FN’s Top Recipes, Lightened Up: #1 Baked Macaroni & Cheese
Macaroni and cheese tops just about everyone’s list of favorite comfort foods. It feeds a crowd, and the gooey goodness is so filling. The dish is also easy to lighten up. Alton Brown’s version of mac and cheese came in at number one on Food Network’s Top 50 Recipes of 2009, and while it has loads of fat, a few tweaks make it okay for more than just an occasional indulgence.
Sure, boxed mac and cheese is easy to whip up, but it seriously lacks in flavor. This dish is a simple, wholesome recipe made with real ingredients — no powdered cheese mix here! Real cheddar cheese provides protein and calcium.
- Our tips for lightening it up:
- Trade the whole milk for low-fat milk (1%) to cut back on the saturated fat (without losing any calcium).
- Use half of the cheese — you still get all the flavor and save 115 calories and 175 milligrams of sodium per serving.
- Try panko for the topping (and lose the butter) to shave off an additional 50 calories per serving.
Get more lighter macaroni and cheese recipes »
- More Top 50 Recipes, Lightened Up:
- #2: Paula’s Old-Fashioned Meatloaf
- #3: Good Eats Roast Turkey
- #4: Paula’s Pumpkin Bars
- #5: Chicken Enchiladas
Great tips for Mac and cheese, thanks.
To lighten it up even more, forego the Panko breadcrumbs entirely. I agree on the using less cheese rather than going with a lowfat version of the cheese (bluck!).