pepper jack mac 'n cheese

Last night our fridge was looking a little bare.  I mean, it is full - but greatly lacking in the veggie department.  Our pantry was no better either.  I am doing my best to buy only the food we need for the week, but kind of forgot to plan a meal out for last night...

So after a short walk with Maia, brainstorming the entire time with Nic about what we should make for dinner, we got home and I was suddenly inspired to make mac 'n cheese (okay, okay, so I opened Allrecipes.com and saw a photo for mac 'n cheese and thought that looked delicious! :)

I looked at a few recipes online, but ultimately decided to wing it.  The outcome was a slightly spicy, creamy and oh so good pile o cheesy noodles!

Pepper Jack Mac 'n Cheese:
(sorry - no photo for you, it was dark and the photo looks like crap)


You'll need:
2 cups whole wheat pasta - uncooked
2 T olive oil
1/3 cup yellow onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 T flour
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/2 cup (slightly packed) grated Cheddar
1/2 cup (slight packed) grated Pepper Jack
1 cup sweetened soy milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup roasted red peppers - chopped
1/2 cup peas
1/3 cup + 3 T panko

Heat oven to 350*
Cook pasta according to package (I stopped mine a few minutes early - it will finish cooking in the oven)

In a pan over medium heat, heat olive oil, onions and garlic for about 15 minutes, or until onions and garlic start to brown.  Add flour and whisk for a minute.  Slowly stir in soy milk and chicken stock - cook until thickened.

When sauce has thickened, slowly stir in both cheeses until melted.  Taste sauce here and season with salt and pepper.

To the cheese sauce add roasted red peppers, peas (I threw them in directly from the freezer), and cooked pasta.  Pour into a greased dish, top with panko (I sprayed the the panko with a little bit of cooking spray) and cook for about 35 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and top is brown.

I served this up on a huge pile of spinach.  Delicious!

Next time I might add more red pepper flakes so this dish packs more punch.