Mac and Cheese...healthy?

I'm looking to make my mac and cheese healtier/lower calorie.  I've given it up for 8 weeks now and I can't take it anymore!  I'm going to eat a whole box of it if I can't figure out a way to fit it in my meal plan on some sort of regular basis!  I have whole wheat pasta (or could/should I maybe use egg noodles?), velveeta 2% cheese, brocoli that I plan on putting in a crock pot (I can't melt the cheese for some reason...I know HOW, it just never works!).  What else can I add in?  Has anyone tried putting pureed carrots in the cheese sauce?  Do you think that would work?  I'm trying to thin out the sauce calorie wise and stretch the dollar a little...sounds funny when talking about mac and cheese, huh?  Any other ideas?

Anyone?

Well you could try milk cause it works with velvetta

Or maybe soy milk but that would affect taste

I would suggest doing an experiment with it to see if carrots work

I think it'll be hard to replace the cheese taste, but I think the pasta's taste can be replaced easily by some type of squash, like spaghetti squash?  Since the majority of mac and cheese's flavor comes from the cheese.  That, or as monalisa stated, you could try milk.  Or maybe...pureed tofu!

http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/06/cr eamy-stove-top-macaroni-and-cheese.html

check out this recipe.  it uses dijon mustard, laughing cow cheese, garlic, etc.  may not be the cheapest recipe in the world (uses asiago and provolone cheese), but was developed by cooking light magazine.  my husband and i made it and it was outstanding.  we actually ended up using an entire 16 oz box of pasta for the recipe and it worked great.  nice and creamy.  you could also add steamed broccoli at the end.

i have had trouble with velveeta in the crock.  it can turn a weird consistency if you don't watch it.  the above recipe is well worth it and you will have a ton of leftovers!

I rather consider Velveta like Spam, something kept around because it's... quaint, but not something I'd eat.

Anyways, if I were you, I'd go for some really sharp cheddar cheese (strong tasting so you don't need a lot), skim milk, whole wheat noodles, black pepper, and broccoli, flour or whatnot if you need it. I think that would work.

Portion control is your best friend in this case.

Are you looking to emulate powdered cheese + milk + noodles, Velveeta + shells, or other?  I often use the Volumetrics Veggie-Stuffed Macaroni and Cheese recipe (here), but instead of spinach and tomato, I use broccoli, spinach, and roasted red bell pepper.  I'd imagine you could use the base sauce of that with skim milk, reduced fat sharp cheddar, and maybe a little bit of that Velveeta if you're going for the creaminess.

Otherwise, check out Cooking Light's website for mac 'n' cheese recipes.  They have a ton.  Like lynnlette said, portion control is really key when it comes to this dish (which is why I like the Volumetrics recipe: the taste of the traditional casserole, but with tons of vegetables to fill you up).

Thank you for all the suggestions so far!  My goal is to use the velveeta 2%cheese b/c I love that flavor and texture, but find a way to reduce the calories (not necessarly thin the sauce texturewise) of the dish and add something with nutritional value to it.  I will be checking out your link in a second bobbyelle...creamy is good.  I haven't had the guts to try squash yet, at all.  I'm scared of it.  But with cheese sauce?  Everything is good with cheese sauce!  Worth a shot.  I will be using portion control, but 330 calories for one cup is just too much!  I'd like to get it down to 150-200 calories per cup if I can and make it a little less empty nutritionally.  I know its loaded with all sorts of bad stuff, but it just tastes so good!

I still make the Kraft mac and cheese from the box, but just add skim milk and no butter.  To give it more flavor, you can add a slice of kraft 2%milk cheese and you could mix in some silken tofu for texture and nutrition.  I will mix and match depending on what I have.  I love to add parmesan cheese as well and sometimes, hot sauce or a bit of cayenne pepper.

There are the macaroni and cheese frozen dinners if portion control is an issue, I like the Michelina's one. 

My suggestion is to try making it one serve at a time. Cook your whole wheat pasta, then mix it with the sauce. White sauce is milk mixed with cornstarch and cooked over a low heat until it thickens... add cheese and seasonings to that and you have cheese sauce with lower calories than pure cheese.

Original Post by monalisa_monkey:

Well you could try milk cause it works with velvetta

Or maybe soy milk but that would affect taste

I would suggest doing an experiment with it to see if carrots work

 i always use soy milk (vanilla flavored at that) when making mac n cheese but i never try to make a healthy version and it doesn't affect the taste at all...

Original Post by kajikit:

My suggestion is to try making it one serve at a time. Cook your whole wheat pasta, then mix it with the sauce. White sauce is milk mixed with cornstarch and cooked over a low heat until it thickens... add cheese and seasonings to that and you have cheese sauce with lower calories than pure cheese.

 I think I'll try to use white sauce most the time and velveeta only when nothing else will do.  I hope that's a happy medium.  :D  I'm still learning moderation, if you can't tell.  Thanks for the suggestions!

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but it looks interesting. She uses orange cauliflower pureed in the mac and cheese.

http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/2008/10/this-m ac-n-cheese-tastes-like-doritos.html

1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 Cup skim milk, 1 tablespoon light cream cheese, 1 Cup grated cheese of your choice.

Heat butter and flour to make a paste. Slowly add milk to make a white sauce, it will begin to thicken and at that point you add the cream cheese and the cheese. It will be very thick and smooth if you whisk it while the cheese and cream cheese melts. Once the cheese has melted the sauce is done. This sauce made with parmesan cheese has 88 calories per 1/4 cup serving and a 1/4 cup goes a long way.

I make this with Asiago cheese, 1 teaspoon garlic, and 1 teaspoon white pepper, my kids like this better than any restaurant alfredo sauce.  With chedder cheese it becomes a great mac and cheese replacement.

It can be less unhealthy if you make this

Low Fat Cheese Sauce

And mix it with cooked Barilla Plus pasta

There is a recipe in the CC recipe files for Moosewood Mac and Cheese.  Most of the recipes I've seen are based around low fat cottage cheese and whole grain pasta, but a lot of them are still pretty calorie dense. We tried this one and about half a 10 oz. serving was enough for me with a great spinach salad.  That puts it in the 235 cal per serving category, but gotta watch the portion size, and you could try to exchange the velveeta (though I agree with the earlier comment, not something I would eat.  Processed cheese to the max, is there even any milk in there?) for the sharp cheddar in this case.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese
1 1/2 cup skim milk or buttermilk (if you want a creamier Mac and Cheese, and I know you do, use the buttermilk!)
1 tsp dried mustard or 1 tbsp prepared mustard
pinch of cayenne
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated onion
1 cup extra-sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 lb. uncooked elbow macaroni
2 tbsp finely grated Pecorino or Parmesan Cheeses
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Preheat the over to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9 or 10 inch square baking pan with a light coating of cooking spray.
In a blender, combine the cottage cheese, skim milk/buttermilk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, salt and pepper and puree until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the puree, the onion, macaroni and cheddar cheese and stir thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into your pan.
Combine the Pecorino/Parmesan and the bread crumbs and sprinkle on top of the mixture.
Bake about 45 minutes, until the top is browned and the center firm.

Nutritional Information:
For 10 oz. serving (about 1/4 of the dish), 471 calories, 30.7 grams protein, 13.2 grams fat (7.7 gram of saturated, 0.8 polyunsaturated and 3.7 gram unsaturated), 55.7 gram carbohydrate, 38 mg cholesterol, 1008 mg Sodium, 1.9 gram of fiber
ese and whole grain pastas, but they are still pretty calorie dense.

make the sauce with frozen pureed winter squash, a cup owfat cottage cheese, less extra sharp cheddar, skim milk, salt (seasoning), whole wheat pasta --- process some whole wheat bread crumbs and after its cooked put all in a casserole dish, sprinkle bread crumbs, a little paprika maybe, and bake till a little brown!

If you love the velveeta taste, try getting the actual block of velveeta. They sell a 2% milk one that is only 60 calories per oz.  If your use 2 oz plus maybe a little parmesan cheese for extra bang flavor, the sauce will be less than 150 calories and would probably be waaay enough to sprinkle over a small serving of noodles of choice (try whole wheat for the filling-ness factor).

I actually used to use the above recipe and put it in a baking dish with one package of frozen mashed squash and would top it with some breadcrumbs. Came out sooo good and was like a whole meal for 3!!!

Velveeta? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! The Moosewood recipe you were sent is by far the best AND it uses real food as the ingredients.  U dont need the pecorino or bread crumbs on top, just put ot under the broiler at the end and it will get crusty and good! I love the pureed cottage cheese trick.  I use it in lasagna and stuffed chicken breasts.  Sub some kind of whole grain pasta and for your cup of (real) cheese, use a strongly flavored cheddar, like a smoked or a sharp. Briefly blanch and drain your veggies if they are "watery" ones (broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms) and add anything else yummy (tomatoes,olives, green onions), toss it all together and bake!  The more veg you add, the more noodles you can replace, the lower calorie the dish!

You could try a vegan version but that may compromise the taste you're looking for.

Here are some non-vegan ones: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/search _recipes/?keywords=macaroni+and+cheese&me mbers_rating=

I have the same issue sometimes... Kraft mac & cheese has an organic version and a whole wheat pasta version. If you actually eat a "real" serving size, it's not horrible... however, you just have to cut back on other things and eat super good the rest of the day! At least that what I do. The wheat one tastes the same as the normal one, but the organic tastes a little different. Just so ya know!