Baked mac & cheese

Baked mac and cheese

5
Points®
Total Time
1 hr 5 min
Prep
20 min
Cook
45 min
Serves
26
Difficulty
Easy
The standard sauce for macaroni and cheese is béchamel sauce, made with flour, butter, and milk or cream. We replace it with a lowfat cheese custard sauce. The cooked noodles are tossed in the custard and layered with shredded cheese before baking. This serves a crowd, making it a perfect side dish for just about any celebration with friends and family. Serve with grilled or roasted meat and a simple green salad.

Ingredients

Cooking spray

2 spray(s)

Uncooked elbow macaroni

1 pound(s)

Reduced fat cheddar cheese

8 oz, shredded

Reduced fat shredded Monterey Jack cheese

8 oz, shredded

Low fat cream cheese

8 oz, (Neufchâtel), at room temperature

Fat free cottage cheese

1 cup(s)

Fat free skim milk

1 cup(s)

Kosher salt

2 tsp

Dry mustard

1 tsp

Black pepper

½ tsp

Garlic powder

½ tsp

Ground nutmeg

¼ tsp

Cayenne pepper

¼ tsp

Egg

3 large egg(s)

Paprika

½ tsp, for topping

Instructions

  1. In large pot of salted boiling water, cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain macaroni.
  2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F. Coat 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. In medium bowl, toss shredded cheeses. In blender, purée cream cheese, cottage cheese, milk, salt, mustard powder, black pepper, garlic powder, nutmeg, and cayenne until smooth. Add eggs and blend until custard is smooth.
  3. Spread quarter of macaroni in prepared baking dish. Top with quarter of shredded cheeses. Repeat 3 more times with macaroni and shredded cheeses for total of 4 layers each. Pour custard over macaroni and cheeses, pressing to submerge noodles. Sprinkle top with paprika for color. Cover with foil. Bake until cheeses melt and custard is set, 30 to 45 minutes.
  4. Per serving: 1⁄2 cup