Sneaky Macaroni and Cheese

I made a delicious macaroni and cheese last night that had zucchini and tomatoes in it.  I think it would be a great meal to serve to picky children who don't eat their vegetables because you could hardly tell there was zucchini in it.  My hubby is not a vegetable lover, and he did complain about the tomatoes, but he didn't seem to realize that there was another vegetable hiding in his mac and cheese!  I adapted the Italian Macaroni and Cheese recipe from Mable Hoffman's Pot Luck recipe book, just adding and changing a few things.  It was easy to make and looked really pretty with the tomato slices on top!

Three-Cheese Macaroni with a Twist!

4 cups cooked macaroni
1 small onion, finely diced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded yellow zucchini
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
3 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2/3 cup Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a large pot, add onions and cook for about a minute.  Add flour, stir until bubbly.  Mix in milk, zucchini, cayenne, and salt.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, add mozzarella cheese.  Stir until melted.
Mix the Ricotta cheese with the basil and parsley.
Put 2 cups of the macaroni in a greased 9" casserole dish.  Pour half of the zucchini and mozzarella sauce on top.  Place sliced tomatoes in rows to cover the macaroni.  Place a small blob of the Ricotta mix on each tomato.  Add the rest of the macaroni, followed by the rest of the sauce.  Make another layer of tomato slices, placing the Ricotta mixture on each one.  Sprinkle all over with Parmesan cheese.  Bake in a 400F oven for 30 minutes.