Cook Well for Less

Cheesy Vegetable Pasta Bake

Turn macaroni cheese into a colourful second dinner with mixed vegetables and a crisp bread-and-Cheddar topping.

Prep
10 mins
Cook
30 mins
Total
40 mins
Difficulty
easy
Serves
2
Illustration: Cheesy macaroni and colourful vegetables under a crisp breadcrumb topping
Cook Well for Less · AI-generated pencil and watercolour illustration

Get ready

Ingredients for 2 portions

  • Approximately 600 g macaroni cheese reserved from Macaroni Cheese
  • 300 g frozen mixed vegetablescooked according to the packet instructions and drained well
  • 75 ml milk
  • 1 slice breadtoasted until dry, cooled and crushed into breadcrumbs
  • 30 g mature Cheddargrated
Equipment
  • saucepan or microwave-safe bowl for the vegetables
  • colander
  • ovenproof dish
  • wooden spoon

Cook

Method

  1. Heat the oven

    Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6. Take the reserved macaroni cheese from the fridge while you prepare the vegetables, but do not leave it at room temperature longer than needed.

  2. Prepare the vegetables

    Cook the frozen mixed vegetables according to the packet instructions, then drain them very well so they do not make the bake watery.

  3. Loosen and combine

    Put the chilled macaroni cheese in an ovenproof dish and break it up gently with a spoon. Stir in the milk a little at a time until the sauce coats the pasta again, then mix in the drained vegetables and black pepper. Spread the mixture evenly in the dish.

  4. Add the crisp topping

    Mix the breadcrumbs with the grated Cheddar and scatter them evenly over the pasta.

  5. Bake and serve

    Bake for 20–25 minutes until the topping is crisp and golden and the pasta is bubbling and steaming hot throughout. If the centre is not steaming hot, return it to the oven and check again. Serve immediately and reheat the reserved macaroni cheese only once.

Start with another recipe

Where the saved food comes from

This recipe starts with food deliberately saved from another Cook Well for Less recipe. The ingredient list shows the amount this recipe expects.

  1. Illustration: Creamy macaroni cheese with a golden topping and a spoon lifting curved pasta from an ovenproof dish

    Make and save first

    Macaroni Cheese

    Reserve approximately 600 g of the finished macaroni cheese before finishing the first meal.

    Loosen the reserved macaroni cheese with milk, add vegetables and bake it under crisp breadcrumbs and Cheddar.

    Start with Macaroni Cheese

Use what you've got

Easy swaps

  • Cooked or quick-cooking vegetablesFrozen peas and sweetcorn, or small broccoli florets, can be used if that is what you have.

For later

Storing and using leftovers

Storage

Keep the reserved macaroni cheese refrigerated and use it within 48 hours of making the original batch. Once baked and reheated, serve immediately rather than cooling and reheating it again.

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