healthy mac'n'cheese?

ddwillard

Anyone have any good recipes for healthy mac'n'cheese? Cook for myself and my 3 year old (who luckily loves veggies) but she's a huge macaroni and cheese fan so I'm trying to find stuff we can both enjoy!

shoniej

bump I don't have a recipe but would love to see if anyone else does! My 1 year old also loves mac n cheese!

Vailara

I've sometimes made it by stirring in Philadelphia/soft cheese and a small amount of strong flavoured cheese (mature cheddar/parmesan) into the hot pasta. It's nice with some cooked green veg in there (spring onions, peas, broccoli, green beans) and pepper. In fact, I want some now!

steph1278

I made some the other night by using Green Giant cauliflower and cheese sauce. I microwaved the veggies as directed on package then threw them in the blender with milk and some Laughing Cow wedges. It made a nice creamy sauce that I mixed with the macaroni. I thought it turned out pretty good and both my kids ate it.

heretocount

I made some the other night by using Green Giant cauliflower and cheese sauce. I microwaved the veggies as directed on package then threw them in the blender with milk and some Laughing Cow wedges. It made a nice creamy sauce that I mixed with the macaroni. I thought it turned out pretty good and both my kids ate it.

Oh that's a great idea!

ddwillard

Both of those sound awesome!

pamelak5

I use whole grain pasta and real cheese - no processed/low cal stuff for my toddler. When I eat mac and cheese, I have it as a side dish with a super simple main (roasted tofu/grilled chicken/fish etc) and a heap of veggies.

BSBgirl337

The Easy Mac microwavable bowls are only 220 calories and 3 or 4 grams of fat. Mac and cheese is one of my favs, so I eat those because it's not nearly as bad as making the whole package with the butter and milk, or making from scratch (most of the time).

bast2112

Haven't tried this yet, but want to:
http://monicanelsonfitness.com/blog/meals/quinoa-mac-n-cheese/

Quinoa is great stuff!

cartow

There's a great one in the Moosewood Cookbook--basically it includes mushrooms, cabbage, and spinach, but you can add any vegetables that strike your fancy, like my new favorite, kale.

dasaucywench

I made some the other night by using Green Giant cauliflower and cheese sauce. I microwaved the veggies as directed on package then threw them in the blender with milk and some Laughing Cow wedges. It made a nice creamy sauce that I mixed with the macaroni. I thought it turned out pretty good and both my kids ate it.

I think this is a fabulous idea!!

hungergames324

I made some the other night by using Green Giant cauliflower and cheese sauce. I microwaved the veggies as directed on package then threw them in the blender with milk and some Laughing Cow wedges. It made a nice creamy sauce that I mixed with the macaroni. I thought it turned out pretty good and both my kids ate it.

this sounds good.

blpope

bump

tnqnt

I have made this before and it was pretty good :) I added MUCH more garlic, lots of black pepper, sauteed shallots (or onions) and some nutmeg

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/mac-and-cheese-style-cauliflower/

Per 1-cup serving:
Calories: 273
Protein: 16 g
Total Fat: 16 g
Saturated Fat: 9 g
Carbohydrates: 18 g
Cholesterol: 94 mg
Sodium: 314 mg
Fiber: 4 g
Sugar: 6 g


Get all the creamy, cheesy goodness of mac and cheese—without the high starch content of macaroni. To make your own breadcrumbs, tear firm, fresh bread into pieces and whirl in a food processor or blender until crumbs form.

1 large head cauliflower (1 ½ lb.), cut into medium florets (8 cups)
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
2 cups low-fat milk
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
½ cup nutritional yeast
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 egg yolks
1 ½ cups fresh breadcrumbs
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets, and boil 5 to 7 minutes, or until just tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and set aside.

2. Melt butter in same pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk, garlic, and reserved cooking liquid, and cook 7 to 10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, nutritional yeast, cayenne pepper, and egg yolks until cheese is melted. Fold in cauliflower.

3. Coat 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread cauliflower mixture in baking dish, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Spray breadcrumbs with cooking spray. Bake 30 minutes, or until casserole is hot and bubbly and breadcrumbs are crisp and brown.

January/February 2012 p.46

KBrenOH

I made some the other night by using Green Giant cauliflower and cheese sauce. I microwaved the veggies as directed on package then threw them in the blender with milk and some Laughing Cow wedges. It made a nice creamy sauce that I mixed with the macaroni. I thought it turned out pretty good and both my kids ate it.

Just curious which LC wedges you used?

barefootbeauty

This is the recipe I use when I have a M&C craving...
Except, I only use 1 cup or so of extra sharp Chedder cheese -- I read somewhere that if you replace half of the cheese in a recipe with cheese that is stronger in flavor, it is healther, less fat, less calories, but all the taste.

http://www.sarasnow.com/recipe?action=retrieveRecipeDetailsHTML&recipeID=44&destinationpage=/pg/jsp/community/recipes/recipedetail.jsp

PennStateChick

www.emilybites.com has a bunch of recipes that I consider "comfort food" substitutes, including a couple different mac n cheese options.

Emily (from Emily bites) started her blog when she started Weight Watchers. All of her recipes have WW points listed. However, her new recipes also have calories as calculated by MFP.

Dot2Dots

Cheeseburger Mac Attack in the Crock
Ingredients

5 oz. (about 1 1/4 cups) uncooked elbow macaroni with at least 2g fiber per 2-oz. serving
10 oz. raw lean ground turkey
2 tbsp. ketchup
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
24 oz. (about 6 cups) frozen cauliflower and low-fat cheese sauce (like the kind by Green Giant)
3 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Optional: salt and black pepper
Directions

In a large pot, prepare pasta very al dente, cooking for about half of the time indicated on the package. Drain well and set aside.

In a bowl, combine turkey, ketchup, and onion. Mix well. Add frozen cauliflower and cheese sauce and gently mix. Transfer mixture to a crock pot.

Add cooked pasta to the crock pot and gently stir. Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours or on low for 7 - 8 hours, until the turkey is fully cooked.

Add cheese wedges and scallions, and stir until evenly distributed.

If you like, season to taste with salt and pepper. Dig in!

MAKES 8 SERVINGS
PER SERVING (1/8th of recipe, about 1 cup): 179 calories, 5.75g fat, 512mg sodium, 19g carbs, 2g fiber, 3.5g sugars, 12.5g protein --

Prep:
5 minutes

Cook:
10 minutes plus 3 - 4 hours (high) or 7 - 8 hours (low)

WarriorReady

I found one on pinterest that even my kids love and it is made with quinoa. Here's a link to the blog:

http://aroundthetableri.blogspot.ca/2012/02/cheesy-quinoa-mac-cheese.html

Hope you like!

Brooklynhendricks21

My husband has to have Mac n cheese with every meal. So I use ronzoni smart taste elbow noodles! I poor 1 cup of noodles into a measuring cup and I cook those, once they are drained, I poor a half a cup of the cooked noodles back in the measuring cup, there I throw in one slice of cheese and 1 table spoon of butter ( could probably cut the cheese in half and butter in half though) and its comes to 290 calories, 9.5 fat, 15 cholesterol, 295 sodium, 45 carbs, 5 fiber, 2 sugars and 9 protein. If you half the cheese and butter, it'll be a lot better!

katnohat

I like to make whole wheat macaroni and then mix in green peas and Laughing Cow cheese (my favorite is light Creamy Swiss!) and it is delicious.

dfborders

Not sure how much you want to make but my guys (who hate eating healthy) love this dish. I don't always make it like it says in the recipe - sometimes I just use the measurements for the mac & cheese portion of it (worcsteshire sauce, etc.) to make other lighter varieties of Mac & Cheese taste good. Just as a warning if this is just for you and your daughter you may want to cut the recipe in half. This makes a huge portion - the three of us usually eat it for 3 nights (and my Hubby and son don't follow the portion sizes)

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Makeover-Sloppy-Joe-Mac-and-Cheese

MaybeAMonkey

I have a friend that makes the most awesome mac n' cheese I've ever had ... he adds cubed steamed butternut squash and cooked kale. I've swapped out regular pasta for whole wheat pasta and fiber added pasta. I've also added cooked ground turkey for a bit of protein since the flavor doesn't compete with the cheese, veggies and pasta.

ytfelmi

Do you two like any white cheeses? I make a decently lighter version for my daughter and I.. it took me forever to figure out how to make a proper rue, but once I did - my daughter asks for "white shells" all the time! Haha

I'm not sure what brand of pasta I use, but usually something whole grain.. macaroni noodles, rotini, or shells work great!

For the sauce, I start with a roux:
Melt 2 Tbsp Butter (don't overcook at this point)
Whisk in 2 Tbsp Flour
Once it's a nice thick consistency (looks like a paste, and try not to let it get too dark - The darker the roux gets, the more nutty the flavor and the less thickening power),
add 1 cup Milk
(most recipes use 2% or half and half, but I always drink 1%, and haven't noticed a difference. A little thinner maybe..)

* My best advice is to heat the milk first! It can get lumpy quick if the milk is too cold. Doesn't need to be boiling or anything, I just throw it in the microwave for MAYBE 45sec.

Stir the mixture until it starts to boil, and take it off the heat.
While it's still hot - add laughing cow cheese! Depending on how much flavor I want, I use 1-2 wedges. You can totally get away with only one. I usually use the swiss when making a macaroni fake-out.. but I've used garlic herb before with different spices, and it was a winner in our house as well.

Add some spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, a little pepper?), and then toss the pasta in.

You can always adjust how much milk you add. Depends on how much pasta you cook up with it.

Play around with it!

If you figure 200cal for the butter, 80 for the milk, 35 for the laughing cow.. the sauce is only 315 for a whole cup! 1/4 cup sauce would be under 80calories.. The pasta mightl get you, but if you portion it out - 2 oz is usually around 200cal, so you can have a bowl of mac n cheese for under 300!

yallcallmedeb

This recipe is the basis for my mac & cheese. http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slide/macaroni-cheese?slideshow=184668

However, I omit the butter, jalapenos and prosciutto/ham. I use skim milk. Instead of 1/2 onion, I use 1-2 onions and 1-2 peppers (I like to use 1 green and 1 red). Reduces the calories even further and it is DELICIOUS! Even my 6 year old likes it better than Kraft and he thinks that Kraft is the greatest thing!

Dawnhasajeep

This one is Vegan base and very healthy and yummy. Its form Engien 2 Dite by Rip Esselsty

nhttp://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2010/10/engine-2s-macaroni-not-cheese/

ytfelmi

Haha, that post took me forever, trying to remember how to make a roux, without being over the stove..

Lots of great recipe replies before I posted!

Shamrock_me

It's not very healthy but I switch out the regular noodles for the whole grain noodles and switch out the cheeses for the 2% or Fat Free variations. I have a macaroni nut at home so this keeps the peace.

The calories on whole grain noodles varies per brand - but average about 190 for 1/2 cup but usually less than 10 fat calories. Adds in on your protein & fiber as well.
The Kraft fat free shredded cheeses are 45 calories per oz so it would adjust on how much you use in your mac n cheese
2% Velveta is an option but it ups your fat.

This is just one of those things I make once every 2-3 weeks (or take to a BBQ)

Sounds good - I need to make some soon!!

Brooklynhendricks21

Ok I fixed it! Here's what I use!

Cheese; Kraft singles American
1/2 of a slice
30 cals
2g fat
7.5 cholesterol
100 sodium
1 carb
0 fiber
0.5 sugar
1.5 protein


Noodles! Ronzoni smart taste elbow noodles;
1/2 cup

180 cals
0.5 fat
0 cholesterol
5 sodium
43 carbs
5 fiber
1 sugar
6 protein


Butter- country crock light
1/2 tbsp

25 cal
45 sodium
2.5 fat
0 carb
0 protein
0 cholesterol


Altogether;

235 cal
5 fat
7.5 cholesterol
150 sodium
44 carbs
5 fiber
1.5 sugar
6.5 protein

bedoozled

I think if you use smaller amounts of cheeses with really great, sharp or strong flavors (an extra sharp cheddar, or aged gruyere) you can get away with using a little less and still have it come out cheesy. I also like adding in other things - lobster, fresh herbs, crisped pancetta, vegetables - which I think let you have less of the super creamy sauce.

You could maybe do the following:
Start out with a roux (1/4 cup flour - try whole wheat! - and half a stick of butter - or earth balance, or whatever!), where you just melt the two together and cook in a pan until toasty brown. Add to that 1.5 cups warm skim milk, and whisk together until thickened. Take it off the heat, then add about a cup of sharp grated cheddar, and a cup of grated gruyere (a little more gruyere might be nice, depending on how healthy v. cheesy you want it ) and keep whisking until it's all smooth and thick. I also usually add salt and pepper here! This is a pretty good base, that you could add to 1 lb. pasta (try whole wheat, or even pasta made from quinoa flour!), and would serve 4-6 people.

Like I said I usually dress things up - the last time I made this I threw in peas and a tiny bit of crisped pancetta with some sauteed minced garlic and mushrooms, and topped with panko crumbs mixed up with chives : ) The more of the "fillings" you add - which can be as healthy as you like - the heartier the meal feels without having to fill up purely on pasta and cheese, I think. Then I usually bake mine (love the crisp top!) until bubbly. It's not "health food", but for a slightly lightened up version of the classic that's okay once in a while, it's pretty tasty!

steph1278

In response to whomever asked, I used the light creamy swiss wedges from Laughing Cow