Claire’s Test Kitchen – Comfort Food Mac & Cheese

This recipe comes from the newest Weight Watcher’s cookbook, Comfort Classics, on page 108. The original recipe makes 4 servings at 6 points per serving. I made some substitutions and halved the recipe, but the points per serving was probably still 5-6 points. It said prep time was 10  minutes and cook/broil time 15 minutes, and that’s probably about accurate.

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 8 oz whole wheat macaroni
• I tablespoon plus 2 tsps all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups fat free milk
• 1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 tablespoon plain dried bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp grated parmesan

Instructions*

1. Cook the macaroni according to box instructions. Drain.
2. Melt the butter in a sauce pan (WW recipe has you do this in an ovenproof skillet)
3. Add the flour and whisk constantly for about 1 minute.
4. Add the milk and keep whisking until sauce starts to thicken (about 5 minutes).
5. Add cheese, salt and pepper. Stir until the cheese is melted
6. Mix in the cooked macaroni.
7. Place in an oven-safe dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs and parmesan on top and broil until golden brown.

Claire’s Review

I substituted whole grain rotini for the macaroni and used light butter instead of real butter. I also didn’t use a skillet like the original recipe called for. I also omitted the breadcrumbs and the grated parmesan, using cheapo parmesan (because I had it on hand) and a little bit more of the shredded reduced fat cheddar on top to brown the dish and make it kinda crispy.

Essentially, this recipe is exactly how I used to make mac and cheese using a basic roux sauce, only now I’m using whole grain pasta and reduced fat cheese. The whole grain pasta definitely gives it a different texture and flavor than I’m used to, but it’s not bad.

I added grilled chicken to the side of the dish for extra protein and to balance out all the carbs. Yup – definitely comfort food.

*These are my instructions, not verbatim from the recipe due to copyrights.

Tagged as: Claire's Test Kitchen, comfort food, mac and cheese, Weight Watchers, weight watchers recipes