Warm Comfort

Though I'm trying to stick to making mostly healthful foods, winter time and the cold temperature often makes me crave comfort foods. A little while back I had a real hankering for homemade mac and cheese. I knew that if I made anything else it probably wouldn't be as satisfying and then I'd just end up eating more of whatever else, so I decided to just make some and try my hand at making a lighter, healthier version.

I started with about 1/2 lb of Barilla Plus elbow macaroni--Barilla Plus is high in protein and fiber and also has some omega-3. The taste and texture of their Plus line is almost identical to regular semolina pasta, so its totally worth using that instead.

For the sauce I first melted a pat of butter (approximately a tablespoon) in a small sauce nonstick pan and then added a teaspoon of dry mustard, half a teaspoon of sweet paprika, half a cup of light sour cream, half a cup of 1% milk, salt, pepper, and just under a tablespoon of corn starch to thicken it and stirred it together on low-medium heat until it was warmed through and well combined.

Once the pasta was done cooking, I drained it and put it back in the pot I cooked it in. Then I added the warm sauce,  3/4 cup of shredded 2% cheddar and about 1/4 cup of shredded regular extra sharp cheddar. Mixed it briefly the pasta, cheese, and sauce together until the pasta was coated.

First the sauce..

Then the cheese...

At this point, I probably could have just eaten the pasta, but I like the homemade stuff, where it's baked in the oven with some breadcrumbs (or cherry tomatoes, which I sometimes use) on top. So I sprayed a casserole dish with cooking spray and then poured the mac and cheese mixture in the bowl and sprinkled a mixture of parsley, garlic powder, a little bit of olive oil, and bread crumbs on top.

Before it went into the oven

I stuck it in the oven on 350° for about a half an hour (or once the top was mostly brown) and then took it out.

It turned out pretty darn yummy for a lighter version. I invited my friend, Andrea, over for some, and she said one reason she liked it was because it wasn't greasy or very heavy, but still had a lot of flavor and good texture. I agreed with her, but I think I could have used about a 1/2 cup more of milk because it was a little drier than I usually prefer my mac and cheese. Nevertheless, it definitely satisfied my comfort food craving and I will probably make it again at some point (maybe with the addition of some veggies like cauliflower or broccoli to make it even healthier).

Here's the breakdown of ingredients for my recipe, it makes about 4 servings:

Mac:
.5 lb (or half a box) of Barilla Plus elbows (cook as directed)*

Sauce:
1 Tb butter
1 tsp dried mustard
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 cup of light or fat free sour cream
1 cup of light or fat free milk (if you want it drier you can use less)
scant Tb of corn starch (flour can be used as well, but use more if you do)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Cheese:
3/4 cup shredded sharp 2% cheddar
1/4 cup shredded sharp regular cheddar

Crust:
1/2 cup of dried bread crumbs**
1 tsp olive oil (melted butter or other fat could be used)
1 to 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder

*any other pasta could be easily used including gluten free
**corn flakes or gluten free bread crumbs could also be used, and/or you could also place halved grape or cherry tomatoes on top and they will roast slightly adding nice acidity and flavor

Of course, if you aren't looking for a lighter version, you can make this with all the full-fat dairy you please. Additionally, you can use other cheeses instead of just cheddar. Consider experimenting with gruyere or other swiss (though I find some of those a bit too sharp, so I would probably balance them out with cheddar).