Macaroni & cheese: nothing satisfies like this hot, gooey homemade favorite - Lighter & Leaner

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, Dec, 2002 by Devin Alexander

Every Friday during my childhood, my mom served the freshest fish she could find accompanied by a hearty portion of macaroni and cheese. But a typical side-dish serving contains about 30 grams of fat, far more than the typical M&F HERS reader wants in a whole meal. So how do we hold onto the warm memories without increasing the size of our running tights?

My mission was to drop the fat content without losing any flavor. The finished product needed to have a blend of cheeses that would be gooey on the inside, plus a layer of cheese on top that would bubble to form a crusty topping. I knew I could easily substitute fat-free milk for the whole milk or half and half that's typically found in most macaroni and cheese dishes without losing much taste, but texture remained a concern. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 8.5x11.5x2-inch (or equivalent size) casserole dish with butter-flavored cooking spray and set aside. In a small bowl, mix flour with enough milk to form a paste, continuing to add milk until a smooth lump-free liquid forms. Pour mixture into a medium saucepan along with the remaining milk. Add cheddar cheese, 3 ounces of the mozzarella cheese and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until cheese is completely melted and mixture starts to thicken. (It may seem like the cheese isn't going to melt completely, but if you continue to stir it, it will.) When the mixture is smooth and no longer runny, remove from heat. In a large bowl, pour cheese mixture over cooked macaroni and stir until well combined.

Spoon macaroni and cheese into casserole dish and distribute evenly. Sprinkle remaining 3 ounces of mozzarella evenly over the top and place dish on bottom oven rack. Bake about 20-25 minutes until the inside is hot and bubbly, and cheese has Formed a lightly browned crust, Remove from oven and allow dish to sit about five minutes before serving. Makes six servings.

Per serving: 329 calories, 27 g protein, 46 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat, 3 g fiber. most of the fat and calories come from the cheese, I had to figure out a way to reduce the damage without compromising this key ingredient.

Before I started any preparation, 1 shredded the cheeses using the finest shredding disk on my food processor Lower-fat cheeses melt much better and spread farther when they're shredded finely Even so, fat-free cheese doesn't melt well as a topping. The cheese used on top to form the crust would have to contain the greatest amount of fat in the dish, so I reserved half of the low-fat cheese to use there. And because low-fat mozzarella cheese is more widely available than low-fat sharp cheddar, I decided it would make the best topping.

The pungent flavor of sharp cheddar is an essential part of the authenticity of traditional macaroni and cheese, so I combined milk with fat-free sharp cheddar (I used lifetime brand, which is available across the country) to create the base of my sauce. Besides adding flavor, the fat-free cheddar helped balance the nutrient value of the meal with a significant amount of protein. And it was simple to achieve the desired thickness by throwing in a couple of teaspoons of flour.

At this point, I needed to add gooeyness to my thick, creamy sauce. Low-fat mozzarella cheese (I used Precious brand) worked perfectly. I had originally planned to add fat-free Parmesan as well, but decided it wasn't necessary However, if that's a flavor you're accustomed to having as part of your macaroni and cheese experience, it wouldn't hurt to add a couple of tablespoons of fat-free Parmesan.

Finally, I eliminated an additional 6 grams of fat by using butter-flavored cooking spray instead of real butter to grease the baking dish. The whole preparation process took less than 10 minutes and the dish baked in only 20 minutes.

Macaroni and cheese can be eaten as a healthy entree by itself, but serving a smaller portion with a piece of fish is a great option if you're following a low-carbohydrate diet. Adding a salad or fresh vegetable will provide essential nutrients and fiber, giving you a delicious, satisfying, heart-warming meal.

 LIGHTER & LEANER

MACARONI AND CHEESE

    2 tsp. flour
1 1/3 cups fat-free milk
    8 oz. finely shredded fat-free sharp
      cheddar cheese
    6 oz. finely shredded low-fat (3 g fat per
      ounce) mozzarella cheese, divided
  1/2 tsp. salt
    6 cups cooked macaroni
Butter-flavored cooking spray