Two-Cheese Mac and Cheese

Two-Cheese Mac and Cheese

You can’t go wrong with a dish as simple and classic as mac and cheese! When I saw this two-cheese mac and cheese on the cover of the latest issue of cooking light, I knew I had to try it. I made it for lunch last weekend and Mike and I both loved it. It only took about 20 minutes to make, and the end result was cheesy and creamy and delicious.  I especially liked that it didn’t call for fancy, hard to find cheese. It’s nice that it’s a little healthier than other versions too! The leftovers were great when reheated, which pretty much guarantees that this dish will be make it into our regular rotation. 🙂

Two-Cheese Mac and Cheese

Two-Cheese Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 10 ounce large elbow macaroni or other pasta (I used gemelli)
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken stock, divided
  • 1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
  • 8 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Cooking spray
  • 3 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)

Directions:

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Preheat broiler to high.
  2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil and garlic to pan and cook, stirring, 3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, but not brown. Stir in 1 cup stock. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Whisk together remaining 1 1/4 cups stock, milk, and flour until flour dissolves. Add to the garlic mixture, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken.
  3. Remove milk mixture from heat; add cream cheese, stirring until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta to milk mixture, tossing to coat. Let stand 5 minutes.
  4. Pour pasta mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle cheddar evenly over pasta mixture. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

from Cooking Light, September 2013

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6 comments

  1. Yummy! Love finding new mac n cheese recipes to try out! I like that you used cream cheese in it…I bet it makes it super creamy!

  2. This looks delicious! I love the addition of cream cheese to this!

  3. i love the addition of cream cheese! i bet it is just so smooth and creamy!

  4. Hi Megan, I made this just now and it was delicious! I added broccoli and tomatoes in addition to a dash of cayenne pepper and dijon mustard! So good and easy to make 🙂

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