I wanted to feel less guilty about eating a gooey rich mac&cheese, so I decided to add some veggies. I used zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes as the “noodle layers” and the mac&cheese as the sauce layers. It was awesome it just doesn’t serve as pretty as a true lasagna. I used a basic cheese sauce that’s used in a lot of recipes, and you can change the ratio and/or cheeses used in the sauce. I used about equal parts gruyére and cheddar - fontina and a blue cheese would also be a great compliment. I also put some images of the different stages in case I don’t explain it well. Here’s how it happened:

Serves 6

1 lb elbow macaroni, or any small pasta

1 quart of milk - I like to use whole milk for cooking

8 tablespoon (1 stick) of unsalted butter

1/2 cup all purpose flour

8oz Gruyére cheese, grated

8 to 12oz Cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1.5 cups bread crumbs

2 small eggplants, sliced thin

2 zucchini, sliced thin

2 tomatoes, sliced

salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile heat milk in a saucepan, but don’t let it boil. Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan, about 4 quarts. Add the flour and continue to whisk for about 2 minutes. While whisking, add the hot milk slowly and continue to stir. Let the milk cook for another minute, until it’s thickened and smooth. Turn off the heat and add all of the cheese and stir until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and the nutmeg. In a large bowl, add macaroni and coat with the cheese sauce.

3. In a 13×9 inch oven proof dish, layer about 2 cups of the pasta on the bottom of the dish. Next, layer with the slices of zucchini, covering the bottom pasta layer. Add another layer of mac&cheese. Layer Eggplant. Spoon on one more layer of mac&cheese and top with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs. Bake uncovered in the oven for about 30-40 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbly. Let stand for 5-7 minutes before serving.

OK, I’m going to admit it - the mac&cheese is from a box - gasp! We all do it - and it was a Whole Foods $.99 special from my pantry - so definitely a step up from Easy Mac. It was also tasty, I might add….. The ribs were divine - my first local pork experience, and I’ll be going back for more. I was reading in the Food&Wine article about local butchers that when you have fresh organic meat, not to dress it up too much, or drench it with sauce. Here’s how I did these Pork Spare Ribs:

Preheat oven to 350F

1. trim off excess fat from the meat. Generously salt and pepper both sides of the ribs. I used a great Grey salt that’s super fragrant and great on meat.

2. Add about 2 tablespoons olive oil to an oven proof sauté pan. Let the pan heat up to medium-high and add your ribs. Let it sear on both sides, about 5 minutes each side. Put the pan in the oven for about 25-35 minutes or until the meat starts to pull away from the bone.

As you can see from the pic, I also made an Arugula salad. I went right to Tyler Florence for a dressing idea - I really feel he’s one of the best at making and dressing salads, at least for my taste. This dressing was sweet and you could still taste the shallots, a great flavor combo. Another homey fall meal - Johnathan is loving this week!