Healthier Baked Macaroni and Cheese |
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Prep Time: 12 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes |
Ready In: 57 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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This dish was developed for the *Make it Healthier Game* and based on 3KillerB's Baked Macaroni and Cheese. My sister in law's mother also makes a custard based macaroni and cheese so I was interested in the chance to work on a version that while not low-fat, certainly lower than most dishes of this sort. Use the sharpest cheddar or other cheese you can find for best results. The zucchini is a nice way to add extra volume to the dish without adding calories. If your family is averse to green, peel the zucchini first. Ingredients:
cooking spray |
1/2 lb whole wheat macaroni |
1 cup zucchini, peeled and cut into 1 inch by 1/4 inch sticks, leaving out the seedy center |
1/2 lb reduced-fat cheddar cheese, grated |
1 tablespoon non-fat powdered milk |
1 teaspoon cornstarch |
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard |
1 3/4 cups skim milk |
7/8 cup egg substitute (1 cup minus 2 tablespoons) |
salt |
fresh ground black pepper |
Directions:
1. Cook macaroni according to package directions but two minutes less than suggested by the directions. Add the zucchini bites and cook an additional minute. Drain and rinse.
2. Place 1/4 cup of your skim milk into a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the powdered milk and dry mustard until there are no lumps. This step enriches the milk without adding fat. Now whisk in the corn starch until there are no lumps and the milk is warmed but not hot. Add in the remaining milk and turn off the heat. Mix in the egg substitute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Guessing paprika, onion or garlic powder might be nice here as well.
3. Prepare a 9 inch square pan with a coating of butter flavored cooking spray.
4. After grating the cheese, reserve 1/4 of the amount for the top.
5. Place 1/3 of the pasta and zucchini into the bottom of your baking dish. Cover with 1/2 of the remaining cheese. Repeat, with a second layer of pasta and cheese. Place the final third of pasta on top and cover with the reserved cheese.
6. Pour custard into the casserole dish. You want this liquid to come within about 1/2 inch of the top of the pan. The shape and size of the dish may require more or less - just keep the proportion of 1/2 cup egg substitute and 1 tablespoon dry milk for each cup of skim milk.
7. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean of custard (it might be a bit cheesy).
8. Tip from 3KillerB's: this is apt to overflow a little if you got the custard too far up to the top. Best to bake it on the upper rack with a baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips.
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