feed me vega
Vegetarian mac ‘n cheese by Jamie Oliver
If there’s one thing Jamie Oliver is good at, it’s comfort food. Even when it’s vegetarian, like this vegetarian version of the all-time classic mac ‘n cheese. Good news: his new book Veg is packed with many more lovely recipes like this.
door Steffi Posthumus
How to make it
- Preheat the oven to 180 °C/gas mark 4. Halve the leek lengthways and wash it well. Peel the garlic. Cut the broccoli stalk into small pieces and reserve the florets for later. Put the chopped vegetables and butter in a large, heavy-based casserole, place over a medium heat, strip in the thyme leaves and keep stirring regularly for 15 minutes, or until soft. Stir in the flour, then slowly pour in the milk and keep stirring regularly for 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni for 5 minutes in a large pan of salted boiling water and drain.
- Grate the Parmesan and most of the Cheddar into the sauce and mix well. Pour the sauce into a blender, add the spinach and blend until smooth – work in batches if necessary. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper, stir the sauce through the macaroni and broccoli florets, and loosen with a splash of milk if necessary. Spoon the macaroni into a 25 x 35 cm baking dish, grate over the remaining Cheddar, sprinkle with the flaked almonds and place in the oven for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. You can also use other fresh or frozen leafy greens instead of spinach, but do remove the tough stalks. I sometimes sprinkle a layer of breadcrumbs over it too, to make the topping extra crispy. Delicious!
- To make it vegetarian, replace the Parmesan with vegetarian hard cheese.
Photography: © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Ltd (2019 VEG) Photographer: David Loftus
Title: Veg
Author: Jamie Oliver
Publisher: Kosmos Uitgevers
Price: €29,99
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