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Veggie Mac And Cheese

Veggie mac and cheese with a golden panko topping and creamy cheddar-guruère sauce. Loaded with blanched broccoli, peas, roasted red peppers, and spinach for a hearty American main dish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Elbow pasta or shells
  • 1 lb elbow pasta or shells
Blanched broccoli florets
  • 2 cup broccoli florets Blanch before mixing into the casserole.
Frozen peas
  • 1 cup frozen peas
Roasted red peppers
  • 1 cup roasted red peppers Dice before mixing.
Baby spinach
  • 1 cup baby spinach
Sharp cheddar and Gruyère
  • 3 cup sharp cheddar Shred for best melt.
  • 1 cup Gruyere Shred for best melt.
Dairy for sauce
  • 2 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Butter and flour
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
Seasonings
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
  • Salt To taste.
  • pepper To taste.
Topping
  • 1 cup panko
  • 2 tbsp butter For topping.
  • 0.25 cup parmesan

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 9x13 baking dish.
  2. Cook the pasta in boiling water until tender, then drain.
Make the cheese sauce
  1. Melt the unsalted butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat, then whisk in the all-purpose flour.
  2. Cook the roux for 1 minute, whisking, to remove the raw flour taste.
  3. Gradually add the whole milk and heavy cream, whisking until smooth.
  4. Simmer the sauce until thick, with a coating texture.
  5. Stir in the sharp cheddar, Gruyere, Dijon mustard, and smoked paprika until fully melted.
Assemble the casserole
  1. Fold the cooked pasta, blanched broccoli florets, frozen peas, diced roasted red peppers, and baby spinach into the cheese sauce, then season with salt and pepper.
  2. Transfer the mixture to the greased 9x13 dish.
  3. Mix the panko with the topping butter and sprinkle it over the mac and cheese, then scatter parmesan on top.
Bake
  1. Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, until the topping turns golden and the edges bubble.

Notes

For the creamiest bake, keep the sauce thick before combining with the pasta—if it seems loose, simmer 1–2 extra minutes. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat in the oven or microwave until hot. Freezing is yes: freeze portions up to 2 months and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating. For a lighter option, use half-and-half instead of whole milk and reduce cheddar by 1/2 cup while keeping the bake time the same.