Stovetop Mac & Cheese

I wasn't sure what to make for dinner tonight so I improvised and came up with Stovetop Broccoli, Onion and Tomato Mac & Cheese:


... using leftover odds and ends from the fridge. I cut one head of broccoli into small pieces and sauteed that, along with roughly chopped onion and garlic, in a skillet with some oil. Once everything was cooked I blanched two tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped them and add them to the broccoli and onion mixture.

For the sauce I melted 2 tablespoons of butter in a pot, whisked in 2 tablespoons of flour and cooked it for a minute before adding 3/4 cup of chicken stock, 1/4 cup white wine, 1 cup of milk and whatever amount was left in a carton of heavy cream (maybe 1/2 cup). Brought that to a boil then turned off the heat and added about 1 1/2 cups of shredded Swiss, yellow and white cheddar cheeses, salt, pepper and a dash of nutmeg.

Once the pound of rigatoni was cooked I mixed everything together and dinner was served. You can't go wrong with broccoli and cheddar cheese and I liked the addition of the tomatoes and the kick from the white wine. All in all a very tasty improvised meal.