Green mac and cheese recipe
The perfect comforting supper - this classic mac and cheese has been given a delicious twist with added courgette, broccoli, peas and leek. An easy pasta recipe that makes a marvellous midweek meal.
See method- Serves 4
- 5 mins to prepare and 35 mins to cook
- 521 calories / serving
- Freezable
Ingredients
- 300g frozen peas
- 250g macaroni
- 1 leek, trimmed and thickly sliced
- ½ head broccoli, stalk trimmed and diced into 1cm cubes, top broken into small florets
- 1 courgette, half coarsely grated, half chunkily diced
- 4 tbsp pesto
- 500g fresh cheese sauce
- 2 tbsp grated vegetarian hard cheese or Parmesan
Each serving contains
- Energy
- 2195kJ 521.0kcal
- Fat
- 18g
- Saturates
- 8g
- Salt
- 1.8g
- Sugars
- 13g
of the Reference intake
Carbohydrate 70.0gProtein 23.6gFibre 9.8g
Method
- Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Boil the kettle. Put half the peas in a heatproof bowl and pour over some freshly boiled water; set aside to defrost.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the macaroni following the packet instructions, adding the leek and broccoli for the final 2 mins of cooking time.
- Remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the remaining frozen peas and the diced courgette. Leave to stand for 1 min, then drain.
- Meanwhile, drain the defrosted peas and transfer to a mixing bowl along with the pesto. Mash the peas with the pesto using a potato masher, until just combined. Pour over the cheese sauce, then add the grated courgette; mix well.
- Stir in the macaroni mixture, ensuring the pasta is evenly coated in the cheesy sauce. Transfer to a large baking dish and scatter over the cheese. Bake for 20 mins, or until bubbling and golden.
- Tip: To make this recipe gluten-free, swap the pasta for Tesco Free From macaroni pasta.
- See more Pasta recipes
Freezing and defrosting guidelines
Once the dish has cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight, freezer-safe container, seal and freeze for up to 1-3 months. To serve, defrost thoroughly in the fridge overnight before reheating. Loosely cover with foil and bake until dish is thoroughly heated through. Reheat until piping hot.
