Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese. It's so delicious. I mean, really... talk about comfort food. It's an American staple. I don't make it often, but every once in a while, it's good to have the real thing. Home made from scratch and not from the blue box. (That's not a knock on the blue box. I'm pretty sure I ate a box of it a day when I was pregnant with Abby. That could also be why I gained like 65 pounds in that pregnancy. Maybe.) In the past, I've always made this mac and cheese from The Pioneer Woman. It's delicious and rich and just about perfect. But it packs a lot of calories, and it calls for a lot of cheese, which can get a little expensive.

I've been cooking a lot lately using recipes from all the Cooking Light magazines I have stacked up around here, and I came across their mac and cheese recipe. We tried it last night and it was yummy! It really didn't even feel "light", which is a major bonus, and it's pretty cheap to make. I usually have almost all of the ingredients on hand.

INGREDIENTS

10 ounce large elbow macaroni (I used whole wheat macaroni)
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken stock, divided
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
8 teaspoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
3 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (I may have used 4)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Set aside.
2. Preheat broiler to high.
3. Heat Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add garlic to pan; cook 3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring frequently (do not brown). Stir in 1 cup stock; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute. Combine remaining 1 1/4 cups stock, milk, and flour; stir with a whisk until flour dissolves. Add milk mixture to garlic mixture, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Remove milk mixture from heat; add cream cheese, stirring until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta to milk mixture, tossing to coat. Let stand 5 minutes. Pour pasta mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle cheddar evenly over pasta mixture. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Let stand 5 minutes.

SERVES 6

Serving 1 cup | Calories 358 | Fat 15g | Protien 14.4g | Carbohydrates 40.7