Super-creamy mac & cheese
6
Points®
Total time: 1 hr 30 min • Prep: 45 min • Cook: 45 min • Serves: 8 • Difficulty: Easy
When you think of mac and cheese, does your mind go to puréed vegetables? If not, this recipe might make you think again. Here, we've used puréed cauliflower and carrots to add a wonderful creaminess to the sauce, which in turn creates a lightened up version of this beloved American classic. It still has the best parts of the traditional recipe, too: breadcrumbs, loads of cheese, and, of course, macaroni.
Ingredients
Cooking spray
4 spray(s)
Salted butter
1 tsp
Panko breadcrumbs
⅓ cup(s)
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 Tbsp
Cauliflower
2 pound(s)
Carrots
4 medium, thinly sliced
Low sodium vegetable broth
1 cup(s)
Whipped cream cheese
¼ cup(s)
Dijon mustard
1½ tsp
Reduced fat cheddar cheese
½ cup(s), shredded, divided
Gruyère cheese
¼ cup(s), shredded
Table salt
1 tsp
Hot pepper sauce
¼ tsp
Uncooked macaroni
8 oz
Instructions
1
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring a large saucepot of salted water to a boil.
2
Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat; add panko and cook, stirring occasionally, until toasted, 4 minutes. Transfer to small bowl and let cool; stir in Pecorino and set aside.
3
Cut 3 cups small florets from cauliflower; set aside. Cut remaining cauliflower (including stem) into 2-inch pieces. Add cauliflower pieces and carrots to boiling water; cook until very tender, 10–12 minutes.
4
Meanwhile, combine broth, cream cheese, mustard, 1/4 cup cheddar, Gruyère, salt and pepper sauce in a large blender. With a large slotted spoon, transfer cooked vegetables to blender; puree into a creamy sauce.
5
Add pasta to same pot of boiling water; cook half the time of package directions, adding reserved cauliflower florets during last minute of cooking. Drain pasta and cauliflower; return to pot and stir in pureed sauce.
6
Coat a 2 1/2-quart shallow baking dish with cooking spray; spoon pasta mixture into prepared pan in an even layer. Sprinkle dish with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar and reserved crumb mixture; bake until golden on top, 25–30 minutes.
7
Serving size: 1 cup
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