Eating Well's Macaroni and Cheese

By Bostoncook

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 1/2 cups lowfat cottage cheese
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a shallow 2-qt. baking dish or coat it with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water; set aside.

3. Puree cottage cheese in a food processor or blender until smooth; set aside.

4. In a large heavy saucepan, heat three-fourths of the skim milk over medium heat until steaming.

5. In a small bowl, stir together flour and the remaining skim milk until smooth. Stir into the hot milk and cook, whisking, until the sauce is smooth and thick, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar, pureed cottage cheese, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked macaroni. Spoon into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan and breadcrumbs.

6. Bake until bubbling and brown, about 35 minutes.

Notes: Good, but tasted lowfat.