Working Mom's Recipe of the Week

Root Veggies Mac-n-Cheese
Servings: 8
Time: 30 min

Ingredients
1/2 lb carrotes, sliced 1" thick
1/2 lb parsnip, sliced 1" thick
1 lb elbow pasta
4 T butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, diced
3 T flour
2 c 2% milk
1 T Old Bay Seasoning
2 1/2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese (9 oz)
1 c shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions
Bring pot of salted water to boil; add carrots and parsnip. Cook 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and transfer to a food processor or blender - puree. Bring second pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta until al dente (5 min). Drain.

Meanwhile, in a lare pan, melt butter. Saute onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add flour and stir until just moistened. Whisk in milk and simmer until just thickened. Remove from heat. Add Old Bay Seasoning. Add 2 cups of the cheddar cheese and melt while stirring slowly with a wooden spoon. Taste and season with salt/pepper.

Preheat broiler. Stir pureed veggies and cheese sauce into pasta. Transfer to a casserole dish and sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Broil for 5 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Note: The trick to not having grainy sauce is to remove the sauce from heat and letting it cool for a couple minutes before adding the cheese. It will take longer to melt the cheese, but the cheese won't separate and the sauce will come out smooth.

From: Rachael Ray Magazine (Oct 2010)