Broccoli Mac & Cheese: Take 2

Happy weekend! I’m excited for this weekend for a few reasons –

1.) The Olympics are about to begin any minute now!

2.) Adam’s birthday is in a couple of days, and tomorrow we’re celebrating it. I have a few surprises up my sleeve for his pre-bday day of fun! More on that later, but now onto food…

Last week, I blogged about my failed mac & cheese attempt. As I mentioned then, I was eager to buy more ingredients to give it another try, and tonight I did just that.

Macaroni & cheese is such a classic dish, but there are so many ways you can jazz it up a bit. Pasta, cheese, butter, and breadcrumbs obviously make for an indulgent dish, but I wanted to lighten it up a bit for a few reasons: #1 – so that I didn’t feel guilty about eating a dinner with a ton of calories and fat, and #2 – because I don’t like feeling too overstuffed and full, and a heavy pasta dish can and will give me that uneasy feeling afterwards. So what did I do to healthify (I think I’m making that word up) it and make it a little more waistline friendly, while still keeping the creaminess and flavor of the dish?

First, I used reduced fat cheese and low-fat milk.
Second, I used smaller portions of ingredients. For instance, the recipe called for 2 cups of breadcrumbs. 1 cup was plenty enough as the topping, and reduced the dish by 500+ calories.
I used multigrain pasta and added broccoli to the mix to amp up the nutrition factor.

Cheddar & Monterey Jack Broccoli Mac and Cheese

Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine

Serves 6

14 oz multigrain or whole wheat penne, or other type of pasta
1/4 c butter + 1 TBSP
2 TBSP all purpose flour
2 c low-fat milk
1 clove minced garlic
7 oz reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese (a bit over 2 c)
3 oz monterey jack cheese (a bit under 1 c)
2-3 c chopped fresh broccoli
1 c seasoned bread crumbs (whole wheat and/or fresh ones are best)
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook your pasta according to directions.

Meanwhile, mix the topping: melt 3 TBSP of the butter, then stir the garlic in. Put the breadcrumbs in a medium sized bowl and drizzle the butter over the crumbs. Add a pinch of salt, then toss well to combine with your hand or a wooden spoon. Set aside.

Begin steaming the broccoli, cooking until tender.

Grate both the cheddar and monterey jack cheeses.

Next, melt the remaining butter (2 TBSP) in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour, and continue to whisk for a few minutes until the mixture gently bubbles.

Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Raise the heat and bring the sauce to a simmer, still whisking. The sauce should be smooth at this point. Turn off the heat, and slowly add the the cheeses in. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and keep warm until the pasta is done cooking.

When penne is cooked al dente, drain and return back to the pot. Add in the cheese sauce and broccoli, stirring to combine well.

Pour the pasta mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Evenly scatter the breadcrumbs on top.

Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.