My son absolutely LOVES mac 'n' cheese, as does his father. I have made "home-made" mac 'n' cheese before, you know, from the recipe off the inside of the Velveeta box! Actually I made that as one of the dishes at my son's 1st Birthday Party, and suffice it to say, it was a HUGE hit! I do love that recipe, but I don't love making it! I'm always on the hunt for making my family's favorites easier on me! I found this recipe in Taste of Home: Comfort Food Diet Cookbook. This recipe is slightly different, I didn't even know you could make mac 'n' cheese in the slow-cooker! It actually came out very well! To make it slightly healthier, I mixed half regular elbow macaroni and half whole wheat elbow macaroni. I could have went the extra step and added broccoli to it, but as I was already making the Tomato Casserole to go with it, and I felt the broccoli would take away from the dish. Next time, if I plan on just having the mac and maybe a meat, I'll add the broccoli so I don't have to worry about making another side. This is perfect to use for lunches, my son is always excited to get mac 'n' cheese for lunch!
This past Monday, I spent my entire day cooking! Cooking around breakfast, lunch and naptime, so I could be there for my son when he needed me. It actually worked out very well, considering it was a miserable day anyway, and now I don't have to cook until Friday! Having one of the dishes being a slow-cooker meal, helped me out a huge deal, it was one less thing I had to constantly watch! If you have the time to set aside a few hours to cook, I highly recommend getting it all out of the way in one day! Anything to make life a little bit easier!
Yields 9 Servings
Ingredients:
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (I used half reg and half whole wheat)
- 1 can (12 ounces) reduced-fat evaporated milk
- 1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
- 1/3 cup egg substitute
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 8 ounces reduced-fat process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Directions:
- Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. In a large bowl, combine the evaporated milk, milk, egg substitute and butter. Stir in the process cheese, 1-1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese and macaroni.
- Transfer to a 3-qt slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Cover and cook on low for 2-3/4 to 3 hours or until center is set, stirring once. Sprinkle with remaining sharp cheddar cheese.
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