I feel like Jessica Seinfeld

I just devoured mac and cheese with carrot puree, and I loved it.

Months ago, I found a macaroni and cheese recipe in Food & Wine that called for carrots, orange juice and tarragon off all things. I made a mental note of it but was skeptical it would provide the soul-satisfying flavor of old-fashioned mac and cheese.

Fast-forward. There’s carrot overload in my fridge, tarragon growing on the balcony, penne in the pantry … you get the idea. The dinner cosmos aligned, and I made a deceptively delicious meal á la Jessica Seinfeld. However, William—unlike her unsuspecting, veggie-hating children—was well informed of the carrot presence, and if he didn’t like vegetables, our relationship would have gone south eons ago.

The carrot mac and cheese was perfect. Bright and cheesy with a hint of sweet and pastis.

To be fair, the low-fat appeal of the original version went out the window in my kitchen. I used 8 ounces of cheddar instead of a measly 3 ounces. I also subbed heavy cream for half of the pasta cooking water. For convenience sake, I used OJ from the carton and lemon zest rather than orange.

Let’s be real. What’s the point of healthy, low-fat macaroni and cheese? Make and eat this dish because it tastes good, really good. Vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber—these are an added bonus. Thank you carrots. Thanks orange juice for giving us these and fresh flavor to boot. 

Tagged as: carrot, cheddar, Food & Wine, Jessica Seinfeld, orange juice, penne, tarragon