Everyone needs to try this SYN-FREE macaroni cheese

Macaroni cheese was one of my absolute favourite meals to eat before I started Slimming World.  My mum makes the best ever (I'm actually salivating thinking about it!)

I've really struggled to find a recipe that sounds as nice as the one mum makes, but thought I'd give this one a go from the Slimming World website and it was delicious.  It wasn't up there with mum's, but it was soooo tasty and syn-free which is even better!!

I had to tweak the recipe slightly as I didn't have the roasted pepper from the jar, but everything else I did the same.

Apart from one of the best bits about mum's macaroni cheese which I could add into this without making it naughty - bacon!  I just chopped some bacon, fried it and then mixed it in at step three when mixing everything else all together. 

It serves four (even though I could have eaten it all) so we had it re-heated for lunch the next day.

If you don't use the reduced fat cheddar as your healthy extra for the day, you'd need to add 6 syns.

Ingredients

• 300g dried macaroni
• Low calorie cooking spray
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 roasted red pepper in brine from a jar, finely chopped
• 1 courgette, coarsely grated
• 400ml vegetable stock
• 4 tbsp tomato purée
• 200g low-fat natural cottage cheese
• 1 tsp English mustard powder mixed with 1 tsp water
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 160g reduced-fat Cheddar coarsely grated
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• A salad of mixed leaves and thinly sliced yellow peppers, to serve

Method

1. Preheat your over to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6. Cook the macaroni according to the packet instructions, then drain well and tip into a wide mixing bowl.
2. Meanwhile, place a large frying pan sprayed with low cooking spray over a high heat. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper and courgette, and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add to the macaroni.
3. Put the stock, tomato purée, cottage cheese, mustard and eggs in a jug and whisk until smooth. Pour this over the macaroni mixture, then stir in three-quarters of the Cheddar. Season and toss well.
4. Transfer to a shallow, ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the remaining Cheddar and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbling and golden. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, then serve with the salad.