden, remove and enjoy immediately.

Enjoy it as it is or serve it with Ketchup. No points for guessing that I enjoyed my mac and cheese drizzled with Sriracha :) Pepper Mac and Cheese | Kid friendly recipes | Easy Kids lunches

Cook time: 30 min to 1 hour
Prep time: Under 30 min
Serves: 4 person
Yields: Makes enough for 4 - 5 people plus might have leftovers

Ingredients

For the Pepper Pasta

16 ounce Whole Wheat Elbow Pasta
1/2 large Red Bell Pepper
1/2 large Yellow Bell Pepper
1/2 large Green Bell Pepper
1 Large Scallion/Green Onions, chopped
2-3 Garlic cloves, chopped

For the Sauce

3/4 cup Greek Yogurt, see Tips
3/4 cup Milk, see Tips
8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated, see Tips
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated, see Tips
1 tsp Cajun Seasoning, or see Tips
1/2 tsp Sea Salt, or to taste

For Crunchy Topping

Tips

1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
1 tbsp Coconut Oil
1/2 tsp dried Basil
1/4 tsp dried Thyme
1/4 tsp dried Oregano

Tips

Method

1. Chop the peppers finely. I have used large peppers and all the three together amounted to 2 cups.

2. In a skillet add 2 tsp coconut oil (or olive oil/butter) and place the peppers.

3. Cook them until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the scallions and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Switch off heat and set aside.

4. Prepare the pasta according to package instructions. Under cook the pasta for a couple of minutes as it will cook further in the oven.

5. While that's cooking , place the sauce ingredients in a food processor

6. and pulse until well combined.

7. Preheat your oven to 375F. Transfer the cooked pasta to a baking dish.

8. Add the veggies followed by the sauce.

9. Mix all the ingredients until the pasta is well covered with the sauce.

10. Cover the dish with foil paper

11. Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes. While its baking, mix the ingredients for crunchy top in a bowl. Set aside.

12. Remove the Pasta from the oven.

13. and sprinkle the topping until it covers the top completely. Depending upon the size of the pan and your taste, you might need double the recipe. Extra crunchy is always good no?

14. Now broil this on high for 2 minutes or until golden.

15. Be very careful here since even a minute of distraction can burn the whole thing. Once reddish golden, remove and enjoy immediately.

Enjoy it as it is or serve it with Ketchup. No points for guessing that I enjoyed my mac and cheese drizzled with Sriracha :)