One night last week I was on my own for dinner. I wanted some comfort food but didn’t want to overdo it. I tweaked my favorite baked mac and cheese recipe and came up with the lighter, but still delicious result below. I hope you enjoy it!!
Recipe: Lighter Baked Mac and Cheese
Summary: White beans help thicken the sauce without adding tons of butter.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces elbow macaroni
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp. flour
- 1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed and pureed
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- a few drops of Tapatio or other hot sauce
- 1/4 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Grease an 8″ x 8″ baking pan with cooking spray.
- Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain when ready.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Mix in the onion powder and garlic powder.
- Using a whisk, add the flour, stirring constantly for one minute, until slightly browned.
- Whisk in the pureed beans, then slowly whisk in the milk, continuing to stir until the sauce begins to boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about three minutes.
- Stir in the cheese, mustard and hot sauce and remove from heat.
- Pour the cooked macaroni into the prepared baking dish.
- Pour in the cheese sauce and toss with a large spoon until well blended.
- Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top of the mixture, then spritz with cooking spray.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and topping is browned.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 20 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
Enjoy!!
