Three Cheese Macaroni

Nothing says comfort food more than macaroni and cheese.  Who doesn't love digging into a yummy, ooey gooey, creamy mac and cheese?  Here is our healthier version of this delicious meal that normally would pack on the pounds.  Dig in without the worry!

Ingredients:

3 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (Or whatever small pasta you like)

Extra virgin olive oil

2 cups onion, finely chopped (about 2 small onions)

4 TBS all-purpose flour

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups 1% low fat milk

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 cup part-skim Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shredded & divided

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup panko Japanese breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook until al dente.  While noodles are cooking, drizzle a saucepan with a small amount (about 1/2 tsp)  of olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Once heated, add onion to pan and cook until onions are soft and translucent.  Stir frequently.  Add flour and garlic and cook for about a minute, stirring consistently.  Add milk and bay leaves.  Once brought to a boil, constantly stir with a whisk and cook until thick.  Discard bay leaves.  Add Cheddar cheese and 3/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano.  Add salt and pepper and stir until cheeses have melted and mixture is creamy.  Drain the pasta and add to the cheese mixture.  Spray 5 ramekins generously with non-stick cooking spray.  (We used eight 12 ounce ramekins.  You may also bake this pasta in a baking dish.)  Add pasta mixture to the ramekin, only filling up the ramekin half way.  Sprinkle a little mozzarella cheese over the pasta mixture.  Fill the rest of the ramekin with pasta mixture.  Sprinkle bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano over all of the ramekins to cover pasta.  Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the breadcrumbs, just so the breadcrumbs can get crispy. Bake for 25 minutes.  Turn on your broiler, and broil the pasta until tops are golden brown.  Enjoy your macaroni and cheese, please :)   

Nutritional Facts: 
Serving Size: 8 people
Amount per serving: 12 ounces
Calories: 338
Fat: 13 g

*We only calculated calories and fat because for us, that is what is most important :)