Veggie Mac and Cheese: Meatless Monday Meals

Here at Coffee Mom headquarters I have been trying hard to create a meal plan and stick to it. Something that I have found that helps out a ton is to do theme nights! It may sound cliche, but Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, etc seem to help make it all stick. This week for Meatless Monday, I made a veggie mac and cheese which was a huge hit with the family. Loaded with cheese and veggies, it had something to please everyone. I even managed to get a video for you guys which I am super excited about, even if it isn’t perfect, I am proud of my video learning process.

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Loaded Veggie Mac and Cheese

This was a perfect meatless Monday option and it was pretty easy to make as well! Y’all know I don’t like any recipe that is overly complicated! The best part? My daughter loved it and ate all of the cheesy veggies AND there were leftovers for days!

Hopefully, y’all enjoyed the video! I have some lighting and angles I need to work out, but hey it is a learning process right? I always like seeing a video to go along with a recipe, just so I can have a visual idea of what I need to be doing.

Meatless Monday

As I mentioned earlier, we have been trying to be better about meal planning. Theme nights have really helped us stick to it and so far meatless Monday is a hit. Of course, my husband did say that my veggie mac and cheese would be great with shredded chicken, so we might have to try that one night to see.

Not only have the themes helped us stick to our meal plan, but I feel like they help us save money as well. Meatless Monday especially helps in the financial arena because meat can be expensive. Even just one day a week not including it in meals can help reduce your grocery costs.

Printable Recipe

4.6 from 5 votes

Print

Loaded Veggie Mac and Cheese

The perfect veggie mac and cheese for meatless Monday!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 LB Penne Pasta
• 1 Head Broccoli
• 1 Cup Match Stick Carrots
• 1 Yellow Squash
• 1 Bag Shelled English Peas
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 2 Tbsp Flour
• 2 Cups Heavy Cream can substitute for whole milk
• 2 Cups Shredded Cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Cayenne Pepper to taste
• 1 Cup Breadcrumbs

Instructions

1. Boil penne noodles according to box instructions

2. Melt butter in a large sauce pan

3. Whisk in flour

4. Slowly stir in heavy cream until smooth. Allow to simmer over low heat to thicken.

5. When noodles have approximately 2-3 minutes left, add chopped veggies into boiling water and allow to cook. At this point you should also preheat your oven to 350.

6. Drain veggies and pasta and set to the side. 

7. Return to sauce and mix in half of the cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne. I added a small amount of Parm to my sauce but this is optional.

8. Add half of the noodles and veggies to a large glass pan. Mix in half of the cheese sauce. Repeat with the remaining halves. 

9. Top with the rest of the cheese and breadcrumbs.

10. Bake at 350, uncovered, for 25 minutes. 

11. Let cool and enjoy!

Enjoy!! Now I want you to let me know, what are some of your favorite meatless Monday recipes?

Jessi

Jessi is the creative mind behind The Coffee Mom, a popular blog that combines parenting advice, travel tips, and a love for all things Disney. As a trusted Disney influencer and passionate storyteller, Jessi’s authentic insights and relatable content resonate with readers worldwide.