Irresistible Bliss

I’m a pro at making mac and cheese. Got the recipe from my mom originally, but I’ve been tweaking it over the past couple of years to be healthier. My daughter requested that I make it while she’s on vacation. And so tonight I did some extra tweaking.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

• 1/2 pound of Elbow macaroni or small shells (I used whole wheat elbows, would prefer shells but haven’t found in wheat. Also, I go rogue and use the whole box, which was closer to a pound.)
• 2 1/2 cups of milk (I substituted unsweetened almond milk.)
• 2 eggs (2 servings of eggbeaters!)
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (I have used reduced fat or fat free. Harder to melt but can be done. This time I left it alone.)
• 1/4 cup of grated cheese (Kraft reduced fat parmesan.)
• 1/2 cup of flavored Italian bread crumbs
• 2 or 3 tablespoons of melted margarine (Right. I use heart healthy margarine. Like promise or I can’t believe it’s not butter.)

Cook macaroni and put into a greased 8″ square pan. (Again, I’m rogue so my pound of pasta fits better in a 9 x 13″ pan.)
Heat milk on medium heat, beat in eggs, cook and stir until slightly thickened, stir in cheddar.
Cook and stir until melted.  Stir in grated cheese.  Pour mixture over macaroni.  Melt margarine and mix with crumbs.  Cover top of macaroni with crumbs.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Let stand outside oven for 10 minutes.

               

I was a little concerned about the almond milk, but it turned out awesome! It was a little less salty than normal. Not sure if the almond milk had something to do with that or something else did. So we just sprinkled a tiny bit of salt to taste. The child is happy and can’t wait to eat leftovers for lunch tomorrow! The mac and cheese hater husband (he only eats mine) says it’s the best I’ve made yet! I call that a success.