Vegetarian Pasta

There are times I get an idea for a recipe and spend weeks thinking about it, shopping for it and testing and re-resting it.  That's not the case with this one.  This recipe was a total fluke and you'll love it.

My parents are vegetarians and were coming to visit recently.  Time to pull out the vegetarian recipes.  My mother-in-law was going to do the grocery shopping (she usually does and I'm totally spoiled).  I told her I was going to make Macaroni and Cheese.  I was meaning the recipe I posted several months ago.  It's a great "go to" recipe for kids, vegetarians or just cheese lovers.  I sat the box of Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta (my favorite pasta) out on the counter.  When I got home my wonderful mother-in-law had purchased all the ingredients for the Mexaroni and Cheese recipe that was printed on the pasta box.  Amused, I read the recipe and it looked worthy of trying...YUM!!!  You'll love it!

Mexaroni and Cheese

1 Pkg. Super grain gluten-free Pasta (Great Harvest Quinoa)
1/2 cup Sour cream
1 cup Milk
1 Tbs. Cornstarch
4 oz Green chilies, chopped
9 oz. Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 Tbs. Butter
1/4 cup Pitted black olives, sliced (I used kalamata olives)
Salt to taste
1 Small jar Pimentos crushed
Corn Flakes (I used Corn Chex because I couldn't find gluten-free corn flakes at my local market)

Cook Pasta in lightly salted boiling water for 4-6 minutes or until just done.  Drain and set aside.  Melt butter in saucepan.  In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and milk.  Add cornstarch mixture to butter and cook until thickened, stirring consistently.  Add cheddar cheese to sauce and cook slowly until melted, again stirring constantly.  Add sour cream, green chilies, olives, pimentos and salt to taste.

Combine sauce with pasta and put into a casserole dish.  Cover top with crushed corn cereal.  Dot with butter.  Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

The box said it serves 4 but there were 6 of us and we had a little left over.  Served with a salad and a green vegetable, it was a completely delicious and satisfying gluten-free, vegetarian meal.

Just for fun, you might enjoy the web site I found for Ancient Harvest Quinoa.  There are several recipes I've just gotta try!  http://www.quinoa.net/106.html