Mac & Cheese With Vegetables

          Mac & Cheese, this used to be my daughter's favorite snack when we were back in the US, but I used to make it from the Mac & Cheese sachets that we get back there. After coming to India, whenever I brought cheese, it was mozzarella but when I bought this good quality Cheddar Cheese, I wanted to make it. I like the combination of red pepper/capsicum with cheddar cheese, so I just added some sauteed capsicum and green peas towards the end and it tasted absolutely delicious..

Need To Have

• Elbow Pasta/Macaroni - 2 cups
• Milk - 3/4 cup
• All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 tablespoon
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese - 1 + 1/2 cup
• Mustard Powder - 1/8 teaspoon
• Red Capsicum - 1, chopped
• Fresh or Frozen Green Peas - 1/2 cup
• Salt to taste

Method

          Heat some oil, add the capsicum and green peas and saute them with some salt. if needed, cover and cook till the peas are cooked, remove and keep. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box.

          Heat half the quantity of milk, on the side mix the flour with the remaining milk. Add the flour mix to the hot milk and keep stirring on medium low heat, till the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon, at this stage remove it from the heat.

          Now add the cheese a little at a time and whisk it well. Add the salt and mustard powder and mix well to form a smooth sauce.

          Add the cheesy mixture to the cooked and drained pasta and mix in well, at this stage mix in the sauteed vegetables and enjoy.

Note
I mixed the veggies to only half the quantity of the pasta.
You can add some chilly flakes and black pepper for more spiciness.
If the pasta is very thick, then mix in some pasta water to thin it out.