Quick three-veg macaroni cheese

 This macaroni cheese is healthier than most because of the three types of veg in it. You can leave the spam out for a vegetarian version, but, sadly, it doesn't taste as good. You can also put fried bacon lardons or fried chopped bacon in instead of the spam. That tastes just as good, but the spam is a much easier option and surprisingly tasty. It's worth adding an extra 30 ml of milk if planning to serve it on more than one day, as it does dry out a bit when it cools. It will make it looser than ideal on the first day, but just as delicious, and a better consistency for the later days. We find it lasts 2 days in the fridge (it might actually last longer, but we've never tried).

Serves 6, takes about 30 minutes

400 g macaroni

400 g broccoli florets (frozen)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

340 g spam, chopped into small cubes (about 0.5 to1 cm) (optional)

2 tbsp plain flour

250 g soft cheese (e.g. Philadelphia - you can get away with just a 200 g tub of Lactofree soft cheese)

350 ml milk 

340-400 g tinned sweet corn, drained

50 g cheddar, grated (we use extra mature)

40 g breadcrumbs 

1 tbsp of chopped parsley (optionally frozen)

salt and pepper

1. Preheat the grill to high. Cook the macaroni following pack instructions. Add in the broccoli for the last 5 minutes. Drain when done.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a (very) large frying pan. Peel and finely chop the onions, then cook the onion for 5-10 minutes.

3. While the onions are cooking, chop the spam into cubes of about 0.5 to 1 cm across and add to the onions.

4. Also while the onions are booking, once you have drained the macaroni and broccoli, pick any big pieces of cooked broccoli out of it and chop it into bite-sized pieces.

5. Once the onions are soft, stir in the flour, then add the soft cheese, milk, sweet corn, cooked macaroni and cooked (and now bite-sized) broccoli.

6. Season with salt and pepper and stir gently for about three minutes.

7. Pour the macaroni cheese mixture into a large lasagne dish.

8. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and parsley evenly over the top. Grate the cheddar and sprinkle that over too.

9. Cook under the grill for five minutes until golden and bubbling. Optionally serve with lettuce and tomatoes for even more veg.