June 7, 2012

Low-Guilt Mac 'n Cheese


Make this mac 'n cheese dish. It's deliciously delicious. And healthy. Which I know sounds like an oxymoron but in this case it's not.
Caluiflower Mac 'n Cheese
Serves 6 (unless you're a pig, like me, effectively obliterating its low-guilt factor)
4 oz. (1 cup) whole wheat elbow macaroni
3 cups cauliflower florets (about 1/2 medium head) chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
1 T. unsalted butter
2 T. flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup 2% milk
1/4 tsp. black or white pepper pinch of cayenne
1 cup grated low-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs

1. Lightly oil 8-inch casserole dish. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add noodles and cook for 4 minutes. Add cauliflower pieces to noodles and cook for 3 more minutes or al dente.
2. While noodles are cooking, preheat broiler and put oven rack in middle position.
3. Heat butter in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking frequently, until golden, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in broth and milk, and cook at a low boil for 7-9 minutes until thickened. Whisk in pepper and cayenne. Whisk in cheese 1/4 cup at a time, until melted. Taste and season with salt and additional pepper as needed.
4. Add cooked pasta and cauliflower to cheese mixture and stir to coat. Transfer to prepared dish and sprinkle with crumbs. Broil until golden, about 2 minutes.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is an excellent basically healthy version of Mac and cheese. I use Cabot sharp reduced fat cheese and Parmesan.
Thanks,
Samantha