Sneaky Chef: Lite Mac & Cheese

I knew I’d be very busy this week, so my goal when planning the menu was to make a lot of stuff ahead or toss stuff in the crock pot.

Yesterday, I went the crock pot route with a traditional St. Patrick’s menu, but today I used some of the items I made ahead earlier in the week.

When pondering make-ahead items, I stumbled on a blog entry talking about the Sneaky Chef. Most of the S.C. recipes call for make-ahead items, so that worked perfectly for us this week.

Tonight, we gave this one a try.

http://www.thesneakychef.com/free_recipe_lite_mac_cheese.php

Not only is it a great make-ahead meal, I made it in parts. First the purees, which I then refrigerated. Then, this morning I measured out what was needed for the sauce into a pot and put that in the fridge. So at dinner, all we had to do was make the pasta, heat the sauce, and mix them together.

To say this dish was a hit would be an understatement. The kids wanted seconds and thirds. It tastes exactly like box mac & cheese, but without all that yucky processed cheese and with veggies! We’ll make again… and double the recipe next time.

Tags: food notes, mac and cheese, success, vegetables