Here at Coffee Mom headquarters I have been trying hard to create a meal plan and stick to it. Something that I have found that helps out a ton is to do theme nights! It may sound cliche, but Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, etc seem to help make it all stick. This week for Meatless Monday, I made a veggie mac and cheese which was a huge hit with the family. Loaded with cheese and veggies, it had something to please everyone. I even managed to get a video for you guys which I am super excited about, even if it isn’t perfect, I am proud of my video learning process.
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Loaded Veggie Mac and Cheese
This was a perfect meatless Monday option and it was pretty easy to make as well! Y’all know I don’t like any recipe that is overly complicated! The best part? My daughter loved it and ate all of the cheesy veggies AND there were leftovers for days!
Hopefully, y’all enjoyed the video! I have some lighting and angles I need to work out, but hey it is a learning process right? I always like seeing a video to go along with a recipe, just so I can have a visual idea of what I need to be doing.
Meatless Monday
As I mentioned earlier, we have been trying to be better about meal planning. Theme nights have really helped us stick to it and so far meatless Monday is a hit. Of course, my husband did say that my veggie mac and cheese would be great with shredded chicken, so we might have to try that one night to see.
Not only have the themes helped us stick to our meal plan, but I feel like they help us save money as well. Meatless Monday especially helps in the financial arena because meat can be expensive. Even just one day a week not including it in meals can help reduce your grocery costs.
Printable Recipe
Loaded Veggie Mac and Cheese
The perfect veggie mac and cheese for meatless Monday!
Ingredients
- 1 LB Penne Pasta
- 1 Head Broccoli
- 1 Cup Match Stick Carrots
- 1 Yellow Squash
- 1 Bag Shelled English Peas
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Tbsp Flour
- 2 Cups Heavy Cream can substitute for whole milk
- 2 Cups Shredded Cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Cayenne Pepper to taste
- 1 Cup Breadcrumbs
Instructions
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Boil penne noodles according to box instructions
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Melt butter in a large sauce pan
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Whisk in flour
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Slowly stir in heavy cream until smooth. Allow to simmer over low heat to thicken.
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When noodles have approximately 2-3 minutes left, add chopped veggies into boiling water and allow to cook. At this point you should also preheat your oven to 350.
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Drain veggies and pasta and set to the side.
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Return to sauce and mix in half of the cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne. I added a small amount of Parm to my sauce but this is optional.
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Add half of the noodles and veggies to a large glass pan. Mix in half of the cheese sauce. Repeat with the remaining halves.
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Top with the rest of the cheese and breadcrumbs.
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Bake at 350, uncovered, for 25 minutes.
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Let cool and enjoy!
Enjoy!! Now I want you to let me know, what are some of your favorite meatless Monday recipes?
Jessi is the creative mind behind The Coffee Mom, a popular blog that combines parenting advice, travel tips, and a love for all things Disney. As a trusted Disney influencer and passionate storyteller, Jessi’s authentic insights and relatable content resonate with readers worldwide.
Yummy! Love the idea of themed nights especially MeatlessMondays! Pinning this recipe for later! 😀
The themed nights are fun, and seem to help me stick to a meal plan…lol usually half way through the week I give up and order out! Lol
Ooooh YUM! I’ve been on the hunt for some meatless meal ideas. We’re not vegetarians by any stretch but the mere idea of saving on meat thrills me! Add in all the veggies we get from the garden this time of the year (yes, i freeze lots) it’s always nice to have some new ideas to enjoy the bounty!
We aren’t vegetarians either lol,I don’t think I could do it all the time but it is nice having a day of it lol I wish we had a veggie garden. I’m great with my fruit trees, but I always have manages to kill any veggies I have tried! My dad grew up as a farmer but I did not inherit any of his green thumb
This looks DELICIOUS. I love our meatless Mondays and this looks like a great new recipe to add to the mix!
That is a great one skillet recipe that I love. It is so great to get all those veggies in a dish that the kids like and all in one pot.
I have never mixed veggies into my mac & cheese before, but I seriously need to try this. It sounds awesome.
We do a meatless day about once a week and this is a great option! My son loves Mac n cheese. I’d be thrilled if he ate this too!
I think mac and cheese will always be a classic favorite, even for the adults. It would be awesome to have a healthier alternative recipe and this is just perfect! I love that it has broccoli and squash!
Meal planning is such a lifesaver for me! This looks delicious! Adding the veggies pretty much makes it a complete meal in one dish!
This looks delicious! I’ll have to try making this, my kids love mac and cheese.
This sounds so perfect! It is so hard to get the kids to eat veggies so this would be a great way to sneak them in!
I always look forward to your recipes! I love this alternative to the classic carbo loaded recipe! It’s also something that my kids will enjoy!
Mac n cheese is the perfect comfort food. I’ve been making more meatless recipe is definitely going on my list for next week.
Such a quick and easy recipe – thanks for sharing! 🙂
We do meatless meals on Sunday. I don’t know why, but that’s what we picked years ago. This is such a good recipe. One I’ve never considered before.
Looks so good! My very picky eaters ate so many hidden veggies for a long time. They still have no idea!
What a great way to incorportate veggies into a favorite dish. We love mac and cheese. Thanks for the idea.
Oh wow I can’t believe I’ve never thought to do this. My kids would go nuts for this delicious mac and cheese!
I love how you are mixing up this traditional recipe by adding more veg! It is definitely a great way to make it healthier and more filling! Perfect for the kiddos