Almost Guilt Free Mac and Cheese
Baked macaroni and cheese that is guilt free - well it's almost guilt free. But you can feel good about eating this mac and cheese because it has some really healthy surprises in it.
Total Steps
17
Ingredients
22
Tools Needed
9
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http://mindykuen.blogspot.comIngredients
- 1/2 pound Cellantani Pasta (elbow macaroni or small shells pasta)
- 1 medium head Cauliflower (chopped and roasted)
- 1 pound Chicken Breast (sauteed and diced)
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 5 tablespoons Butter (divided)
- 3 tablespoons Flour
- 1 tablespoon Coleman's Prepared Mustard
- 3 cups Soy Milk
- 1 medium Yellow Onion (finely diced)
- 2 leaves Bay Leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/2 lemon Lemon (juiced)
- 1/4 teaspoon Thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/8 teaspoon Szechuan Peppers (ground)
- 2 eggs Eggs
- 5 ounces Goat Cheese
- 5 ounces Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 6 ounces Shredded Emmental Cheese (or Swiss cheese)
- 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs (or other bread crumbs)
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2
Clean, core, and remove leaves from cauliflower (no precision needed). Chop cauliflower into pieces, roughly 1/2" - 3/4".
Step 3
Place chopped cauliflower pieces onto a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over top of cauliflower and mix to thoroughly coat pieces.
Step 4
After 20 minutes, toss cauliflower pieces to brown all sides. Bake for another 20 minutes or until edges are browned.
Step 5
Remove cauliflower from oven and lower oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 6
In a large pot of boiling and salted water, cook pasta until it is al dente. Drain once done.
Step 7
In another large saucepan, over medium high heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in flour, ensuring no lumps. After 5-7 minutes, the butter and flour mixture should be a light caramel color.
Step 8
Add the soy milk, bay leaves, paprika, lemon juice, thyme, garlic powder, and Szechuan pepper. Stir occasionally for 10-15 minutes until the mixture thickens. Remove bay leaves.
Step 9
In a medium size bowl, thoroughly mix eggs. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, slowly add about 2 cups of the hot milk mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly to temper them. Dump the egg mixture into the main saucepan and stir. Add 3/4 of the shredded cheeses and all of the goat cheese, then stir to combine.
Step 10
Add in the cooked, diced chicken and roasted cauliflower. Once combined, add the cooked pasta and stir thoroughly.
Step 11
Season with salt and pepper.
Step 12
Pour into a 9"x13" baking pan.
Step 13
Cover with remaining cheese.
Step 14
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saute pan. Add panko bread crumbs and stir to coat all of the crumbs with butter.
Step 15
Top the mac and cheese with the panko crumbs and bake for 30 minutes.
Step 16
Let rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Step 17
If desired, add a tablespoon of Sriracha hot sauce to the mix for extra heat.