MAC & CHEESE WITH VEGETABLES and PEPPER

MAC & CHEESE WITH VEGETABLES and PEPPER: Mac and cheese is one of the most popular pasta foods especially in western countries. They call it as THE COMFORT FOOD. This is a true heaven for the cheese lovers. It is normally not a very healthy option on a daily basis especially for people above the age of 30 because of the high fat content. If you are a big fan of this food you may try out the lean version that is the one with low fat cheese and enriched with vegetables.

I have not used the low fat version cheese, in fact I have used cream cheese (I eat this once in a blue moon....I swear!) You may choose the array of vegetables you love. You may even add cooked shredded chicken.

Macroni is the almost C shaped pasta. You may even try it with other pasta shapes. Pasta is an authentic Italian dish.

INGREDIENTS:

Macroni – 1 to 1 ½ cup

Water

Salt to taste

Carrot – 1

Potato -1

Any other vegetable you like ( broccoli, cauliflower, capsicum, etc)

Cream cheese or cheese spread – 1 heaped tablespoon

Shredded chicken – ¼ cup

Butter – 1 tablespoon

Pepper powder to season

Herbs and leaves of your choice for garnishing

METHOD:

Cook the pasta in hot boiling water along with salt till the pasta becomes tender but firm. Clean and cut the vegetables into small pieces.

Take a heavy bottomed pan and add butter. You may use half butter and replace the other half with any vegetable oil. Add and sauté the vegetables and with shredded chicken. Cook well.

Add cream cheese or cheese spread and mixes well. Add pepper powder and cooked pasta. Ensure that the pasta and veggies gets a generous coating of cheese. You may garnish with coriander leaves or any other herb. Serve hot!