Creamy Mac & Cheese (Healthy Version) |
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Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 8 Minutes |
Ready In: 18 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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Another in the New York Times' Recipes for Health Series by Martha Rose Shulman. It's so fast and easy! Blending cottage cheese with milk makes for a very creamy sauce that kid's and will love. Make sure to blend sauce well. You can also add veggies. Use the variation below for a more adult version with broccoli and garlic. Ingredients:
1/2 cup nonfat cottage cheese or 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese |
1/4 cup low-fat milk (more as desired) |
salt & freshly ground black pepper |
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus additional for the table |
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil |
3/4 lb pasta (such as penne, fusille, spaghetti, fettucine) |
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, place the cottage cheese in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Turn on the machine, and add the milk with the machine running. Blend until the mixture is smooth and there is no sign of graininess. Blend in the olive oil and the Parmesan, taste, then add salt and pepper as desired. Scrape the cottage cheese mixture into a large pasta bowl.
2. When the pasta water comes to a boil, add the pasta. Cook al dente, following the timing instructions on the package (about eight minutes for penne). Before draining the pasta, add two to three tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the cottage cheese mixture and stir together.
3. Drain the pasta, toss immediately with the cottage cheese mixture, and serve, passing additional Parmesan at the table.
4. Variation:. Three minutes before the end of cooking, add two cups broccoli florets to the boiling pasta water. Drain with the pasta and toss with the sauce. Add to the ingredients one garlic clove, cut in half, green shoot removed.Before adding the cottage cheese, turn on a food processor fitted with a steel blade and drop in the garlic. When the garlic is chopped and adhering to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the cottage cheese and proceed with the recipe.
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