mac and cheese Archives - Fix Me a Little Lunch

Farmer's Market Freezer Meals Lunch Recipes Quick and Easy Vegetarian

Eggplant Mac and Cheese

written by Ali

The last few weeks have seen an eggplant inundation from the CSA, leading me to make eggplant mac and cheese. Because when it doubt, make mac and cheese. In this first week of October, I decided I needed some comfort food for lunch. It just feels right. And eggplant mac and cheese is the perfect anecdote to the early fall blues.

Not that I can complain too much. Our CSA is still going strong – this week we got lettuce, chard, carrots, eggplant, tomatoes, sweet peppers, parsley and hot peppers. I also picked up some zucchini and more tomatoes at the Valley Flora farm stand and we got mushrooms and figs from the farmer’s market. The lettuce went into a salad. The peppers are going into chicken fajitas later this week. The mushrooms went into a swoon-worthy fritatta. The carrots are going to get grated and tossed into the freezer for some recipes later this month. The parsley went into my stock bag in the freezer.

I’m ready for that transition point, though – ready for winter squash, shallots, onions, and potatoes. And really ready for mushrooms. Still, I’ll gladly use up the last of the eggplant.

This eggplant mac and cheese is a super creamy dish. I used a combination of mozzarella cheese and goat cheese. These are a great counterpoint to the nutty sweet roasted eggplant. Just about any pasta would be good with this, but I used cavatappi because it just happens to be my absolute favorite. I’d imagine this would be good with a variety of add ins – bacon might be good, but if you happen to have some home roasted cherry tomatoes, you might try those out, too.

This recipe freezes well. I’ve got only a few days this week when I’ll actually be at my desk for lunch, so this recipe will tide me over through next week.

Yum

Eggplant Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

2 small eggplants or 1 large one
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 package cavattapi or similar pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 ounces goat cheese
salt to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Chop the eggplant into one inch pieces. Lay the eggplant pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes or until the eggplant is soft.
Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and whisk constantly for one minute. Add the milk and stir constantly over medium heat until the milk begins to thicken. Take the sauce off the heat. Add the cheese and stir until it's melted.
Add the eggplant and pasta to the sauce. Mix thoroughly to combine. Add salt to taste.
Serves 4. Enjoy!

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October 2, 2017 0 comment

Freezer Meals Main Dishes

Sausage and Spinach Mac and Cheese

written by Ali

The past weekend was the weekend for comfort food, including this sausage and spinach mac and cheese. As the weather turns gloomy and we realize that the three hour move north really will make a difference in terms of the number of cloudy days and rain, I’m starting to dig around more in Pinterest and my own recipe archives to find foods that evoke warmth and coziness. Mac and cheese is definitely one of these – it’s super indulgent and satisfying.

I much prefer making my own cheese sauce rather than eating mac and cheese made out of the contents of a box. Making cheese sauce can be intimidating, as to get it to the proper thickness, you start with a roux. A roux definitely borders the line between easy cooking into a more Martha Stewart or Nigella Lawson world, but I promise you, it’s not nearly as complicated as it might seem. The key is low heat and paying attention to the butter and flour in the first stage and then keeping a close eye on the milk or cream in the second stage. Keep it on low, use a whisk to keep stirring, and just keep stirring and it will turn out just fine.

I recommend some sort of chicken sausage for this recipe – I used an Olympia Provisions sausage (OP is quite popular in this part of the PNW). Spinach is a good go-to green to include, though this would work well with chard or kale, as well.

Sausage and Spinach Mac and Cheese
Serves 4

Cheese Sauce
1 head roasted garlic (optional)
3 tablespoons butter
1 ½ tablespoons flour
1 cup half and half or milk
2 cups cheese (gruyere works well, as does cheddar)

Filling
4 precooked sausages, chopped into ½ inch pieces
1 bunch spinach
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ package rotini pasta or similar

Breadcrumb Topping
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil

Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil the pasta according to the directions on the package.

While the pasta is cooking, wash and chop the spinach. Sauté the spinach on medium heat in 1 teaspoon olive oil until it is wilted. Remove from the heat and drain in a colander to remove excess moisture. Set aside.

Make the cheese sauce. Add the butter and roasted garlic (if using) to a small sauce pan. Melt the butter over low heat and mash the garlic as the butter melts. Once the butter is melted, add the flour a little bit at a time and whisk it into the butter as you add. When all the flour is incorporated, cook on low for a minute, continuously whisking. Add the milk or half and half and continue to stir for about 5-7 minutes or until the sauce begins to thicken. Once thickened, remove from heat and add the cheese, stirring to incorporate.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Assemble the pasta, sausage, and spinach in an oven-proof pan. An 11 x 13 Pyrex pan works well for this. Spoon the cheese sauce over the pasta mixture and gently fold in. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the breadcrumb topping and then spread the topping over the mac and cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Enjoy!

September 24, 2016 0 comment