Mmmmm, Macaroni and Cheese

After the green hamburgers, I needed some success, so where did I turn?  Macaroni and cheese!  You just can't beat macaroni and cheese.  I could probably find a whole blog that is dedicated to only macaroni and cheese recipes (Oooh, I should look!  Anyone know of one?).  And it is perfect for hiding pureed vegetables.  So here is my first attempt....

While the noodles cooked...  (just over 1 cup uncooked noodles)

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup shredded colby/jack cheese (that is just what we had in the fridge)
1 heaping spoonful cream cheese (to help it be creamier?)
Pepper

I melted it all until it was smooth, then added the cooked macaroni.  I thought it tasted a little pumpkiny, so I threw an extra 1/2 cup of cheese on top and baked it for a few minutes.

:)  I forgot to take a picture of the final product, but here are some of the process...

Oh, I also added peas before I baked it.  More veggies!  Plus I think it looks prettier.  ;) 

I thought it tasted great!  It was creamy and yummy.

The Verdict:

The research team thought the texture was 'different', and liked the baked cheese on the top the best.  Interestingly, he could not guess the vegetable.  

I have three ideas for future mac n cheese:

1.  Use sharp cheddar cheese, stronger flavor will cover the veggies better
2.  Use several different veggies to even out the flavor (next I think I will try pumpkin, tomato, cauliflower)
3.  Add canned salmon... fish flavor dominates everything!  (plus it's so good for us)

I am already looking forward to making more mac n cheese!!

ps.  You will all be happy to know, that I did not put any turnip greens in my brownies.  ;)