Healthier Macaroni And Cheese Food

HEALTHY MAC AND CHEESE

Healthy Mac and Cheese image

Easy Healthy Mac and Cheese swaps out copious amounts of heavy dairy for lightened up options - for a dish that is still creamy and comforting, but with a portion of the fat and calories! Even better, this stovetop version requires only one pot and 15 minutes to prepare.

Provided by Olena Osipov

Categories Dinner

Time 14m

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

3 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni (uncooked)
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth (low sodium)
1 cup whole milk
2 tbsp butter (salted)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp mustard (condiment)
3/4 tsp salt
Ground black pepper (to taste)
1 cup marble or cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)

Steps:

In a medium pot, add broth, milk, butter, garlic powder, mustard, salt, ground black pepper and bring to a boil.
Add elbow macaroni and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent sticking. Cook until al dente or desired firmness and adding more milk or broth if you wish.
Turn off heat. Add marble cheese and Parmesan cheese in portions and stir between each until melted. That's it.
Serve immediately as mac and cheese tastes best fresh. Saucy, creamy and so comforting!
Top with your favorite hot sauce, everything bagel, Montreal steak spice, paprika, nutmeg, soy sauce and even honey. Or with leftover chopped bacon. I like to bake mine at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes. Way less mess.

Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 cup, Calories 405 kcal, Sugar 2 g, Sodium 549 mg, Fat 14 g, SaturatedFat 8 g, Carbohydrate 55 g, Protein 18 g, Cholesterol 38 mg

HEALTHIER HOMEMADE MAC AND CHEESE

Healthier Homemade Mac and Cheese image

To make this rich mac and cheese recipe healthier we use whole wheat bread crumbs, low-fat milk and cheese, whole wheat noodles, and reduced the amount of butter. Serve with a salad for a healthy meatless dinner.

Provided by MakeItHealthy

Categories Pasta and Noodles Noodle Recipes

Time 50m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 9

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package whole wheat macaroni (such as Smart Taste®)
2 tablespoons butter
2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups shredded low-fat Cheddar cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups low-fat (1%) milk
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 pinch paprika

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour to make a roux. Slowly add milk to roux, stirring constantly. Stir in Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses and cook over low heat until cheese is melted and sauce is thick, about 3 minutes. Place macaroni in large baking dish and pour sauce over macaroni. Stir well.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and stir until butter is absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Spread over macaroni to cover. Sprinkle with paprika.
Bake in preheated oven until cheese sauce is hot and breadcrumbs are browned, about 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 770.4 calories, Carbohydrate 106.6 g, Cholesterol 60.3 mg, Fat 22.4 g, Fiber 10.6 g, Protein 42.5 g, SaturatedFat 13.1 g, Sodium 750.2 mg, Sugar 9.6 g

HEALTHIER BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Healthier Baked Macaroni and Cheese image

This dish was developed for the Make it Healthier Game and based on 3KillerB's Recipe #208573. My sister in law's mother also makes a custard based macaroni and cheese so I was interested in the chance to work on a version that while not low-fat, certainly lower than most dishes of this sort. Use the sharpest cheddar or other cheese you can find for best results. The zucchini is a nice way to add extra volume to the dish without adding calories. If your family is averse to green, peel the zucchini first.

Provided by justcallmetoni

Categories Cheese

Time 57m

Yield 6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

cooking spray
1/2 lb whole wheat macaroni
1 cup zucchini, peeled and cut into 1 inch by 1/4 inch sticks, leaving out the seedy center
1/2 lb reduced-fat cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon non-fat powdered milk
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 3/4 cups skim milk
7/8 cup egg substitute (1 cup minus 2 tablespoons)
salt
fresh ground black pepper

Steps:

Cook macaroni according to package directions but two minutes less than suggested by the directions. Add the zucchini bites and cook an additional minute. Drain and rinse.
Place 1/4 cup of your skim milk into a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the powdered milk and dry mustard until there are no lumps. This step enriches the milk without adding fat. Now whisk in the corn starch until there are no lumps and the milk is warmed but not hot. Add in the remaining milk and turn off the heat. Mix in the egg substitute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Guessing paprika, onion or garlic powder might be nice here as well.
Prepare a 9 inch square pan with a coating of butter flavored cooking spray.
After grating the cheese, reserve 1/4 of the amount for the top.
Place 1/3 of the pasta and zucchini into the bottom of your baking dish. Cover with 1/2 of the remaining cheese. Repeat, with a second layer of pasta and cheese. Place the final third of pasta on top and cover with the reserved cheese.
Pour custard into the casserole dish. You want this liquid to come within about 1/2 inch of the top of the pan. The shape and size of the dish may require more or less -- just keep the proportion of 1/2 cup egg substitute and 1 tablespoon dry milk for each cup of skim milk.
Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean of custard (it might be a bit cheesy).
Tip from 3KillerB's: this is apt to overflow a little if you got the custard too far up to the top. Best to bake it on the upper rack with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 294.6, Fat 7.7, SaturatedFat 4.6, Cholesterol 22.9, Sodium 397.4, Carbohydrate 35.5, Fiber 3.4, Sugar 2.1, Protein 22.9

HEALTHIER CAULIFLOWER MACARONI AND CHEESE

Healthier Cauliflower Macaroni and Cheese image

Adapted from Littlebigblog.com. This is a healthier take on macaroni and cheese subbing cauliflower (or other starchy veggies like turnips, summer squash) for pasta and reducing the amount of cheese used by substituting nutritional yeast. Like all my recipes, this is ultimately adaptable to your own tastes and larder. Great as a casserole topped with bread crumbs.

Provided by Papagayita

Categories Macaroni And Cheese

Time 1h

Yield 1 9x11 pan, 12-14 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets
3 cups skim milk
6 tablespoons Wondra Flour
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I usually use a mix of whatever strongly flavored cheeses I have on hand and a sharp cheddar)
1 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup raw cashews, ground finely (but not into a paste!)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (any yellow mustard will work, add more to taste)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional, doesn't make dish spicy but adds a nice depth)
salt and pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs (for topping)
1 -2 tablespoon shredded parmesan cheese (for topping)

Steps:

Steam cauliflower either on stove or in microwave until tender but not mushy. Put into 9x11 baking dish.
Chop or shred cheese(s) and put aside.
In a large saucepan combine milk, Wondra flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, stirring to combine milk and flour so there are no lumps. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until milk comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Turn off heat and add cashews, cheese, mustard, nutritional yeast, cayenne (if using, can substitute paprika) and stir until cheese has melted.
Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower in baking dish, stir to combine. Top with panko and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until topping is browned.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 243, Fat 11.2, SaturatedFat 5, Cholesterol 21.5, Sodium 265.8, Carbohydrate 22.4, Fiber 6.4, Sugar 2.3, Protein 17.3