Mac and Cheeze with Broccoli

Two posts in two days? That's insane! I must be bored. Or actually cooking real food! Or maybe it's because here in Minnesota we are having yet another snow storm, this time with some freezing rain thrown in for fun. So here we sit...

I make this Macaroni and Cheeze with Broccoli a lot. I mean a lotta lot. Like maybe every other week during the winter. I can't even remember where I found the recipe, I just know it was on someone's blog. It is so freaking delicious, you don't even know. It's so delicious that every time I ask Garrett if he wants me to make it, his eyes get really wide and he nods his head vigorously.

This is sooo cheezy and easy. Imagine the amount of calories and fat it would have if I really used cheese. Yuck. This way is pretty low fat in comparison. And healthier by a long shot.

I usually use whole wheat penne pasta for this casserole, but this time I opted to use the box of quinoa pasta I found at the B&D for like 50 cents or some outrageously low price like that. I had never tried quinoa pasta before, but I am always willing to experiment with other kinds of pastas, and I feel a person should eat a variety of things, including gluten-free options. It was sooooo yummy! Grace was eating it while I was trying to mix things up. It was lighter than wheat pasta, if that makes any sense.

Since I can't really link to the recipe, and I have changed it up a bit over the years, I am going to share it with you. Lucky you! Comfort food at its ultimate best. No joke.

Mac and Cheeze with Broccoli

1 lb box pasta
1/4 cup vegan margarine
1/2 cup flour
3 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
A few dashes black pepper
2 tbsp. tamari sauce (or soy sauce)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
pinch or two of turmeric
1-2 tbsp. canola oil
1 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 -1 cup chopped broccoli
bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Boil noodles and drain. Melt margarine in a saucepan - add garlic and cook for two minutes. Whisk in flour, then add the 3 1/2 cups water, tamari, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Stir until it starts to thicken- a few minutes. Then whisk in the oil and nutritional yeast flakes. Add half the sauce to the pasta and broccoli and mix well. Then pour the rest of the sauce over everything, top with bread crumbs and sprinkle paprika on top. Bake 20-30 minutes, then cool for at least 10 minutes to let it thicken up. This stuff is seriously better the next day.