Warm up your winter Miguel’s mac and cheese ratatouille bake

Miguel Maestre certainly knows a thing or two about comfort food for the soul. His passion for food and life is simply infectious, and we’re eager to share it with you. So, wave goodbye to those pesky winter blues because we’ve compiled a plethora of winter-friendly recipes to get you through the season –just like this mac and cheese bake.

Serves 4-6 Prep time 45 mins Cook time 30 mins Difficulty easy

Ingredients

250g macaroni

2-3 zucchini, thinly sliced

7-8 squash, thinly sliced

2-3 Lebanese eggplants, thinly sliced

2 x 250g punnets cherry truss tomatoes

Melted butter, for greasing

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

BECHAMEL

60g butter, chopped

¼ cup plain flour

3 cups milk, warmed

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Sea salt flakes and pepper to taste

Turn the leftovers into mac and cheese muffins!

Method

Grease a round 10-cup capacity ovenproof dish with butter.

Cook pasta in a stockpot of boiling, salted water until tender. Drain. Rinse under cold water.

Meanwhile, to make bechamel, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and simmer, stirring for 1 minute. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly to remove any lumps. Stirring gently, bring just to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Add cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir pasta in to bechamel sauce. Pour into prepared dish. Leave to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 200°C (fan- forced).

Alternate vegetables in a spiral pattern over macaroni and cheese. Season with salt and drizzle with olive oil.

Cook in oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Remove. Let cool for 10 minutes.