Daily Favorites: Healthy Mac & Cheese: 3 Ways

This has been it's own mini pasta journey. It started because I was having a moment with greek yogurt and amazed at the protein and calories numbers and trying to find way so work it into more recipes. But I really wanted to nail this because my kids love mac & cheese, so I wanted to find the perfect healthy mac & cheese that I could always have the ingredients on hand and make for them anytime. 

My holiday-style indulgent mac & cheese is super delicious, but also probably like 1000 calories per serving. And I make it in a giant dish so it's possible for me to eat multiple servings. Kraft blue box isn't terrible on calories but doesn't taste that great. Could I split the difference somehow and make one under 650 calories for a satisfying bowl that tastes great?

I set out to make the perfect healthy mac & cheese. But as I learned in one of my favorite Malcolm Gladwell pieces, "There is no one perfect spaghetti sauce. There are only perfect spaghetti sauces."

So I've devised three separate recipes for different occasions and flavor preferences. (I went into this thinking I could use the impressive nutrition of greek yogurt, but that didn't work. Instead, unsweetened almond milk at 30 calories a cup was helpful.)

Healthy Mac & Cheese #1: The Blue Box Killer

Instant powder stovetop mac. 410 calories. 

This is the simplest one and also the lowest-calorie. It's better tasting and lower-calorie than Kraft Mac & Cheese. 

In all recipes, I'm starting with 84 grams of dry pasta. This is a three-ounce serving coming in at 300 calories, regardless of shape or brand. I intentionally wanted to make recipes with sizes for one person. It's easy to double or triple recipes. But if I make a big recipe with the hopes of having leftovers, it never works out that way. (I eat the whole pot.) 

Cheese Sauce
30g light sour cream (35 cals)
21g cheese powder (75 cals)
just a few drops of almond milk

While the noodles are cooking, I measure and mix the sour cream and cheese powder together. I just got a food scale which is fun to use and makes everything more precise and repeatable. Literally a few drops of almond milk helps stir it together into a creamy sauce that's ready to go. In case you're wondering, an entire cup of the unsweetened almond milk is only 30 calories, so a few drops is literally under a calorie.  

This is perfect for the kids. 

Healthy Mac & Cheese #2: Quick, Creamy & Cheesy

Real cheese quick stovetop mac. 575 calories

Start with 84 grams of dry pasta. While the noodles are cooking, in a separate pot, we're going to make a cheese sauce.

Cheese Sauce

50g of low-fat evaporated milk (slightly less than 2 liquid ounces) 
60g of grated cheese (some combination of mozzarella, white cheddar, pepper jack)
dash of cheese powder (optional)
unsweetened almond milk as necessary to thin it out 
pepper
drop of mustard (optional)

Warm the milk, and then a little at a time, start adding the cheese until it all gets melty. Just a few grams of the cheese powder gives it a nice color and boosts the cheese flavor, but it will work without it. 

Pepper jack and white cheddar are my two favorite cheeses. Love the flavor they bring. The mozzarella ads meltiness and is less calories too. If I didn't have the evaporated milk on hand, I would add 7 grams of flour to 2-3 ounces almond milk. 

Drain the pasta and stir it into the pot with the sauce and you're ready to eat.

Healthy Mac & Cheese #3: Weekend Version

Oven-baked mac. 585 calories. 

This is basically the same recipe as #2, but it gets baked. From when you start boiling the water to when you take you first bite is around an hour, so that's why this is a weekend recipe. It's not harder, just takes more time. 

Again starting with 84g of pasta. I like penne for this one.

Cheese Sauce

45g of low-fat evaporated milk (slightly less than 2 liquid ounces) 
60g of grated cheese (white cheddar, pepper jack)
dash of cheese powder (optional)
unsweetened almond milk as necessary to thin it out 
pepper
drop of mustard (optional)

Topping

5g of cheese

- - -

This gets baked at 350F for 20-25 minutes.

This was hands-down my favorite. It's crazy that this is the same recipe as above. The baking step transforms the dish into something else entirely. Instead of tasting like pasta with a cheese sauce, they become one cohesive unit. For me personally, baking is always going to be worth it. 

The one area for improvement, I had too much surface area. If I use a smaller baking dish, I can still get crispy edges but hopefully not have too many dry spots. (Note to self: use the boat-looking dish I used on the twice-baked potato.)

With this recipe it would be easy to double or triple for family, but it's essential to have the recipe work for one so that I can just make what I need and not have to rely on willpower to save leftovers. At the end of the plate, my taste buds wanted to keep eating, but I didn't need more than 600 cals for lunch. Since there wasn't anymore, it was easy to just move on.

I almost put in too much almond milk and had a thin sauce at the end. I ended up adding more cheese to the sauce to thicken and having less reserved for the topping. I didn't add any cheese powder this time, but could try that next time. 

This was the last of eight or nine experiments, and when I got to this, I was like yes, this is it. This is what I set out to make. But in the process, I also discovered a lower-calorie version for the kids and a quicker version for anyone. 

Pasta Journey: Sausage, Peppers & Onions Pasta

 

This one was a bit different than the usual pasta + sauce formula. In this case, the "sauce" is extra chunky with not much liquid. I found this recipe from Fabio Viviani, a two-time Top Chef contestant. 

I was looking for a recipe that started with crumbled Italian sausage and this seemed like an easy winner. 

This recipe calls for just a little bit of tomato sauce, so with a little planning ahead, I happened to have a little bit of tomato sauce leftover from my Sweet Marinara. 

Here are some bonus shots of the cooking stages. 

I went with shells for this one, attempting to match the size of all the pieces, though my peppers were still a bit on the large size. 

I love Italian sausage so this was a big hit and super quick and easy. If I ever have a little tomato sauce leftover, I'll remember this one.

Pasta Journey: Sweet Marinara

 

I took the bottom photo first, ate it, then realized that it might have been hard to see under all that grated Romano. So I took another photo sans cheese. 

I learned this sauce from my in-laws and have been making it for 12 years now. This is my all-purpose red sauce. I love it on pizza. I love it on meatball subs. And I love it on pasta. It slow simmers on the stove for an hour. The sauce is thick which is great because you can add pasta water to get the consistency you like. If you start with a thin sauce, I'm not going to want to add any pasta water. Also, in general, I don't like thin sauces.

I feel like I should mention this is a tomato sauce for people that don't like tomatoes. Because I'm one of those people. It specifically doesn't use whole tomatoes because I don't want tomato chunks. 

Today was the first time that I cooked it with any meat. Specifically, I made the recipe and split it into two pots, one with Italian sausage, one without. The browned sausage chunks simmered in the sauce for an hour. And surprisingly, the sauce turned out basically the same in both pots. I was expecting for the sausage to flavor the sauce but that didn't really happen. I did enjoy the sausage chunks for sure, but it's definitely optional and not a meaty revelation like I was hoping for.

1 medium onion, diced

28 oz crushed tomatoes

12 oz tomato paste

1/2 cup brown sugar

salt, pepper, garlic powder, herbs to taste

It's so simple to make. Saute the onion in some olive oil. Add the tomatoes and paste. Add the sugar and seasonings. Cook for an hour on a medium-low simmer. Then taste and adjust as necessary. Usually a bit  more salt and pepper at the end. 

Then serve with pasta and freshly grated cheese.

If you wanted it less sweet, you could certainly add less brown sugar. You could add red pepper flake or garlic for more a robust, balanced sauce.

The boys loved it. Brit liked it but said it was on the sweet side for her. I like it sweet because I like to cover it in salty, hard cheese.

Pasta Journey: My Take on Carbonara

 

So I used all the important caveats in the introduction post. This is not a true Italian carbonara. This is how I like to make it. (Italians would definitely freak out about the cream, garlic and onions. So that's why this isn't called Carbonara. It's inspired by it.) And although it's definitely in the collection of dishes I know how to make, like most things, there is always room for improvement. One time I made it I thought it was the best thing I've ever cooked. I made it last year and thought I didn't do it justice. 

By the next time I make it, I'll probably watch more videos and pick up new techniques. Can always try and get better Italian meat. But here's how I've done it. 

guanciale/pancetta/bacon

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 eggs

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

3/4 cup heavy cream

lots of black pepper

12 ounces of pasta (rigatoni or angel hair are favorites of mine)

Dice the raw meat and fry over medium until crisp. Set aside and season with pepper. Add the onion and garlic to the same pan. Cook until golden. Set aside. Start cooking the pasta. 

In a bowl, mix the eggs, cheese, cream and pepper until smooth. Reserve a cup of the pasta water before you drain the pasta. Drain the pasta and add to pan where you cooked the meat and onion. Drizzle in the sauce while stirring. Add pasta water as necessary. Add the meat, onion and garlic back in. 

Pasta Journey: Creamy Garlic Shells

 

So I knew my family liked fettuccine alfredo. So I thought, how could I kick this up a notch? Add lots of crushed garlic, chopped parsley, and make a roux, so we're basically riffing on bechamel at this point. 

I let my youngest son pick the shape and it was a great choice. The shells really filled up with the sauce and was fun to eat. 

4 Tbsp. butter

4 Tbsp. flour

8 cloves garlic, grated 

3.5 cups half and half

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced 

1 lb. medium shells pasta

Melt the butter, add the flour and garlic. Then half cup at a time, add the half and half, stirring until smooth. Season with a little salt and good amount of pepper. Stir in the cheese until melted and then add parsley. Stir the sauce into the drained pasta. 

I found initially that the sauce was a little thinner (very creamy) than I was expecting. Just a touch. So I added a little more Parmesan and gave it an extra minute on the stove and it thickened perfectly. But maybe next time I would aim for 3.25 cups of half and half. 

I never claimed that was going to be a strict Italian journey. This is definitely an Americanized pasta dish, just like alfredo. Personally, I thought this kicked the pants off alfredo sauce. The roux added a deeper nuttiness, the garlic was great, and the fresh parsley was a nice addition too. Definitely seems like something I'll be making again one day.

Pasta Journey: Vodka Rigatoni

 

This was the one pasta I learned during 2020 quarantine. It was a recommendation from my boss and it does not disappoint. This was a hit for the whole family. A creamy tomato sauce—and I love the color. 

I like rigatoni for these because it can really get the sauce in each tube. In fact, rigatoni became my default shape for any sauce because of that. It works with everything.

3 tbsp. butter

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1/2 cup tomato paste

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 tbsp. vodka

1 lb. rigatoni

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Melt the butter, sauté the shallot and garlic. Add the tomato paste and red pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the vodka. Add the cream, parmesan and 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Salt and pepper to taste and add more pasta water if necessary. Serve with extra Parmesan.

Pasta Journey: Fettuccine Alfredo

 

This was the first pasta dish that Brit and learned to make from scratch over ten years ago. We've since made it many times. It's our oldest child's favorite food. He even requested it at Thanksgiving one year. 

1 pound fettuccine

1 stick butter

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups freshly grated Parmesan

salt and pepper

You just warm the butter and cream in a pan and pour it over half the Parmesan in a bowl. Add the pasta and a little pasta water. Then add the rest of the cheese, salt and pepper to taste. I like to reserve just a but of grated cheese to put on at the table. 

It feels like a special occasion, despite it being super simple to make. 

Pasta Journey: Aglio e Olio

 

This is perhaps the simplest dish of all, so it seemed like the right place to start. Oil and garlic. During World War II, resources were scarce. But you had to eat. Cheese was a luxury. 

I chose angel hair for this because I knew the "sauce" was going to be very thin and light. I wanted a thin pasta that wouldn't be too dense for a light sauce. 

I sautéed 7 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced in the extra virgin olive oil. Then added red pepper flakes and a few chopped fresh Italian parsley stems. Once the pasta was almost al dente, I added a ladle of pasta water. Then transferred the pasta, added the parsley leaves. It seemed like I chopped up a ton of parsley, but it could have handled even more. Added a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Then added pasta water until it seemed the right consistency. 

In a pinch, I've made olive oil pasta before. But never this good. It's simple and light, yet allows for the flavors to come through. You definitely get garlic. (Brit said the garlic was a bit strong, which to me was validation of a job well done.) You get the oil. The parsley adds a lot. And the red pepper and lemon are just there to give the whole thing some zing and brightness. It totally works. 

Not my absolute favorite by any means, but still I get why this is a classic. A great place to start a journey. Pasta al Limone is an upgraded version of this concept that I'll make one day, so I'm glad I started here.

Il Viaggio della Pasta | Pasta Journey

Today I am embarking on a Pasta Journey. 

First question: Why pasta?

The truth is a complicated history, a long connected string of events that have Inceptioned me into this moment. Some of these events include the first time I had pasta carbonara in Brooklyn in 1999. Or the first time I visited Italia in 2009. They include wanting to learn Italian in 2016 but stopping and merely adding it to my bucket list. It includes watching Master of None. It includes writing a list of pastas to make during lockdown only to get sidetracked after one dish. A few weeks ago, we saw a few episodes of Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy show in a hotel. Then last week we saw the conclusion of Top Chef Season 17 in Tuscany. That was the tipping point that made me restart learning Italian. Which was the catalyst to truly begin the Pasta Journey in earnest. (I mean, you can only talk about forchette e piatto e cacio e carne for so long before you wish you were having pasta.)

So why pasta, exactly? It's delicious, for one. But many things are. I love that it has simple ingredients, and not too many. It's affordable and quite easy to feed a family of four. Plus, everyone in our family likes it. It seems like when done right, it's one of the easiest ways to get restaurant-quality food at home. While pasta can be rich and isn't exactly considered health food, it fits into my healthy eating plan better than pizza, bread, or desserts. I feel like I'll be able to fit a single serving of pasta as my dinner for under 750 calories. But mostly it seemed slightly elusive. That there are all these dishes that I've seen recipes for or videos on YouTube, but haven't tried to make them myself. 

Next question: Why a journey?

Short answer is I wanted a project. Long answer is there are so many dishes that I want to make. There are techniques to master. And then there's making your own pasta from scratch. This isn't trying to perfect a single item like an apple pie. You can do that in a weekend. This will take a while and is one of those things where even after I've got 10 or 15 dishes that I feel comfortable making, there's always more to try. I've got to walk before I run. I'm going to start with nailing down some sauces before moving on to fresh pasta. Like many things, this is a journey without a definite endpoint. But over time, I'll be adding dishes that I feel like I'm comfortable making to the collection below. I'm starting with four that already belong. I think it will be fun to see that collection grow over time. 

A note on authenticity. 

I understand why Italians hold on to traditions. I think their passion for authenticity is great and makes the dishes special. When they say no butter, cream or oil in Cacio e Pepe, I get it. If you add any of those ingredients to the pot, you no longer have Cacio e Pepe. So I'll be aiming for authenticity when using certain words. But I also recognize that I'm neither Italian nor a professional chef. I'm cooking for me and my family. And I'm willing to experiment. I already know that when I make my take on carbonara, I like to add cream, which then no longer makes it a true carbonara. But I'm okay with that. I'm making it for me so I'll make it how I want. I'll just try to be careful with what I call it. 

The Collection

Fettuccine Alfredo

Vodka Rigatoni

My Take on Carbonara

Sweet Marinara

Aglio e Olio

Creamy Garlic Shells

Sausage, Peppers & Onions Pasta

Healthy Mac & Cheese: 3 Ways