Jhiane's Sinfully Delcious Mac & Cheese (REDUCED FAT)

My best friend, Jhiane, makes a mean Mac & Cheese… she uses Evaporated Milk, lots of butter, and lots of cheese, obviously it tastes freakin’ amazing! I’ve often requested her to make her Mac & Cheese with less fat, however she never complied since she only bakes this dish on special occasions. Every Thanksgiving I make my yummy Penne Alla Vodka, this year however, my nieces and sister asked me to make Jhiane’s Mac & Cheese. Everyone had tried her Mac & Cheese at my Bridal Shower and loved it, so I figured why not! Quite honestly, I just didn’t have the heart to make the full fat version, I mean most people in my family are pretty health conscious and I wanted everyone to enjoy this truly delectable dish. Either way you do this dish though, there is a ton of guilt! 🙂

Since I was making my Mac & Cheese for a huge party, I doubled the recipe. This recipe turned out very good, however I felt it could have been creamier – I am my biggest critic! Going forward I intend to use some 2% Reduced Fat milk to fix the creaminess issue. The ingredients mentioned below are for 1 pound of elbows pasta enough for 1 regular size tray, however since I doubled this recipe, my images below will be portray the ingredients of a doubled recipe. Get it?

TELL ME: What’s your favorite Mac & Cheese recipe? Have you tried reducing the fat?

NUTRITION: Milk is a great source of Calcium, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K. It is also has a good amount of Protein. Cheese is a good source of Calcium and Protein. You can use Whole Grain Elbows pasta which would add a great source of Fiber to this dish, however I was unable to find Whole Grain Elbows!

INGREDIENTS (for 1 regular size tray):

Pot of Water – boil
Elbows Pasta – 1 pound box
Unsalted Butter – 4 tbsp (or 1/2 stick)
White Flour – 1/4 cup
Carnation Evaporated Low Fat 2% Milk – One 12 fl oz. can
Reduced Fat 2% Milk – 1 1/2 cups (I didn’t add this, but this will make it creamier – add it)
Crushed Red Pepper – 1 tsp (omit if you can’t handle heat)
Black Pepper – 1 tsp
Cheese – 2 cups for sauce (I love Cheddar and Colby & Monterey – use whatever you like, and go with a Reduced Fat version)
Progresso Italian Bread Crumbs – 2 to 3 tbsp
Cheddar & Parmesan Cheeses – 3/4 to 1 cup for the top (use a combination)
Garlic Powder – sprinkle on top
salt to taste

DIRECTIONS (keep in mind that I doubled the recipe above):
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.

2. Add butter to a heated pot. Again, I used a stick of butter since I doubled the recipe, you only need 1/2 a stick for 1 regular sized tray.

3. Once melted, add flour.

4. Whisk until smooth. This will cook the flour, should be about 3 minutes and you should be able to smell the aroma of the butter and flour.

5. Add Evaporated Milk. Whisk.

6. At this point you should add 1 1/2 cups of Reduced Fat 2% Milk as well – I didn’t do this, but I plan to next time around. Whisk.

7. Check on the boiling water, add the pasta to the boiling water. Boil until pasta is Al Dente.

8. Add crushed red pepper, black pepper, and a little salt to the sauce.

9. Whisk. Note the mixture will be a little thick.

10. Add 2 cups of cheese.

11. Whisk, this is what you should have. Lower the heat to dial 2 or 3.
NOTE: this sauce is extremely thick because I didn’t add the addition 2% Reduced Fat Milk, if you add 1 1/2 cups of milk, this will result in a much more creamy texture.