Macaroni & Cheese with Broccoli

One of our favorite meals around here is stovetop Macaroni and Cheese.  The kids really love it when I throw some broccoli in there, too.  I love that broccoli is a hardy vegetable and will wait around in my refrigerator for a week before I do something with it.  The actual recipe I got out of Rachel Ray Just In Time, but since then I've adapted it to whatever I want to do with my family.  Here's the basics, though.  All measurements are estimates since I do very little measuring since I've made this so many times.

Macaroni & Cheese with Broccoli

1 lb. noodles (we use whole wheat and vary the shapes)
1 head Broccoli broken into florets (we actually use 2, my kids really like broccoli)
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. spicy mustard
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 cup Milk
2 cups Cheese
1/2 cup cooked squash (butternut works well)

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add salt to season the cooking water, then add the pasta.  Cook according to directions until noodles are al dente.  Add Broccoli to the pot for the last 3 minutes of cooking.  Drain well and return to the pot.

2. In a skillet, heat the olive oil.  Add flour and whisk together, cook for about 1 minute.  Add stock and milk and cook a few minutes to thicken.  Season with salt and pepper, then add cheese.  Stir in mustard and squash.

3.  Pour cheese sauce over pasta and serve!

My husband made some flank steak rolls to go along with dinner since he feels the need to eat meat a little more often than I do.  I'm not sure what all he put in them, but I know there was spinach and feta rolled up in there.  Since he is the one who made them, I can't really tell you what to do, sorry.  We also served this with some more Parmesan Asparagus.

Verdict:  My sauce was a little runny this time, but there was still none left over.  The kids were fighting over the broccoli and I am seriously loving all the asparagus we've been getting :) I also love that I can add squash to this and my family eats it since they won't eat squash many other ways that I've found so far.