Food Lion
Recipes courtesy of Eating Well.
Baked Mac & Cheese
Mac & cheese can be a true comfort on a gloomy day, and our healthy update takes advantage of extra-sharp Cheddar balanced with creamy lowfat cottage cheese and tucks a layer of spinach into the middle, which may help picky eaters down their vegetables. Whole-wheat pasta adds robust flavor and extra fiber
Makes 4 servings
Active Time:25 minutes
Total Time:55 minutes
Ease of Preparation:Easy
Nutrition Information:Per serving: 576 calories; 22g fat (11g sat, 2g mono); 69mg
cholesterol; 63g carbohydrate; 37g protein; 9g fiber; 917mg sodium; 403mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus:Vitamin A (290% daily value), Calcium (70% dv), Folate (37% dv), Iron (15% dv)
You will need
- 3 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs
- 2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 16-ounce or 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups low-fat milk, divided
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni or penne
Directions
- Put a large pot of water on to boil. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat an 8-inch-square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
- Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl. Place spinach in a fine-mesh strainer and press out excess moisture.
- Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and fl our in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until melted. Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Cook pasta for 4 minutes, or until not quite tender. (It will continue to cook during baking.) Drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well. Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the spinach on top. Top with the remaining pasta; sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
© 2009 Eating Well, Inc., Photos by Ken Burris
