Reduced Fat Macaroni And Cheese Cooks Country Recipes

MAC & CHEESE - COOK'S COUNTRY RECIPE - (4.4/5)

Steps:

• 1. COOK MACARONI Adjust oven to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and macaroni and cook until just al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain pasta and return to pot. Pour diced tomatoes with their juices over pasta and stir to coat. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Set aside. 2. MAKE SAUCE Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Stir in flour and cayenne and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in half-and-half and broth until smooth. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Off heat, whisk in cheeses, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper until cheeses melt. Pour sauce over macaroni and stir to combine. Add a generous amount of Panko bread crumbs, spreading them over the top of the casserole. 3. BAKE MACARONI AND CHEESE Scrape mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish set in rimmed baking sheet and bake until top begins to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. You may want to add 3-5 minutes under the broiler to brown the bread crumbs. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. MAKE AHEAD: Macaroni and cheese can be made in advance through step 2. Scrape mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish, cool, lay plastic wrap directly on surface of pasta, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When ready to bake, remove plastic wrap, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

LOW-FAT MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• In a blender or food processor, combine the milk, cheeses, flour and pepper. Cover and process until creamy. Pour into a bowl; stir in macaroni and onion. Transfer to a 1-1/2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour or until heated through.

REDUCED FAT MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain well.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2 1/2-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• Place flour in a large saucepan over medium heat, gradually whisking in milk. Add mustard, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, red pepper and Worcestershire. Continue cooking until sauce thickens, stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream cheese until well blended; add 2/3 of shredded cheese and stir until melted. Add macaroni, stirring until well coated. Pour into prepared baking dish.
• Toss remaining shredded cheese with breadcrumbs and sprinkle over top of macaroni; spray with cooking spray.
• Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden on top and bubbling throughout.

REDUCED FAT MACARONI AND CHEESE (COOK'S COUNTRY)

Steps:

• Toss bread crumbs with butter in small bowl until combined. Set aside.
• In food processor or blender, process cheddar, Parmesan, and ricotta until no large pieces of cheese remain, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat broiler. Bring 4 quarts water and 1 tbsp table salt (not in ingredient list) to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add macaroni and cook until tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain macaroni and leave in colander.
• In now-empty Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Add flour and mustard and cook, whisking to combine ingredients, until mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, slowly add milk and Tabasco, if using, and bring to full boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, whisking frequently, until mixture becomes slightly thicker than heavy cream, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in cheese mixture and 1/2 teaspoon salt until cheese is melted. Add pasta and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-low heat, until mixture is steaming, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to broiler-safe 8-inch-square baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Broil until crumbs are deep golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes, rotating pan if necessary for even browning. Cool 2 minutes. Serve.