Healthier mac and cheese5/17/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() The food I wanted to eat, pared down to fit my goals.It’s kind of a dream when your editor emails to ask if you’d consider eating a bunch of mac and cheese - for journalism’s sake. And if you’re in that boat, you know it gets old fast. When I first started dieting, I was torn between giving dishes like these up or having them, but only in really tiny portions. And yes, that’s right – I’m using American cheese! I know it’s not what comes to mind when you think of “healthy”, but it melts great and forms a really nice base, so you don’t need much of it. You usually want a combination of one mild cheese and one sharper cheese for the flavors to be more balanced. The cheeses I’m using are American cheese and Sharp cheddar. Everything just melts and stirs right together. The difference in this recipe is that the cheese sauce is made right in the pot with the pasta. ![]() Sometimes you just need some room for imperfection! THIS RECIPE This wasn’t a small feat and I would declare myself a tough critic! I’m still perfecting my roux, but over the years I wanted a simpler sauce that came out great every time, without needing so much tender attention. I have done countless trials with a Healthier Mac & Cheese version overtime to make it easy, stay saucy, smooth, creamy, cheesy, and salty, plus to not be a calorie bomb so that I can eat it regularly. But for this recipe – it does not matter which route you take! Shredded cheese doesn’t melt as well because it has anti-caking agents added to it, so for a roux it's better to shred the cheese yourself. The roux is not the hard part so much as it is to get the cheese to behave well. Otherwise, you’re looking at one messy grainy sauce that doesn’t taste at all like Velveeta. You have to pay attention to your temperature very closely so that the sauce doesn’t burn and that the cheese doesn’t curdle. My issue with making a roux is that you really need to perfect it for it to come out great. This can be turned into many different sauces too – but in this case, different cheeses get added to the base to make a cheese sauce. Usually, mac and cheese is made by making a roux which is a technical term for a sauce base that consists of flour and butter. It’s not as straightforward as you’d think! I’m talking about replicating that amazing version you always think of as the gold standard. These questions are even more perplexing once you’ve actually tried making homemade mac and cheese and realize achieving that saucy, cheesy flavor is not easy. A good mac and cheese should leave someone saying “Oh my!” and also “but how?”. And then you realize you’ve been cheated. Mac and cheese from the box feels like it has its place until you try some real honest homemade mac and cheese. Seeing that Macaroni and Cheese is so high on that list, I figured it was about time I shared a recipe for it on here! ![]() When I think of cravings, I think of intensely cheesy and carb-loaded foods. Go ahead & indulge in your favorite classic! It's creamy, cheesy, full of flavor, plus half the calories as a restaurant version. Healthier Mac and Cheese is everything you want from the classic comfort food dish. ![]()
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