recipes: February 2012 Archives

Yesterday I had an abundance of broccoli that I needed to use up so I decided to make macaroni and cheese. I am not a huge mac & cheese fan, only knowing the boxed kind. Last year I made my first homemade version. It was a recipe I saw on Food Network's "What Would Brian Boitano Make?" (Stop laughing. I actually liked his show. And not just because I had a crush on him 20 years ago.) His Cheese Cart Mac & Cheese was easy and delicious, although a bit on the "fancier" side as he used asiago, fontina and gouda. My bigger concern was how rich and fattening it was.

I had to find a low fat version that the family would still eat. When Brian (my husband, not Boitano) saw me making the cheese sauce last night he was excited until I told him it was a new lower fat recipe. He gave me "that look" and walked out of the kitchen mumbling something about "low fat, low flavor."

It was finally time for dinner and I served the mac & cheese with broccoli and Jennie-O Turkey Kielbasa. I'm happy to report that the meal was a hit (even Matthew had his first serving of mac) and everyone wanted seconds. (Which then brought up the debate of how low fat is it when you eat more than one serving...)

If you want to try it out, I got the recipe from LiveStong.com (Partner of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.) Here is the recipe.

Low Fat Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients and Utensils

To make a healthy version of baked macaroni and cheese the following items are needed:

3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp of flour
2 cups skim milk
2 cups reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups elbow macaroni
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 saucepans
8-cup casserole dish
Butter-flavored oil spray such as Pam
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp low-fat margarine

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the milk in a saucepan over low heat until small bubbles form. In a separate saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the flour and stir for two minutes. Slowly pour in the heated milk, whisking thoroughly. Stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens and begins to boil slightly. Reduce the heat to simmer. Stir in the cheese by handfuls until it is thoroughly melted. Stir in the salt, pepper and cayenne. Set aside.

Boil 6 cups of water. Add in the elbow macaroni and boil as directed, generally 8 minutes. Drain well and pour into the cheese mixture. Lightly spray the casserole dish. Pour the macaroni into the dish. Melt the margarine in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and stir constantly until they are lightly browned. Spoon over the macaroni. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Substitutions

Traditional macaroni and cheese is made with a cheddar sauce. Preferences may dictate alternate choices. Low-fat shredded provolone, pepper jack cheese, Monterrey jack cheese, or Colby may be used in place of the 2 cups of shredded cheddar. Velveeta cheese melts well; use the reduced-fat Velveeta to keep the fat content of the dish significantly lower.

Healthy Additions

Stir chopped parsley, chopped, cooked broccoli or sliced mushrooms into the macaroni and cheese mixture before placing in the casserole dish to add color and flavor.
Considerations

Make sure you cook the flour for the time directed; cooking thoroughly dissipates the flavor of the flour and enhances the flavor of the sauce. Carefully stir the cheese sauce until all the cheese is melted, monitoring the temperature to ensure that it does not scorch. Avoid adding foods containing any additional fats, such as crumbled bacon or butter, when serving. Garnish with parsley for additional color.

My note: The recipe didn't give serving size or nutritional info but when I used this online calculator to calculate this recipe serving about 6, the amount of calories was 300 and fat 16, which is not bad for homemade mac & cheese. (Also, that was a larger main dish size portion. A smaller 3/4 cup side portion what more than cut that in half.) Adding the Jennie-O Turkey Kielbasa and broccoli would add an extra 100 calories and 3 grams of fat per serving. It's a nice (occasional) comfort food treat.

Do you have a great low fat macaroni and cheese (or any other) dish we should try? Let me know!