I was going to throw in a bag of cooked frozen shrimp and roasted broccoli but my little’s wanted their shrimp separate. This past week the “new” dinner of choice was a skillet macaroni and cheese recipe made with brown rice pasta, goat cheese and coconut creamer. If it is good for me and can heal me then please bring this powerful food to my plate! Pretty convinced I will eat anything beneficial to my health despite what it is. It helps to have lots of boys around to decide since they are so much pickier than I am. I usually try out a new recipe every Thursday night when Uncle Johnny is over for dinner. Dinners have to be kiddo approved and hubby approved to even make it onto this blog. Once a week I strive to make something different and new for dinner. Softer on the belly (gluten free) and bold comfort food all around! Add 1/2 cup of sour cream (cottage cheese is a great, lower calorie option). Stir to combine.Dinner in less than 20 minutes! Creamy, gooey skillet mac and cheese turned up a notch with tasty goat cheese.
Add 8 oz of extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated. Add a good squirt or small spoonful of Dijon mustard, lots of freshly grated nutmeg, 2 tsp dried sage or 1 tsp fresh, a pinch of kosher salt, 1/2 tsp of sugar, and a pinch of white pepper. Add in 1 can of plain pumpkin puree and with a spatula, stir til combined. Allow this to cook for about 30 seconds before pouring in 1/2-3/4 cup of your reserved pasta water, while whisking. When the butter has melted and has begun to foam, add 2 TB of flour and whisk until you get a paste.
In the same pot, on medium heat, melt 1 TB of unsalted butter with a splash of olive oil. (You will probably only need about 1/2 cup of the water.) Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining. In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook 10 oz of whole wheat penne, or any other short cut pasta (usually half a box) for 5 minutes, or until just before al dente. (this is a half size casserole, serves 4-6 ppl) And I’m counting down the minutes until lunchtime where I get to eat it all over again. We ate ours lat night with my Balsamic Raw Kale Salad with Cranberries and Rosemary Candied Walnuts, and a Roasted Pork Tenderloin with a Dijon Mustard and Pepper Jelly Glaze. Because I knew he was getting something that was actually good for him. And having him ask for more of it made me feel incredible as a cook, and also as a mom. My son even had seconds and asked for it again tonight. My whole family loves it-the baby and the child included. It’s not one of those recipes that uses pumpkin as a secret nutritious weapon, this recipe truly highlights the pumpkin flavor and weaves that flavor, seamlessly, into the flavor of gooey, extra sharp cheddar cheese. If I can’t taste every single fat gram, then it’s not worth it and I don’t want it in my food.īut I’ve been making this Pumpkin Mac n Cheese for awhile now and just never wrote down what I was doing. I just don’t use unnecessary calories, in any of my recipes. I am not making some sort of diet macaroni and cheese. And I rarely use more than a Tablespoon of butter to make my roux. That not only saves some calories, but money as well. Instead I use some reserved pasta cooking water. I don’t use cream or a lot of milk in mine usually, if at all.
This means I just cut back in other areas. I think an extra sharp cheddar is a great cheese to use in most mac n cheeses because its flavor is so complex and its an easy to find, inexpensive option for most people.
I also like to cut down on the fat, but only when it doesn’t sacrifice flavor. I like to use whole wheat pasta when I can, (because when it’s hiding underneath mounds of cheese and sauce, why not?) and sometimes I will sneak in some pureed sweet potatoes, carrots, or cauliflower so it’s more nutritious. It’s just a perfect food, the Macaroni and cheese. There’s my Macaroni and Goat Cheese, my Macaroni and Pimento Cheese, Hawaiian Mac n Cheese, and those are just the ones I’ve shared. I have so many different macaroni and cheese recipes.
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