Spicy Roasted Vegetable Mac & Cheese

Holy cow, this is a GOOD dinner recipe. It's pretty darn healthy (for mac & cheese) and it feeds a lot of people. My husband and I made it one night and had it for our lunches the next few days.

I cannot take credit for this yumminess though.....found this on www.thecomfortofcooking.com. I did do a tad bit of tweaking to the recipe for added flavor :)

HAPPY COOKING!

Spicy Roasted Vegetable Mac & Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup broccoli florets, chopped into small chunks

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1 yellow squash, diced

3-4 carrots, diced

2 cups whole wheat pasta (elbow macaroni, rotini, penne, etc.)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, minced

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp. panko breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Set a medium pot of salted water to boil. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining with aluminum foil and coating with a little olive oil or nonstick cooking spray.

Toss broccoli, bell peppers, squash and carrots onto the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until vegetables have softened. Remove from oven and set aside.

Once water is boiling, lower heat slightly and add pasta, cooking according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and jalapeño pepper and cook 30 seconds. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, stirring constantly until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in cheddar cheese until well distributed and melted. Add cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Add macaroni and vegetables.

Place mixture in a large casserole dish and sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs. Place under the broiler in your oven (500 degrees) for 3-4 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!