Vegetable Mac & Cheese Ramekins

Happy Thanksgiving week!

Throughout the entire year, but especially during the holiday season, one of my main diet principles is portion control. So many people ban certain foods from their lives, only to “fall off the wagon” and binge when their willpower wanes. I promote the idea of balanced eating and moderation because it is what works in the long haul! 

Take pasta for example. Do I eat it daily? No. But do I eat it when I’m in a carb-y pasta mood around every couple of weeks? Hell yea! I just never eat a huge bowl of it (well, unless I’m in Italy…) and I try to sneak some veggies into my pasta dishes to make them heartier and more nutritious.

I recently came up with this idea of making ramekin macaroni & cheese – because ramekins are perfect for built-in portion control.

I added a few of my favorite autumn veggies into the mix with this mac & cheese: baby kale, zucchini and yellow squash.

You can further healthy this recipe up by using whole wheat or bean pasta. Next time I make this, I’m going to try using one my favorite garbanzo bean pastas.

These mac & cheese ramekins are also a great recipe idea if you’re having an intimate gathering over this holiday season! I’d love to host a multi-course dinner gathering and make:

• Course #1 – Soup: Lentil, Tomato & Spinach Soup {vegan + gf}
• Course #2 Salad: Mixed green salad with dried cranberries & honeyed walnut hemp seed clusters (recipe with clusters can be found here)
• Course #3 – these mac & cheese ramekins
• Course #4 – Dessert: Double Chocolate Peppermint Brownies {vegan}

Who wants to be my dinner guest?!

Vegetable Mac & Cheese Ramekins

Foodie Loves Fitness

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 50 mins

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Servings 4

Calories 480 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 8 oz fusilli or other short shaped pasta about 4 1/2 cups cooked
• 3 oz cheddar cheese
• 3 oz monterey jack cheese
• 2 cups packed baby kale
• 1/2 zucchini squash
• 1/2 yellow squash
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 2 TBSP panko breadcrumbs
• 1 TBSP butter
• 1 TBSP flour
• 1/4 sweet onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 TSP salt
• 1/4 TSP pepper
• 1/8 TSP dried oregano

Instructions

 

• Cook the pasta al dente according to directions. Drain and place in a large bowl.
• Mince the onion and garlic, slice the squashes, and roughly chop the baby kale.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 4 ramekins on a large baking sheet.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add in the garlic and onion, and cook until lightly browned. Add in the squashes, and cook for 5 minutes, or just until tender. Add in the baby kale, and sauté just until wilted. Remove the veggies from heat, and pour into the pasta bowl.
• Meanwhile, shred the cheeses. In a deep saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add in the flour and whisk it with the butter. Pour in the milk and slowly add in the shredded cheese, whisking everything together often. Cook until it forms a somewhat thick mixture.
• Pour the cheese mixture over the pasta/veggie mixture. Add in salt, pepper and oregano, mixing everything together well.
• Spoon the mac & cheese evenly into the ramekins. Top each with 1/2 TBSP panko breadcrumbs.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 480kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 21gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 42mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Wishing all of my American and Canadian readers a very happy, healthy holiday this week!

Tell me… What’s one recipe/type of food that you have a hard time practicing portion control with? What are you whipping up for Thanksgiving? 

I find freshly baked bread and tortilla chips so hard to practice portion control with!