Carroty Mac and Cheese

Melissa Clark, we’ve got to stop meeting like this! First I fell in love with your red lentil soup, then there was your granola, then I came across your carroty mac and cheese in last month’s O Magazine (which I bought because I heard about it from three different sources, and it had some really good articles). I’m hereby adding Melissa Clark’s blog to my reading list!

This dish was good and satisfying, everything I would expect from mac and cheese, and it had the added bonuses of being lactose-free and of discretely containing a serving of vegetables per portion! If it were up to him, the Engineer would top the dish with breadcrumbs; apart from that, we wouldn’t change a thing. We got 4 generous servings out of this dish.

3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 12 oz), divided
2 cups whole wheat macaroni (or your gluten-free equivalent)
2 ½ cups coarsely grated carrots
4 Tbsp margarine or butter
¾ cup lactose-free sour cream (or vegan sour cream)
¼ cup lactose-free whole milk
2 eggs
1 tsp kosher salt
¾ tsp mustard powder
black pepper, to taste
¼ cup grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 °F and grease an 8”-inch square baking pan.

Cook the macaroni in salted boiling water; a few minutes before pasta is finished, add carrots. When the pasta is done, drain, then stir in 2 ½ cups cheddar and the margarine.

In a bowl, whisk together sour cream, milk, eggs, salt, mustard powder and a few grinds of black pepper. Fold into pasta mixture and pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup cheddar and the parmesan on top. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.