Kickin' Vegetable Mac and Cheese

Who doesn't love macaroni and cheese?  I think if you say you don't, you are a LIAR!  I recently found a recipe through Pinterest for a Summer Vegetable Macaroni and Cheese , and I decided to put my own spin on it.  I totally changed up how to make the cheese sauce and based the technique on how the hubby and I have been making mac and cheese for awhile now.  I thought that adding a little bit of spice, so I changed up the cheeses too, adding a chipotle flavor.  

Here's What You Need:

1 box of macaroni noodles

1 cup fresh squash

1 cup fresh zucchini

2 Roma tomatoes

1 cup fresh broccoli

1/2 cup grated carrot

2 cups milk 

1 cup chipotle cheddar cheese

2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese

3 tbs all purpose flour

3 tbs unsalted butter

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried mustard

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp cayanne pepper

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

 extra virgin olive oil

Here's What You Do:

Boil the macaroni noodles according the instructions on the box.

While the noodles are boiling, take the cut squash, zucchini, broccoli, and carrots, and saute them in some olive oil for 4-5 minutes, until tender.  Stir into the drained macaroni.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Slowly whisk in the flour until smooth.  Slowly add the milk, followed by the onion powder, salt, dried mustard, nutmeg, and cayanne pepper.  Let it come to a boil over medium heat, then remove from the heat.

Stir in the chipotle cheddar and 1 1/2 cups of the extra sharp cheddar.  Pour melted cheese mix into the macaroni and vegetables and stir.

Pour macaroni mixture into lightly greased baking dish.  Top with sliced Roma tomatoes.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and remaining shredded cheese.

Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, or until top is slightly browned.