I remember growing up and living with my Grandma. She used to cook comfort food all the time. It's amazing that I didn't start gaining weight until I was in my 20's. When I was younger and into my late teens, I could eat anything and any amount of it and I stayed slim. When I met my husband back in April of 2001 (Goodness has it been 10 years already?!?!?) I weighed in at 125lbs and had a waist of 27"....*sigh*..lol...yes I know I will never have that again...that's what having 2 kids will do to ya!
Since starting Weight Watchers I have decided that I d on't want to have to eat Chicken and fish every night. It's what made me decide to start searching for more recipes. While doing so I found the recipe for Baked Mac & Cheese. BAKED MAC & CHEESE while on Weight Watchers? Apparently it can be done! I am not a huge fan of homemade mac & cheese...in fact when Grandma used to make it for dinner, I would skip eating or I would make myself something else. I'm not entirely to sure what it is, but it's mostly a texture thing. I can't stand the fact that the noodles are kinda slimy and really soft...lol....ok...that's not how this recipe turned out, so not to worry.
I chose to make this recipe on a Tuesday (because my DH goes out on Tuesday nights to either play darts or to his Buddy's house to play Final Fantasy on the computers...they have a whole set up over there...don't ask!) and DH does not like whole wheat pasta...which this is made with. LOL...HOWEVER when he came home later on he did have a leftover plate full..lol..I'm not sure if he knows it was whole wheat pasta! Anyway, my kids LOVE Kraft Mac & Cheese. So I thought I would give it a try. It was a hit...not a HUGE hit, but the boys enjoyed it. Cole even ate his whole bowl full.
Since I am not really a fan of homemade Mac & Cheese, this recipe was Ok. It needed something more to it though. A dash of hot sauce? Some Cayenne? I dunno something to make it pop a bit more. Also it probably could have used something crunchy, maybe a breadcrumb crust? (this would increase the points which you would have to count). All in all, it was a good quick and easy dinner!
Here is the recipe:
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Prep: 20 min Cook/Bake: 40 min Serves: 6
8oz whole wheat penne
2 Tbsp canola oil (I used Olive Oil...much better for you)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 c. fat free Milk
2 1/3 c. shredded fat-free Cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1)Preheat oven to 350F
2)Cook penne according to package directios, omitting sale if desired. Drain in colander, then rinse under cold running water; drain.
3)Meanwhile, to make sauce, heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil; boil 1 minute. Remove saucepan from heat; whisk in 2 c. Cheddar, salt, and pepper until cheese is melted.
4)Stir pasta into sauce. Pour into 6 individual baking dishes or 1 (2-quart) shallow baking dish; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/3c Cheddar. Bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about 15 minutes for individual baking dishes, 25 minutes for baking dish. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Per serving: (about 1 cup) 267 cal, 5g total fat, 1g sat fat, 0g trans fat, 9mg chol, 521mg sod, 36g total carb, 5g total sugar, 3g Fiber, 21g protein, 466mg calcium.
PointsPlus per serving: 7 (I paired this with a green salad and dressing to keep it at 7 points. The salad is 0 points and so is the dressing ~ oil and vinegar)
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Awesome... we love home made mac and cheese. One of our faves. Definately put cayenne pepper in it, always!!! and even some dry mustard if you want! Also - this is a fight in our family, to bake or not to bake. I say just pour the sauce on the cooked noodles and eat!!! Yum Yum - it may solve your texture issue too if you don't bake it!! and it will need salt....
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