It’s been a long running tradition that when I have to make dinner just for me, I make Macaroni Cheese. It’s a treat because my fiancee hates cheesy things so when he’s not around I go overboard. However Macaroni Cheese is just a bit on the plain side, it was perfect when I was a kid, but now I am looking for something that vaguely contains a vegetable in my dinner – that’s where the salsa comes in.

salsa

Salsa is perfect because its super quick to make, I feel that adding something more complicated would only ruin the one of the main wins with Mac’n’Cheese – the speed. Also the crunchiness of the vegetables gives the creamy cheese sauce an extra lift.

The Salsa

  • 1/4 large beef tomato, diced small
  • 1/2 green pepper, also diced small
  • 1/2 red chilli, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
  • Season with black pepper

METHOD

  1. Mix together all ingredients, make sure not to add too much lemon juice, you just want enough to coat the vegetables.

The following has been adapted from this recipe on allrecipes, the quantities have been modified to suit a meal for one and the salsa addition is my own. Also you should note that I don’t actually use Macaroni, I never have any in my kitchen and I don’t see the point of buying a whole different shape of pasta for just this recipe! I would use almost any type of pasta, but would probably avoid the long thin ones like Spaghetti and Tagliatelle.

macaroni cheese with salsa

Macaroni Cheese

  • 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1/4 yellow onion, thinly chopped
  • 1/2 tablespoon of plain flour
  • 200ml of milk (I used semi-skimmed)
  • 80g of pasta, I used Fusilli.
  • 60g of cheese.

METHOD

  1. Add olive oil to a pan and heat gently, add the onion and cook till it starts to go transparent, don’t brown it.
  2. Add the flour and mix thoroughly. Add the milk, and mix again making sure there are no lumps.
  3. Add the pasta, and bring to the boil. Take the heat down to a simmer and put the lid on the pot. Cook for around 15 minutes until the pasta is cooked through.
  4. Stir in the grated cheese, mix in. Once melted, serve.
  5. Optionally top with salsa

macaroni_cheese_topped_with_salsa