{"id":10863,"date":"2013-04-01T00:01:39","date_gmt":"2013-04-01T04:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/?p=10863"},"modified":"2013-03-31T22:27:34","modified_gmt":"2013-04-01T02:27:34","slug":"at-home-with-gch-mac-and-cheese-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/2013\/04\/01\/at-home-with-gch-mac-and-cheese-2\/","title":{"rendered":"At Home with GCH: Mac and Cheese"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here on our At Home with GCH<\/strong> <\/em>blog, Mondays are always focused on healthy but oh-so-yummy!<\/em> recipes.\u00a0 This week we are going to bake a yummy mac and cheese that is loaded with veggies, and low on the calories by reducing the amount of cheese.<\/p>\n

\"macncheese\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mac and Cheese. C\u2019mon, who does not like Mac and Cheese?\u00a0 I read a poll, and Mac and Cheese was voted overwhelmingly as \u2018favorite comfort food!\u2019 \u00a0Now I am hoping that your favorite version does NOT come out of a blue box \ud83d\ude09 but, if it does, perhaps you might consider my\u00a0recipe and see if it does not convince you to try it instead of the blue box version in the future. \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

This version of Mac & Cheese has lots of\u00a0veggies snuck in there. \u00a0Some of the pasta is made with pureed carrots and tomatoes, and there is butternut squash throughout the cheese sauce.\u00a0 I love this because it makes the cheese sauce even more colorful (ORANGE)\u00a0 causing the eaters to \u2018think\u2019 it is more cheesy! \u00a0Also, there is only 6-ounces of shredded cheese in the whole dish which helps to keep this recipe in our\u00a0\u2018healthy-but-oh-so-yummy<\/em>!\u2019\u00a0category.<\/p>\n

Have you ever made a white, or bechame<\/strong>l, sauce? \u00a0Well, today you will! \u00a0It is very easy, and a great technique to add to your repertoire! \u00a0In a future post, I will share some recipes that need a white sauce, and by then you will be a pro at making it!<\/p>\n

The following recipe makes an abundantly filled 9×13 pan…enough to feed 6-8 hungry folks, )or, if you have a husband who LOVES leftovers like mine does, lunch for 2-3 days.) \u00a0This recipe is easily doubled, and I\u00a0always make a double batch. \u00a0A menu suggestion: \u00a0Mac & Cheese, steamed broccoli, grilled ham steak. \u00a0A big, delicious salad is often our only accompaniment.<\/p>\n

Macaroni:
\n1#box small macaroni (shells, penne) <\/span>
\n12oz box veggie pasta (i used penne made with carrots and tomato) *\"2012-11-03<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Cheese Sauce:
\n1\/2 small onion, diced<\/span>
\n2T butter<\/span>
\n2T flour<\/span>
\n1c 2 percent milk <\/span>
\n1c chicken or vegetable broth <\/span>
\n2 (10-ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash, thawed<\/span>
\n1\/2c part-skim ricotta cheese <\/span>
\n4oz sharp Cheddar, shredded (about 1+1\/3c)<\/span>
\n2oz Monterey jack cheese, shredded (about 2\/3c) <\/span>
\n1tsp salt, 1 tsp fresh ground pepper<\/span>
\n1tsp ground (dry) mustard<\/span><\/p>\n

Topping:
\n2 slices stale bread, crumbled into fine crumbs <\/span>
\n2T freshly grated Parmesan cheese<\/span>
\n1tsp olive oil<\/span><\/p>\n

Preheat your oven to 375. \u00a0Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with\u00a0a\u00a0small amount of\u00a0 butter. \u00a0Bring a large<\/b> pot of water to a boil; add 1 tsp of salt and the macaroni; cook\u00a0 according to package directions. \u00a0Drain in a colander and place back into the cooled pot (this is where you will mix the macaroni and all that cheesy goodness together!)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, over medium heat, melt the butter in a medium saucepan, adding the\u00a0 diced onion. cook \u2018til the onion is soft and translucent, approximately 5 minutes. \u00a0Then sprinkle the flour over the cooked onion and, using a whisk<\/b>, stir constantly for one minute. \u00a0Adjust the heat to very low, and cook for 2-3 minutes to get the starchy taste out of the mixture. \u00a0Do not let the mixture brown. \u00a0 Increase the heat back to\u00a0 medium and immediately slowly pour in 1\/4 cup or so of milk while whisking briskly. \u00a0Just keep stirring! \u00a0As this is absorbed, continue to slowly add the balance of the\u00a0 milk in a steady stream, followed by the broth; stirring constantly<\/b> as the liquid\u00a0 becomes absorbed. \u00a0This will take about 3 minutes. \u00a0Adjust the heat lower again and\u00a0 let this mixture simmer slowly for another 5\u00a0 minutes, stirring occasionally.\u00a0 (You\u00a0 have now made a white, or bechame<\/em>l<\/strong>,\u00a0sauce; congratulations!!!) \u00a0At this point, add in the thawed\u00a0 butternut squash, stirring \u2018til it is incorporated, allowing the mixture to come back\u00a0 to a simmer. \u00a0Remove the saucepan from the heat. \u00a0Stir in the ricotta, and the\u00a0 other cheeses, along with the ground mustard, and\u00a0salt & pepper. \u00a0Carefully taste (it\u2019s hot!) the\u00a0 cheese sauce, adjusting for seasoning.<\/p>\n

\"2012-11-03<\/a><\/p>\n

Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni in the large pot and stir gently to combine. \u00a0Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the 9×13 baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. \u00a0Remove from oven. \u00a0Adjust the top rack in the oven to a higher position, and turn\u00a0 the broiler on. \u00a0Combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and oil in a small bowl. \u00a0Mix with your fingers; get a little messy! \u00a0Then sprinkle over the top of the cooked mac and cheese. \u00a0Carefully place the baking dish back in the oven and broil for 3\u00a0 minutes. \u00a0Keep your eye on it; you want the breadcrumbs to brown but not burn and\u00a0 for some of the macaroni to get just a little crispy (my husband loves that part!). \u00a0Again, carefully remove from the oven…and you are ready to serve!<\/p>\n

*Here is a link to the type of veggie macaroni I used. \u00a0Check it out! <\/span>
\nhttp:\/\/barilla.com\/content\/prodottobarilla\/veggie-penne-freshly-pureed-tomatoes-and-carrots<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

God loves you!\u00a0 \u2665\u00a0 <\/span>(Don\u2019t ever forget that!)<\/p>\n

\u2665<\/span>\u00a0 coleen<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

If you would like to send a personal message to Coleen, in regards to this blog, please email her at: Coleen@girlfriendscoffeehour.com<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here on our At Home with GCH blog, Mondays are always focused on healthy but oh-so-yummy! recipes.\u00a0 This week we are going to bake a yummy mac and cheese that is loaded with veggies, and low on the calories by reducing the amount of cheese. Mac and Cheese. C\u2019mon, who does not like Mac and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":10878,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[15],"tags":[9296,2155,176,191,235,425,483,2013,2156],"class_list":["post-10863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-at-home-with-gch","tag-at-home-with-gch","tag-bechamel","tag-butternut-squash","tag-cheese-sauce","tag-coleen-hayden","tag-girlfriends-coffee-hour","tag-healthy-but-oh-so-yummy","tag-ricotta","tag-veggie-pasta","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/macncheese.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p39pHp-2Pd","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10863"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10865,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10863\/revisions\/10865"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/girlfriendscoffeehour.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}