Bean Mac N Cheese is a great way to add some fibres in your favourite mac n cheese also offers some crunch in every cheesy bite. This addition did not change the flavour or texture of the whole outcome, in fact it turned out to be an amazing experiment.
Equipment
- non stick pan
- spatula
Ingredients
- 2 cups small macaroni pasta
- 1/2 cup finely chopped french/green beans
- 1 tsp butter
For White Sauce:
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 cup full fat milk
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 pods garlic minced
- 2 tsp crushed black and white pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika powder
- 1 cup grated mozzarella
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar
- salt to taste
- crushed black pepper
Instructions
- Boil 4 cups of water, add some salt and macaroni pasta, let it cook for about 10-15 mins on medium flame. Drain and keep aside.
- Meanwhile in a very small pan, stir fry beans with 1 tsp butter and salt for 2-3 mins until they shrink dry and are cooked well. keep aside.
Making White Sauce
- Heat a non stick pan at medium low flame, spread olive oil then add butter on top, let it melt.
- Add minced garlic, let them turn golden, sprinkle paprika on this, this will add some colour in it.
- Lower the flame, add flour and mix well, mash all the lumps quickly, add more butter if it feels dry. The flour and butter mix shall form a loose lump free paste like consistency.
- Now start adding milk very slowly while you keep stirring with another hand, initially, the mixture gets tight and sticky, but keep pouring and mixing until it becomes a thin yet smooth white sauce without any lumps at all.
- At this point you need to be very attentive, keep stirring in one direction as you clean the edges of the pan with spatula. Keep the flame low and let the white sauce cook.
- In about 4-5 mins the sauce starts to thicken, as soon as you gain a smooth pouring consistency, switch off the heat.
- Immediately add all grated cheese, crushed pepper and stir as they melt.
Fold in beans and pasta
- Add beans and pasta and fold in together to mix well. At this point your Mac N Cheese is ready to eat.
- Additional step (optional) : I prefer baking it inside the oven for few more minutes to get that golden baked top crust. Plus this step also lets the whole mixture absorb any leftover water in pasta. You wont regret doing it, just transfer it in a dish, top with more cheese, dried mixed herbs and bake it uncovered at 200 degrees for 15 mins.
- Top with crushed peppers and serve hot.