Baked Macaroni and Cheese Primavera
Kitchen Tested 
- Yield servings
Everyone loves macaroni and cheese and everyone loves pasta primavera, so what's not to love about this cheesy combination?
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) margarine
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups skim milk
- 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 1 (12-ounce) package cooked elbow macaroni
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Melt margarine in a medium saucepan, stir in flour, and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Gradually stir in milk and heat to boiling, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and add cheeses, stirring until melted.
- Meanwhile, cook broccoli florets in a microwave-proof bowl with a little water in the microwave, about 4 minutes, until crisp-tender.
- Combine cooked macaroni, broccoli, peas, red pepper and cheese sauce in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon mixture into a 2-quart casserole coated with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, covered, 20 minutes. Uncover and continue baking 10 minutes, until golden.
