Very Mac & Cheese

Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

I'm a little one note lately aren't I? Mac & cheese this and that. But I'm hunting for the right one! I'll post my own recipe for mac & cheese here sometime too. Most of the reason I keep making it is because it's just so pleasing and comforting- and fun at the same time! I apologise for the pictures on this once in advance the do not do this yummy dish justice!

Ralph's been working super hard lately, and has still found time to be just ridiculously nice to me. The only way I know of to say thank you to him for his kindness and look after him is by cooking. I found this recipe on Confessions of a Foodie Bride- I just LOVE the photos she takes.. All her food is colourful and he articles are so sweet and happy.. The posts mostly come through when I'm falling asleep (too late!), and they make for the most wonderful bedtime story.

The recipe I found had peas and chicken in it though, but because Ralph doesn't like peas and I'm not too keen on chicken lately, I substituted. I couldn't figure it out for a while, but then it came to me: pumpkin and bacon! The carrots were just an extra yummy veggie to have on the side - I boiled them in sugar water for the whole cooking time, and they came out soft and gorgeous. They went perfectly with the salty cheese and bacon- yum!

I always look out for the quicker suppers, because with the running and work there's so little time, and I don't want poor Ralph eating supper after 8. I tend to make 8- I try for before though! Anyway - the main  point is the speed of the recipe and how it compares to the yumminess of the dish. For this recipe it's a win-win!

Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese
From Confessions of a Foodie Bride

250 g macaroni
1/2 cup low-fat plain yoghurt
8 strips back bacon
200 g cheddar cheese
200g butternut, cut into pea-sized cubes

1) Cook the butternut in a covered bowl in the microwave- it should be done in 5 minutes.
2) Fry the bacon until it's crispy. Then cut up into small pieces.
3) While the bacon is frying, cook the macaroni until al dente. Drain, saving a cup of the drained water, and put the macaroni back in the pot.
4) Add a big handful of cheese, the yoghurt and 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the macaroni and stir thoroughly. Add the rest of the cheese in handfuls, adding some more pasta water to thin out the sauce.
5) Finally add the bacon and pumpkin to the mixture and stir well.

I suppose there's little that can beat the combination of pasta, bacon and cheese- but the addition of pumpkin and carrots? Wonderful.