Cheezy Tomato Macaroni

Cheezy Tomato Macaroni

Traditional macaroni and cheese dishes are no longer part of my diet, but I haven't lost my fond memories of this comfort food, and always have an eye out for vegan versions of this timeless classic.  With this thought in mind, I prepared the "Cheezy Tomato Macaroni" (page 225).  The dish consists of preparing the Mornay-Style Cheeze Sauce and mixing that with canned crushed tomatoes, sautéed onions, and some seasoning to create a cheezy tomato-y sauce.  Cooked macaroni is then folded into the sauce, poured into a baking dish, topped with sliced fresh tomatoes and vegan parmesan cheeze, and baked in the oven. 

I really liked the combination of the Mornay with the tomato mixture.  The sauce provides a smooth base, and the tomatoes and onions add a bit of texture.  The oregano and basil added an Italian flavor.  This really filled the bill, and satisfied my craving for a pasta dish smothered in rich and creamy sauce.  The bonus was there was no added oil (I omitted the oil when sautéing the onions), and no nut butters or other high fat ingredients.  I will most definitely add this to my list of repeatable dishes.

My only complaint about this recipe is that is calls for 2 ½ cups of the Mornay sauce, but the recipe for the sauce only makes 2 cups.  Because I wanted to make sure I had enough sauce, but didn't want to double the recipe, or try to figure out how to increase it by just ½ cup, I reduced the amount of macaroni called for from 8 ounces to 6 to accommodate.  This worked out perfectly. 

I'm finding sticking to whole grain pastas the hardest part of meeting my challenge, and did end up using white flour macaroni!