Not had a millisecond to ponder what to have for dinner tonight?  The phrase ‘domestic goddess’ making you want to punch a wall? Yup, us too. What you need is this week’s Speedy Supper, a no-fuss weekday dinner that you don’t need to be a MasterChef contestant to whizz up.

This turbo-charged, veg-heavy, super-healthy macaroni cheese comes courtesy of James Wong, the Kew-trained botanist and food scientist. His fascinating new book, How To Eat Better is about making tweaks to how you buy, store and cook ingredients to boost their nutritional value. (Apparently we should be buying Braeburn apples over Fujis because the former contain double the amount of antioxidants, while storing our mushrooms on a windowsill to double their vitamin D2 levels in just two hours, just so you know) OK, over to you James.

One Pot Mac & Cheese (serves 2, takes 30 mins)

I know I risk messing with this comfort-food classic at my peril. But I promise you, this veg-enriched retake hasn’t lost one bit of creamy, cheesy goodness, despite containing a whopping three times more veg than it does pasta. Made all in one pot (yes, this really does work), this simple cheat reduces fuss, mess and cooking time, while improving its silky texture and nutrient retention. Don’t believe me? Try it out for yourself!

 

Ingredients

200g wholewheat penne or macaroni pasta

1 litre milk

200g winter squash, grated

200g cauliflower (orange if possible as it’s higher in nutrients than white) broken into small florets

200g leeks, trimmed, cleaned and finely sliced

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp pepper

½ tsp salt

1 chicken or vegetable stock cube, crumbled

1 bay leaf

4 garlic cloves, minced

150g extra mature cheddar cheese, grated

75g parmesan cheese, grated

Method

Combine all the ingredients except the garlic and cheeses in a large, shallow saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the pasta is tender.

Stir through the garlic and grated cheeses. Cover with a lid, take off the heat and leave to stand for 5 minutes to thicken.

Variations

Pea & rocket

Make the dish as above, stirring through 100g frozen peas and a large handful of rocket with the garlic and cheeses.

Wild mushroom

Make the dish as above, adding 100g sautéed mixed wild mushrooms and 1 tsp truffle oil with the garlic and cheeses.

Asparagus & cherry tomato

Make the dish as above, adding 100g blanched asparagus spears and 10–12 cherry tomatoes with the garlic and cheeses.

 

Chef’s note

For a lower glycaemic index version cook the dish the night before, pour into a baking dish and chill overnight. Bake in a preheated oven, 200°C/Gas Mark 6, for 20 minutes. This works because chilling and reheating cooked pasta converts its carbs into a form that is less easy for our bodies to absorb.

Recipe from ‘How To Eat Better’ (£20) by James Wong, out now