Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Hidden Veggie Macaroni


Follow me for more great vegan ideas: Facebook   Pinterest   Twitter   Instagram

We have a "picky eater" in our house. Getting vegetables into her is sometimes a challenge, to say the least. I "hide" vegetables in everything from smoothies to pasta sauce to make sure she is eating balanced meals. 

This meal is full of vegetables, but your "picky eater" will never pick them out in this sauce.  I added broccoli because my daughter actually likes broccoli, but if your child prefers another vegetable, just substitute that vegetable as the "obvious veggie" to get them to try the pasta. Yes, broccoli is my bait! Make it your own recipe because you know what works best for your family.


Recipe:

1/3 cup oil of choice 
1 tsp. Chopped fresh garlic 
1 cup yellow squash, chopped * 
1 cup carrots, chopped 
2 cups cauliflower, chopped 
2 1/2 cups of unsweetened  plant milk
  1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. Garlic powder 
1/2 tsp. Paprika 
1 Tbsp. Fresh lemon juice 
1/2 cup nutritional yeast 
Salt and Pepper to taste 
3 cups steamed broccoli 
1 (16 oz) package of pasta

Cook pasta according to package. Drain and return to the pot.

Heat oil and garlic over medium heat, just until the garlic becomes fragrant. 

Add plant milk and allow to come to a boil. 

Add cauliflower, squash, carrots, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper. 

Cook an additional 10 - 12 minutes,  until vegetables are soft.

Pour milk and veggies into a high powdered blender. 

Add nutritional yeast  and lemon juice. 
* adjust salt and pepper if needed*

Blend on high until smooth. 

Pour vegetable sauce over pasta.

Add broccoli and stir to combine. 

Cook over medium heat an additional 2-3 minutes to thicken sauce.

Makes 4 - 5 servings.

* If you cannot find yellow squash, you can use any squash you like. (Butternut is great) If you are using zucchini or eggplant, make sure you peel the skins off first so it doesn't make your cheese sauce a funny color ( which can make picky eaters suspicious!). 
  








3 comments:

  1. Do you think this "cheese" sauce would freeze ok? I'm not sure how the plant milk Would freeze. Would be super great if one could freeze it in ice cube portions and reheat a few for a fast lunch!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sure it does. I freeze other sauces with plant milk just perfectly. Yes, you can freeze in cube portions :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have not tried it with this particular sauce, but have had success with other similar sauces.

    ReplyDelete