Healthier Mac and Cheese

As you probably already know, we love cheesy things!

It doesn't really matter what kind of cheese it is... we will eat it.

Jared is the one that likes to eat healthy but he's is slowly converting me. I have rewritten a lot of our recipes to make them healthier without sacrificing the flavor.

I can't remember where I got the original recipe for this. However, by the time I was done with it it's a VERY different recipe than the original.

I only use 2 Tbsp. of butter instead of an entire stick!

Let me know how you like the recipe, I hope it's still yummy.

I usually add 2 cups of fresh spinach as well but didn't this time because I wasn't sure if our friends liked spinach.

I served this with Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes and also accidentally deleted some of these pictures as well! Sorry :)


Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
4 c. milk, 1% or fat free
1 Tbsp. vegeta
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp. thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 oz. cheese, I used queso blanco velveeta, skim mozzarella would be great here!
2 egg yolks
1 lb. pasta, I used small shells
1/4 c. breadcrumbs, whole wheat

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Preheat oven to 425.

2. In a large saucepan heat oil on medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until translucent. Add butter and let it melt. Add flour to make a roux. Let the flour taste burn off for a minute or two.

3. Slowly whisk in milk. Add all of the seasonings, bay leaves, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Stir in cheese and let melt.

4. In a small dish, add 1/2 c. or so of the cheese mixture and the egg yolks. Stir well. Add this back into the cheese mixture. Add chopped fresh spinach if using.

5. Add cooked pasta to the mixture and combine well. Pour into a greased 9x13 dish. This will still be pretty liquidy looking but I promise it bakes perfectly!

6. Bake covered for 25 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown.