Macaroni and Cheese is a staple meal in a lot of homes, but unfortunately it's high in carbs and fats, which makes it a less-than-healthy option. Ryan and I LOVE anything pasta so we were pretty excited to find a healthy version of Mac n Cheese that actually tastes BETTER than the original. We wanted to share the recipe with you so you can satisfy your pasta cravings without sacrificing your healthy lifestyle.
This recipe serves 8 people with 1 1/2 cups per serving. Prep time: 20 min. Cook time: 17min.
For those of you using the 21 Day Fix containers, one serving = 1 Green, 1 Yellow, 1/2 Red, and 1/2 Blue
Ingredients:
3 cups cooked GoGo Quinoa Macaroni (or you could use whole wheat macaroni). See image below.
4 tsp. organic unsalted butter
2 tbsp. unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (we use closer to 2 cups to make a bit more sauce)
1 1/4 cups freshly grated extra old cheddar cheese
3 cups cooked and diced boneless, skinless chicken breast
6 cups chopped and steamed broccoli florets
1 tsp. Himalayan salt (or sea salt)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
Directions:
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Do not add salt or oil if directions suggest it. For the GoGo quinoa macaroni: bring 3-4 liters of water to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta, stir often during the first 2 mins. Cook additional 5 mins stirring occasionally for al dente OR 7 mins stirring occasionally for regular texture. Drain and rinse immediately with COLD water.
Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat.
Add flour to melted butter, cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute or until brown.
Slowly whisk in almond milk; cook, whisking constantly for 1-2 mins or until mixture thickens and there are no lumps.
Reduce heat to low. Add cheese; cook, whisking constantly for 2-3 mins or until melted.
Add salt and pepper, whisking constantly.
Add cooked chicken and steamed broccoli; cook, stirring constantly for 1 min or until heated through.
Add pasta; stir and take off heat.
Serve immediately
You can use a variety of different vegetables or mixtures of cheeses to add variation to the above recipe.
We got this recipe from our favorite cookbook, Autumn Calabrese's Fixate, but we did modify it.
We hope you enjoy this version of Mac N Cheese as much as we do! Feel free to share with your friends!