Easy and Quick Mac n Cheese with Broccoli and White Beans

As always, I am looking for ways to eat more vegetables.  However, if you have not noticed, I do love by breads and carbs, including a good does of the wonderful mac n cheese.  But as you can see, slight problem with that dish...no good for you fiber or veggies (especially if you use boxed mac n cheese that do not come with the whole grain pasta).  So, I slightly fixed that problem with this delicious and very easy recipe.

This idea sprang up when I had gotten home from rock climbing and was super hungry and knew I needed something healthy as well as a healthy lunch for work the next day.  This was the perfect mix to replace the nutrients and food that I had lost while climbing.  It also made enough for multiple servings and is even delicious cold out of the refrigerator or heated up later.

Easy and Quick Mac n Cheese with Broccoli and White Beans

1 box of your favorite Mac n Cheese (I used Aunt Annie's White Shells and Cheddar)
1 Can of White Beans
1 C. Fresh Broccoli cut into pieces
1/4 C. Water
1/4 t. Lemon Pepper

Prepare your Mac n Cheese according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pan, add the Fresh Broccoli, can of White Beans, Lemon Pepper and Water.
Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally.

Once the Mac n Cheese is prepared according to package directions, add the Broccoli/Bean mixture and stir until thoroughly mixed.

Pour into a bowl or your favorite dish and enjoy!

P.S. Next time I make this, I will ditch the Mac n Cheese box and just used some whole wheat pasta.  The mixture of beans, broccoli and spices made enough flavor where you do not need the cheesy flavor of the processed Mac n Cheese.  When the beans break down slightly when you cook them with the broccoli, they create a slightly creamy mixture that suffices for the cheesy part of the Mac n Cheese.  If you do want the added benefits of the cheese with the calcium and protein, you could add a bit of Parmesan cheese after the pasta broccoli mix has been put into the bowl.