Pepper confetti macaroni & cheese

6 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
8 ounces Macaroni or rigatoni
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 large Onion(s), finely chopped
3 Garlic clove(s), minced
2 Red bell peppers
2 Yellow bell peppers
1 Green bell pepper or
2 Ancho chilies for more spice
¼ cup Flour
3 cups Skim milk
1 cup (to 1 1/2 cups)
Feta cheese
2 tablespoons Dill, chopped or
1 tablespoon Dried dill
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
1 dash Cayenne pepper
1 dash Grated nutmeg
Cooking spray
½ cup Toasted bread crumbs

Directions

SAUCE

1. Bring 4 qts of lightly salted water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Cook the macaroni until al dente, about 8 min. Drain the macaroni in a colander, rinse with cold water to cool, and drain well. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick saut‚ pan. Add the onion, garlic, and peppers and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft and aromatic, but not brown, about 4 min. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 min more. Stir in the skim milk and bring to a boil, stirring steadily. Simmer the sauce until thickened, about 1 min. Stir in the cheese, dill, mustard, salt and pepper, cayenne and nutmeg to taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned.

3. Stir the macaroni into the sauce. Spoon the mixture into a 8x12-inch baking dish which has been lightly sprayed with oil.

Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs. Bake the macaroni and cheese until bubbling, crusty, and golden brown, 30-40 min.

High-Flavor, Low-Fat Pasta by Stephen Raichlen ISBN 0-670-86581-8 pg 29-30

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