A Healthy Twist on Mac & Cheese

When you think of macaroni and cheese, does the word healthy come to mind? Probably not. The usual options we are familiar with are: “the box” consisting of pasta with a pouch of powdered or squeezable plastic-type cheese (sounds yummy, doesn’t it?) or the boiled and baked version that takes forever to prepare and has so much cheese it will surely clog your last available artery!

I am here to tell you that there truly is a creamy, delicious and healthy macaroni and cheese recipe that both kids and adults will love. It also has additional goodies like chicken and broccoli that help to make it a well-balanced meal. Over the years I have taught this version to dozens of classes and always have moms thank me because everyone in the family loves it.

Once you make it, you too will enjoy this healthy twist on a comfort food classic.

Healthy Mac & Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli   (serves 8)

INGREDIENTS

2 Tablespoons Extra virgin Olive oil

1 pound chicken breast tenders, chopped

Salt & pepper

1 small sweet onion, chopped

1 pound elbow or corkscrew-shaped pasta

2½ cups raw broccoli florets

3 Tablespoons buttery spread

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1-teaspoon paprika

2 cups 1% milk

1-cup chicken broth

1 cup 2% shredded cheddar cheese

1Tablespoon Dijon mustard

DIRECTIONS

1. Place a pot of water on the stove to boil.

2. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, chicken and onions to the pan. Sauté for five minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

3. Season with the salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.

4. Generously salt the boiling water to properly season. Add the pasta and cook
until there are 3-minutes left in the cooking time. Add the broccoli and cook
for the remaining 3 minutes.

5. While the pasta cooks, heat a large saucepan on medium heat. Add butter and melt, add flour, cayenne pepper and paprika and whisk over the heat until the mixture bubbles. Cook for one minute. Whisk in milk and broth and raise the heat to bring to a gentle boil. Lower heat and simmer to thicken about five minutes.

6. Drain pasta and broccoli. Add back to the pot and add cooked chicken mixture.

7. Add cheese to the sauce mixture and stir until it melts.

8. Whisk in the mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste.

9. Pour the sauce into the pot with the chicken, broccoli and pasta. Mix to combine and serve.

10. Enjoy!

Have a safe and wonderful holiday. Until next week, happy cooking!

Recipe courtesy of Helene’s Custom Cuisine