Macaroni and Cheese A La Steph! (Kid Friendly!)

It's been a while since I posted a recipe.

Things have been busy and I have been preoccupied, but don't worry!

When I stress, I cook.

When I cook, I eat.

When I eat, I feel better!

I just haven't got around to posting much...

To break the cycle, I am going to tell you about a recipe that I adapted from a recipe that my sweet soul friend Stephanie gave me.

Macaroni and Cheese.

Who doesn't love it?

She gave me this "lightened up" version almost a year ago, and I have to admit...I was a little scared to try it.

One of the main ingredients is...light mayonnaise.

Now don't hate or close your browser window - I know what you are thinking.

Mayo? And not just any mayo, but light mayo?

Trust me, it scared me off for a long time.

But last week, I was craving hearty comfort food (preferably without the love handles), and this came to mind.

So I dug it out.

When I bought the ingredients, I was planning on it just being me for dinner.

But then Steve called and said the kids would like to come by (it's the excuse he uses when he wants to see me but doesn't want to admit it...blames it on the kids...hee hee), and I figured I would use them all as guinea pigs!

That's how I roll.

I was really impressed.

The kids loved it.

Even Andy.

The picky one.

And then I kicked myself for not trusting my Stephanie's judgment sooner.

A lower fat mac and cheese that's kid friendly too?

Brilliant!

Don't get me wrong, this isn't necessarily healthy.

Very few dishes that involve 3 cups of cheese and a pound of pasta are healthy.

But it probably has less calories than most mac and cheese recipes (or at least that is what I am choosing to believe).

I changed a couple of things (surprise!), and I am going to post the recipe that I made...but I will put some tips/variations at the end for you so you can make it your own, ok?

Ok!

Macaroni and Cheese A La Steph (serves 8)

• 1 lb of your favorite short pasta (I used rotini but you could use elbow macaroni or other)
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup of light mayo
• 3 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup of milk to thin
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook noodles al dente, drain. Add remaining ingredients and stir and completely combined, adding salt and pepper to taste as necessary.

Transfer to an oven safe casserole dish or pan.

Cook uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes or until heated through.

Enjoy!

* To really make it light, you could use low fat cream of chicken soup and reduced fat cheese. Be careful though, as this might change the texture
* Steph said she usually crushes up whole wheat crackers and sprinkles them on the top...you could also use panko or Italian bread crumbs. I did none of these, because Andy likes things very plain.
* Steph also mentioned that you could add cooked chorizo sausage, bacon, or Italian sausage to this...I have not tried that yet (again, for fear that Andy wouldn't eat it).
* You could also add cooked broccoli, asparagus, spinach, cauliflower, or anything else that would contribute to your illusion of healthiness.

Thank you for the recipe, Steph! I will never doubt you again. xo

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