Everyday Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese seems to be one of those dishes that almost everyone will eat.  In our house, we would all eat it most nights if we could.  But it can be very rich and time consuming to make so it's usually not ideal as a regular meal.  Of course we use those box mixes from time to time because they are a snap to make, and our children love them.  But I prefer baked macaroni and cheese to the stovetop variety.  And really, I love my cheese way too much to be satisfied eating it in powder form. 

I wanted to create a macaroni and cheese that is easy enough to make as a weeknight meal and not too rich, but still delicious.  Moosewood's Lowfat Favorites cookbook has a recipe that is quite good and uses cottage cheese to replace some of the cheddar.  We have tinkered with that recipe over time, and developed a version that we love.  It is a basic cheddar macaroni and cheese with a full, cheesy flavor, and a bit more depth from the shallots and nutmeg. 

This recipe does not involve making a bechamel sauce or cooking the macaroni in advance so it is quick to prepare.  You can tinker with the amount of cheese depending on whether your primary concern is the flavor or healthfulness of the dish.  To me, six ounces struck the perfect balance.

The recipe makes just enough for the five of us, but we probably eat more than most families. Usually we make a double batch to be sure that we have some left over for lunch.  The macaroni and cheese freezes well.  We often make it before a long trip and freeze it, then let it thaw in the car. When we arrive at the end of the road we just pop it in the oven while we unload and unpack.

Now, when the children request macaroni and cheese for one of our weekly meals, we do not hesitate to add it to the list.

Everyday Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from Moosewood's Lowfat Favorites

Serves 5
15 minutes preparation time
45 minutes baking time

3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 pound cottage cheese
1 medium shallot, minced (1-2 tablespoons)
6 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 pound macaroni

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix the parmesan and bread crumbs and set aside.  Pour the milk and cottage cheese into a large bowl and blend them with a hand blender.   Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl with the milk mixture and mix it well to be sure that the macaroni is well integrated.  Pour the mixture into a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking pan and sprinkle the parmesan-bread crumb mixture over the top.  Cook for approximately 45 minutes, until the top is nicely browned.

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Comments

[rosana]

deeelicious!

gave you a shout-out on my blog...check it out.

http://chroniclesofmomnia.blogspot.com

[Margy]

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THIS RECIPE :)

OSCAR

[personmagical]

hi