Lighter Baked Mac & Cheese

This baked mac & cheese recipe is taken from Cooking Light. What makes it a lighter recipe is the addition of low-fat cottage cheese. I love mac & cheese but I don't love how I feel after eating a big bowl of this comfort food staple. This recipe, however, is delicious and satisfying, without a guilt factor after consuming it! Be sure to measure your serving size (about 1.3 cups) because it is easy to eat more than one serving at one sitting, which would then add on more calories! Add a spinach salad on the side for a crunchy, healthy side dish.

Spinach is one of those "superfoods" loaded with cancer fighting antioxidants! It contains about four times more beta carotene than broccoli! Spinach is also rich in fiber, which can help lower harmful levels of LDL cholesterol in the body, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Did I mention that spinach also contains vitamins C and B6, calcium, potassium, folate, thiamine and zinc? So add a healthy side spinach salad to your baked mac & cheese dish and enjoy!

Ingredients:
4.5 cups uncooked penne (tube-shaped pasta)
1 (12 ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
3 tablespoons panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Cook pasta according to package. Drain; place in large bowl
• Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until smooth. 
• Combine cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in medium bowl.
•  Add the cheese mixture to pasta, stir well. 
• Spoon mixture into an 11x7 inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray.
• Combine remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, panko and parsley in small bowl
• Sprinkle evenly over pasta mixture
• Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes
• Preheat broiler (do not remove dish from oven)
• Broil pasta 1 minute or until top browns

Yields 6 servings

1 serving= about 1 1/3 cups (1.3 cups)

Nutrition Facts per 1 serving:

Calories: 329, Fat: 7.4 g. Saturated Fat: 4.4 g. Sodium: 455 mg Fiber: 2g. Protein: 19 g.

For the spinach salad:

Ingredients:

6 cups fresh spinach

1 tomato

3/4 cup sliced red onion

Dressing

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon minced oregano

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients from vinegar to pepper. Add dressing to vegetables as listed above. Toss to combine and enjoy!

Yields about 6 cups

Serving size about 1 cup:

Calories: 69 Fat: 4 g Saturated Fat: 0.6g. Sodium 104 mg. Protein: 1 g. Fiber: 2g.