Description
Macaroni and cheese is a classic comfort food recipe, but this lighter recipe is a dinner you can feel good about eating again and again! Made with skim milk, whole-wheat pasta, and broccoli, this is a healthy twist on your favorite cheesy meal!
Ingredients
- 16 oz chickpea macaroni noodles (like Banza) or whole wheat noodles
- 1 large head of broccoli, chopped
- 2 1/2 cups of skim milk
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded smoked Gouda (or more cheddar)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Dash of pepper
- 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add in the macaroni and cook according to the package directions.
- When you have about 5 minutes left of the pasta cooking, add in the broccoli. (Check it out, one less dish to wash!)
- You can boil them together until both are tender.
- In a separate sauce pan, heat up the milk over medium heat.
- Right before it starts to simmer, whisk in the flour and cornstarch slowly and reduce heat to low.
- Slowly add in the cheeses until melted. You can turn the heat back up a bit if you need to.
- Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Combine the sauce and the macaroni in an 8×8 pan.
- Cover with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for another 10 minutes, or until the top begins to brown.
Notes
I’ve been loving Banza chickpea noodles and I swear you can’t taste this difference in this recipe! If you can’t find them or you’re not a fan of chickpeas, whole wheat noodles will do the trick.
If you’re short on time or you’re craving a really saucy macaroni and cheese, you can skip the baking part entirely and stop after step 9.
You can also prep everything until step 9 a few hours or a day before. Keep it in the fridge, and plan to add an extra time while you bake it to ensure it gets hot all the way through.