I haven’t posted a recipe in a while, because I hadn’t tried any new ones until the other night…
Carrot Mac and Cheese
3/4 pound carrots, peeled and cut into smallish chunks (I used 5 medium-large carrots)
juice of one orange
salt, to taste
3 cups pasta (I used a combo of several nearly-empty boxes)
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
(1 Tbsp. chopped tarragon–I didn’t have this, so I added a dash of Italian seasoning and dry mustard for some kind of flavor)
pepper, to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350. In a medium saucepan, combine the carrots with the orange juice and 1/4 cup of water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over moderate heat until the carrots are very soft, about 30 minutes. Transfer the carrots and any liquid to the blender and puree until very smooth. (I unfortunately used up all of Elizabeth’s pureed carrot cubes, or I just would have used those instead.)
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the water.
3. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the reserved water and the carrot puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is coated with a thickened sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in a cup of the cheese and cook, stirring, until very creamy, 2-3 minutes longer. Stir in the spices.
4. Transfer the mixture to a medium baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
The magazine (I can’t remember which one I tore this recipe out of) even tells the nutritional info: 370 cal, 8 g fat, 4.5 g sat fa, 58 g carb, 4 g fiber.
I’ve had this in my recipe binder to try for some time, and it was a huge hit with my kids. It did take a little longer than normal homemade mac and cheese because of the whole carrot puree step, but next time I’ll do double and freeze the other half to cut down on prep time. I like that I didn’t have to add as much cheese, and the carrots definitely made it creamy and orange. I probably wouldn’t have had to bake it for them if I’d been short on time, though the browned cheese on top was a nice touch for the adults. Did I mention it was a hit with the kids? They both had seconds.