If you’re fed up with the same old green juices and smoothies, look no further. Meet the ‘super greens mac and cheese’ – a scrumptious 530-calorie dish that’s bursting with veggies but doesn’t skimp on flavour.
Nutrition expert Emily English has touted this meal as a superior alternative to your typical leafy morning drinks. She took to Instagram to showcase her culinary creation, providing followers with a detailed guide to whip up four servings, each brimming with 35g of protein.
“As a nutritionist, you know that I love to get in my greens, but do you know what is better than a greens juice? Mac and cheese,” she said. “This is my super greens mac and cheese. Absolutely delicious, perfect for a mid-week meal, it stores so well, and I’ve honestly been eating this for lunch throughout the week.
“It’s one of those recipes that you don’t have to follow along exactly, you can pretty much use whatever veggies you like, whatever protein you like. You can make this fully plant-based by just omitting the chicken.
“It’s so perfectly balanced, it’s a brilliant way to get loads of vegetable diversity but still super tasty and something that you want to eat, which you know is the foundation of all of my recipes.”
Emily revealed her ingredients list, which includes the following:
- One chicken stock cube
- Grated strong cheese, 80-100g (Emily uses a combination of mature cheddar and Gruyère)
- One broccoli head
- One courgette, deseeded
- Two garlic cloves
- Dry-weight pasta, 200g
- One banana, shallot, or small red onion
- One heaped tablespoon of plain flour
- Half a teaspoon of dried rosemary or fresh
- One leek
- Two handfuls of shredded kale
- Cooked weight of shredded chicken, 250g
- One heaped teaspoon of Dijon mustard
- Frozen peas, 100g
- Semi-skimmed milk (or any milk you like) 650- 750ml
- Two celery sticks
For the crumbly top layer, she also added:
- A handful of parsley
- A handful of fresh basil
- Sprinkle of salt
- Whole grain bread, 80g (stale is easier to blitz or toast slightly)
- One small garlic clove
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To begin, slice the leek, celery, shallot, garlic, and kale before shredding the broccoli into ‘small bites’. Deseeding the courgette is also advised before finely chopping its flesh, too.
Meanwhile, warm olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the leek, celery, shallot, courgette, and garlic with a pinch of salt. Cook this for eight to ten minutes.
Emily continued: “Sauté for 8-10 minutes until softened, then add rosemary and black pepper. Mix in the flour and cook for a minute. Gradually pour in the milk, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
“Add the stock cube and Dijon mustard, then simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened but still saucey. Loosen with more milk if needed.” Emily suggests simultaneously cooking the pasta for eight minutes in boiling salted water until it reaches the al dente stage.
This should be left to the side while the sauce continues cooking. “Stir the chicken, peas, cavolo nero, and broccoli into the sauce and simmer for five minutes until vibrant and cooked down.
“If it’s not saucy enough, add a splash more milk as you don’t want it dry! Turn off the heat, stir in the cheese to melt, and season to taste. Mix in the cooked pasta and transfer to a baking dish.”
To complete the dish, blend bread, garlic, basil, parsley, and salt, and sprinkle the mixture over the top. Bake in a fan-assisted oven at 195°C for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Emily added: “Rest before serving, I like to have it with a side salad.”