Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 4 ounces elbow macaroni (1 cup)
- Cooking spray
- 2 plum tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 4 1/2-inch-thick slices baguette
- Freshly ground pepper
- 3 shallots
- 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 3/4 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/4 cups 2% milk
- 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preparation
Step 1
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook as the label directs; drain.
Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange the tomato and baguette slices on it in a single layer; season with salt and pepper. Bake until the bread is golden brown, about 7 minutes.
Mince the shallots, carrot and celery in a food processor. Mist a saucepan with cooking spray. Add the vegetables and cook over medium-high heat until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Gradually stir in the broth and bring to a boil; cook, stirring, until thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Add the milk, cheeses and macaroni and stir until the cheeses melt. Season with pepper. Top the toasts with tomatoes; serve on the soup.
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REVIEWS:
I really liked it. I made a couple small changes. Instead of putting the tomatoes on the bruchetta I diced them up and put them in the soup. Tomatoes taste great with mac and cheese. The bland thing: when I make my normal mac and cheese at home I always add 1/4 tsp of dry mustard powder to jazz it up so I treated this soup just like my mac n cheese: added the dry mustard powder. Since the base is chicken broth its important to start with good chicken broth as a base....I only use Knorr brand if using bullion. This time I had the Better Than Bullion Chicken Stock base on hand and used that. I usually have home made broth from a chicken carcass in the fridge....but am fresh out today! While there seem to be a lot of complaints about the lack of salt...for one there is plenty of sodium in the cheese. Plus I am always cutting back the salt in most recipes to make them more healthy. It is refreshing to see one that is NOT oversalted!!
As usual I like some texture, so I left the veggies a bit chunky which changes the visual but I still had a great result. Used more than the recomended cheese but it only made to soup tastier.
This recipe was excellent! Given some of the poor reviews, I was a little nervous to make it, but I took some of the reviewers' suggestions for tweaks. I used the cellentani pasta which is more robust - delicious. I used stock instead of broth and red onion instead of shallots. Also used more cheese than the recipe called for, including pepper jack and sharp cheddar. It had great flavor and a nice even, rich consistency. For the garlic toasts, I used butter and garlic and italian spices. In retrospect, the butter wasn't needed since it was going in the soup anyway. Overall, I highly recommend this recipe! Anyone who is worried about the flavor being bland should consider using Frank's Redhot, crushed red pepper, or pepper jack cheese. That'll fix it right up. (Classic mac and cheese is usually somewhat "bland" so that shouldn't be a surprise.
The first time I made this it came out watery and the cheese clumped. The second time I made it, I really wish I'd made double. Here are some tips: use a really flavorful broth. I used Goya, yummo! Give your flour time to brown and add your broth in batches so it incorporates evenly. After that, give it plenty of time to thicken. The recipe says 6-7 minutes but it took me closer to 10. The recipe then tells you to pull it off the burner and add several ingredients at once. Leave it on the burner, turn it off and just add your cheeses. Give it a chance to fully melt then add your remaining ingredients. Give it a little time to cool so it will thicken up even more. I also used a butter flavored spray on my pan for the baguette. It really made it taste like a crouton! There is nothing wrong with this recipe...the directions just need a little tweaking. And by golly, if you really like a lot of salt, feel free to add it to your own bowl!
My daughter is on a low sodium diet. She loved this soup, although I actually made it with even less sodium. I made some croutons to go on top and let her sprinkle some extra cheese. It was warming and satisfying!
I really don't get why everyone seems to either love or hate this dish except for the fact it doesn't contain any salt. If you're used to overly salty foods, as most people are, then yes you're going to think it's "bland" because, let's be honest, oversalting turns your taste buds to crap. If, on the other hand, you prefer to taste, you know, CHEESE in your Mac and Cheese soup and not just salt you will love this recipe because the cheese flavor comes out strong. As for the grittiness, that's likely because people don't cook the flour long enough, which the recipe calls for, and don't mix the broth in slowly, which the recipe also calls for. By slowly, they mean a 1/4 at a time and stir, stir, stir just like you're supposed to when you're making real soup. Both times we've made this soup we've finished the entire pot by ourselves. People just need to learn how to cook properly and ween themselves off of salt.
I thougt that this was really good and if you add more cheese its even better!!!
I liked this soup so much I called my friend to tell her I was sending her the recipe. I thought it was very tasty. I substituted red onion for the the shallots. One of my new comfort foods!
This is the most bland recipe I have tried from the Food Network website. Ever. Trying to figure out what to do with the leftovers is painful!
This recipe is very bland. My boyfriend and could not finish it and ended up just discarding it because we were that displeased.
I think this is absolutely delicious. I had left over cooked hamburger in my fridge and threw it just so not to waste it and it's even pretty tasty with that addition.
I read all the previous reviews and there was such mixed feelings about this recipe. I decided to brave it and followed the recipe exactly, except I used one less shallot than the recipe called for.
It was delicious!! We crumbled some bacon as a garnish and everyone loved it.
I made this recipe for my grandson (2 1/2 yrs. and the first word out of his mouth was YUM! I didn't do the roasted tomato and baguette, but instead, sliced cherry tomatoes for him. He placed one on his spoon as he dipped into the soup. He finished the bowl and asked for MORE!
My family loved it!! I have been asked to bring it to several parties as well!! What a great change!
I love Mac and Cheese, so I thought I'd give this lower calorie soup a try. I did not enjoy this recipe. I even added extra cheese (a sharp cheddar and pureed the vegetables. My husband and I decided that it wasn't terrible, but I won't be making this one again.
Great kid recipe. I think maybe it could have used something more for adults. Louisiana hot sauce? I don't know. But the kids (and they are picky! ate it up and asked for more. The other reviewers are right about the bread and tomatoes--they didn't add anything. Not worth it.
I skipped the tomatoes & baguette portion of this recipe and just made the soup. It was heavy, but very yummy! The recipe fails to mention that you need to pre-cook the noodles - I got to the part were you add the noodles and realized at that point they should have been cooked already - no biggie, just added to the cooking time. Also, I found I needed to add extra cheese to give it more of a 'cheese' flavor. My husband commented that the minced veggies gave it a different texture, but he still liked it. Looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow - I think this is one of those that tastes better on day 2!
This soup was delicious! It was very filling and full of yummy flavors. The cheese probably makes all the difference so make sure it's a cheese you like. It did take longer than the amount of time they said, but I can be a slower cook. I would've liked more noodles, but that's my preference. Enjoy, it's a good one!