Vegetable Macaroni and Cheese

Here is the recipe for the veggie Macaroni and Cheese. This recipe is great for those no meat Fridays during lent. It is a lot of chopping vegetables, so it's not really a quick meal but it is SO GOOOOD and worth it. My parents Tommy and I ate a WHOLE tray of it (Tom was away this weekend), so if you eat a lot in your family or you have 5 or more, I would recommend doubling the recipe. If it's too much it is easily freezable. I doubled the recipe and there is another tray waiting in the freezer for another friday or maybe we will bust it out before then because it was so good. I wasn't expecting it to be that good, but I was pleasantly surprised. Here it is:

Veggie Mac-And-Cheese:

Makes 6-8 servings according to the recipe, but I would double it for sure if you have 6-8 people.

Hands on: 45 min, Hands off 35 min

8 oz uncooked elbow macaroni *this may not seem like enough, but it definitely is*

1 cup chopped fresh broccoli

1 cup diced yellow squash

1/2 cup diced carrot

1 small red onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons of olive oil (for sauteing the veggies) *I always add more O.O for sauteing than recipes recommend*

1 (7 oz) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and diced

1 (16 oz) container ricotta cheese

1(12 oz) can of evaporated milk *I used 2%*

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

3 plum tomatoes, sliced

1/3 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup (2oz) shredded Romano Cheese

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain

Saute broccoli, squash, carrot, onion and garlic together in hot oil until veggies are tender. Remove from heat; add macaroni, bell peppers, ricotta cheese, ev. milk, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper, stirring until blended. *I also added extra Romano cheese to the mix* Stir in beaten eggs.

Pour mixture into a lightly greased 13-x9-inch baking dish. (If desired, cover and chill 8 hours, or freeze up to 1 month; thaw in refrigerator overnight. Let stand at room temp. 30 min before baking) Top with tomato slices; sprinkle with Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs and Romano Cheese.

Bake covered, at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Then, uncover and bake 20 more minutes OR until golden. Serve warm.

Enjoy! Please let me know if you make it and how it turned out for you :) I just thought I would share this, because I know sometimes it's hard to decide what to make on fridays. Tommy really enjoyed this recipe too, it's good for the kids as well.

Thanks for reading!