Hidden Veggie Mac-n-Cheese

So this recipe has made its way into our meal rotation. It is certainly more effort than your average mac-n-cheese, but you get some vegetables in there, so it's worth it! The idea behind this recipe is to sneak vegetables into your kid's meals without them knowing. While I have no children, I do have a friend/neighbor that eats with us regularly who is 21, but eats like an 8 -year-old. This recipe was my first attempt to make him eat his vegetables! And it worked! He loved it! Of course my boyfriend and I are grown people (read: 27 & 24, and still struggling to eat healthy) so there is no need to hide the veggies. But we still like this recipe because it is good mac-n-cheese, with the healthy parts added in!

Of course, this recipe uses pretty tasteless vegetables, so they don't really alter the taste of the dish at all. You'll need a mix of cauliflower, carrots and butternut squash; any ratio to equal 5 cups. I used 2 cups cauliflower, 2 cups carrots, and 1 cup butternut squash. But as you mix your ratios you'll find what tastes best!

First, you'll add exactly 1/2 cup of water (or stock to get in a little extra flavor) to a pot, then toss in your chopped veggies. Cover your pot *super important step* and let them cook until they are tender, just a little more smooshy than fork tender.

Then put the entire contents of the pot (including the cooking water) into a blender. You can also use an immersion blender, or even a potato ricer. As long as you get a puree out of it.

Add the puree to a kind of big pot over medium heat. Then add milk, cheddar, and cream cheese. Let all of that melt and combine.

Then add your cooked macaroni and let sit for 10 minutes on the lowest heat setting you have. Just so the pasta can soak up some of the liquid.

To make it less healthy, and cancel out the effects of the vegetables, I top this dish with bacon crumbles. My favorite bacon tip? Don't even bother with actually cooking bacon (every time I do it is a terrible, terrifying event). If you are lucky enough to have a salad bar anywhere around, load up on some bacon crumbles, then crisp them up in a pan over medium-high heat. Ta-daaa! Bacon crumbles! Ready to top anything that would have once been considered healthy!*

Once everything is ready, top with bacon crumbles and promptly shovel into your face, knowing that you are one step closer to becoming a real, functioning adult that eats their vegetables!