Baked “Light” Mac ‘n Cheese
Same cheesy, creamy taste, with less saturated fat!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 300kcal
Ingredients
- 12 oz (~4 cups) dry pasta (like macaroni or shells)
- 1 tbsp butter, unsalted
- 1 tbsp light butter (I use Land O' Lakes Light Butter ) or you can just use another tbsp of regular butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 cups reduced-fat milk
- 1 cup chicken broth, reduced sodium
- 8 oz reduced fat-mild cheddar cheese
- 4 cups baby spinach optional
- ⅛ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup bread crumbs (whole grain or regular is fine!)
- 1-2 sprays non stick cooking spray
- ½ tsp ground black pepper (or pepper to taste)
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain pasta and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large skillet pan, melt butter and saute onion (~1-2 minutes). Add flour and cook over low heat stirring with a whisk. Add milk and chicken broth slowly (about 2 TB at a time), constantly whisking and raise heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick. Season with pepper.Once sauce becomes thick, remove from heat. Add cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Add cooked pasta and baby spinach. Pour into baking dish. Top with Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Lightly spray cooking spray on top of crumbs. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
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