Light Macaroni and Cheese

Ask anyone in my family... I could live off of mac & cheese. I knew Charlotte was my daughter when she gobbled up mac and cheese as fast as she could at a little over a year old.

My usual recipe starts with butter and flour... lots of cheese, etc. I save that recipe for special occasions.

I use this light recipe more often since it's much healthier and still tastes great. I find ways to add more flavor to help distract you from the fact that there is FAR less fat in this recipe then most. Start with 2 1/2 cups of skim milk in a medium sauce pan, over medium heat. Whisk 1 tsp. mustard powder and 2 tsp. dijon mustard into the milk. Stir very often with a wooden spoon. The milk will be inclined to stick to the bottom and burn if you don't.





Put on a pot of water (with 2 tsp. of salt added) to boil. Cook your pasta of choice to al dente. I use Ronzoni rotini or Barilla Plus rotini. I think rotini holds onto the sauce better then elbows but use whatever you like.

When the milk just starts to bubble, add 2 Tbsp. of cornstarch that as been mixed with 1/2 cup of cold milk. Pour this into the slightly boiling milk mixture and stir! If you don't stir fast it will make little lumps of cornstarch throughout.

When the mixture is thick and creamy, remove it from the heat and add almost all of one 7 oz. bag of 2% sharp cheddar and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese (adds tons of flavor with just a little cheese).

Stir until creamy and taste it for salt. Some cheeses are so salty that you don't need to add any.

Add the cooked pasta to a baking dish (mine is 9x13) and pour the cheese sauce over it.

Never mind the measuring cup I'm using... while taking pictures of my work, I scorched the bottom of the cheese sauce and let the cornstarch form lumps. I had to strain mine through a sieve before adding it to the noodles. No worries.

Take the remaining cheese and sprinkle on the top. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes until the edges are browned and it's bubbly all over.

Enjoy!