This 5-point Weight Watchers Baked Mac and Cheese is creamy, tacky, and so comforting.
The bottom of this recipe makes use of whole-grain pasta, which is decrease in factors than common pasta. Simply that small change alone makes a distinction, however the kind of dairy used performs a greatest half. Though I sometimes draw back from Velveeta, it isn’t too many factors while you use the reduced-fat model and use it carefully. This recipe solely makes use of 2.5 oz for the entire dish. Pair that Velveeta with some milk, mozzarella, and cheddar, and also you’re in for an expensive cheese sauce.
This baked mac and cheese includes a crunchy topping, because the cheese on prime is broiled with panko breadcrumbs, leading to a pleasant textural distinction. The golden-brown topping additionally takes its presentation up a notch. Once you take this mac and cheese out of the oven, it’ll be laborious to not dig into it immediately. If you wish to make your mac and cheese meal much more memorable, you’ll be able to serve it with different comforting meals, similar to mashed potatoes, baked rooster, or collard greens. I’ve a side dish recipe collection you’ll be able to try for some concepts, too!
Why You Ought to Attempt This Recipe
- Good for weeknights or gatherings. This recipe is simple sufficient for a weeknight dinner however spectacular sufficient to serve for nicer events.
- It’s low in fats. With a mixture of lowered fats and decrease fats merchandise, this recipe is way more healthy than the common mac and cheese.
- Simply adjustable. If you want to serve 10 folks, all you need to do is double it and use a bigger dish! You may also modify the pasta form, cheese sort, or milk sort.
Recipe Overview
- Serving Measurement: about 1 cup (124g)
- Variety of Servings: 5
- Time to Prepare dinner: 40 minutes
- WW Factors Per Recipe: 5 WW factors per serving, 27 for your entire recipe (Click here to view the recipe within the WW app. WW login is required)
Components in WW Baked Mac and Cheese
- 8 oz Entire-grain penne (or one other whole-grain pasta form)
- ¾ cup Fats-free milk or unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tbsp Mild butter substitute
- 2.5 oz Diminished-fat Velveeta cheese
- ½ cup Fats-free shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup Fats-free shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tsp Kosher salt, or to style
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- ½ tsp Onion powder
- ½ tsp Garlic powder
- ¼ tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Dried mustard
- 3 tbsp Panko breadcrumbs
Directions for making Baked Mac and Cheese
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a baking dish about 8×8 or the same measurement. Combine the 2 shredded cheeses collectively to create a mix and put aside.
- In a big saucepan or skillet, add milk, butter substitute, seasonings, and Velveeta cheese. Prepare dinner over medium warmth till gently simmering, the Velveeta has melted, and the sauce is clean. It’s going to appear skinny.
- In the meantime, boil the pasta to al dente in response to bundle directions.
- To the cheese sauce, stir in about 1/2 of the shredded cheese; cease mixing as soon as it simply melts. Don’t overmix as a result of it’ll clump. Take away from warmth.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the cheese sauce; gently combine collectively. (If you want, you’ll be able to add a splash or two of pasta water to the sauce).
- Pour half of the tacky pasta into the baking dish. Sprinkle with many of the remaining cheese, leaving some for the highest.
7. Pour the remaining pasta over the layer of shredded cheese.
8. High with remaining cheese and panko bread crumbs.
9. Cowl and bake mac and cheese for 20-25 minutes or till completely scorching and cheese is melted within the heart. Put the broiler on low for the previous few minutes to brown the cheese and breadcrumbs on prime.
Variations and Substitutions
- Baked Broccoli Mac and Cheese: I counsel blanching the broccoli and utilizing smaller florets. Then, combine it into the mac and cheese simply earlier than baking. This may forestall broccoli from being undercooked because the mac and cheese doesn’t take lengthy to bake.
- Milk Sort: Be happy to make use of unsweetened almond milk and even 2% milk. You may also make baked mac and cheese with evaporated milk. There are fat-free evaporated milk cans on the market; use the identical quantity of milk because the recipe requires.
- Baked Mac and Cheese with Cream Cheese: Add about 1-2 oz of lower-fat cream cheese to the sauce. You’ll be able to combine it in when you find yourself melting the Velveeta. This may make the sauce further creamy!
- Different Add-In Concepts: You may also add bacon bits, chopped jalapenos, bell peppers, caramelized onions, or shredded rooster. If including plenty of mix-ins or including shredded meat, I counsel rising the sauce barely.
Ideas and Tips for Making Weight Watchers Baked Mac and Cheese
- The way to retailer further WW Mac and Cheese: switch any leftovers to an hermetic container or cowl them with foil/plastic wrap. Preserve them within the fridge for 3-4 days.
- The way to reheat the leftovers: When reheating the mac and cheese, I counsel including a splash or two of milk and a few further shredded cheese. This may refresh its texture.
- You should use any mixture of fat-free shredded cheeses that you simply like. I personally love half mozzarella and half cheddar, however you need to use all cheddar in order for you.
- I counsel not omitting the Velveeta, because it thickens the sauce and provides creaminess. It binds the opposite cheeses with the milk, eliminating the necessity for a roux.
- Watch out to not over-bake it, as it’ll dry out the mac and cheese.
- Don’t undercook the pasta when boiling it; undercooked pasta will take in all the sauce.
- Begin with half the salt in order for you. The sauce might style barely salty earlier than mixing with pasta and baking, however after baking, the whole lot melds, and it’s now not salty.
Chick-fil-A Mac and Cheese Copycat
Forestall your display from going darkish
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Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a baking dish about 8×8 inches or the same measurement. Combine the 2 shredded cheeses collectively to create a mix and put aside.
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In a big saucepan or skillet, add milk, butter substitute, seasonings, and Velveeta cheese. Prepare dinner over medium warmth till gently simmering, the Velveeta has melted, and the sauce is clean. It’s going to appear skinny.
-
In the meantime, boil the pasta to al dente in response to bundle directions.
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To the cheese sauce, stir in about half of the shredded cheese; cease mixing as soon as it simply melts. Don’t overmix as a result of it’ll clump. Take away from warmth.
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Drain the pasta and add it to the cheese sauce whereas each are nonetheless heat; gently combine collectively. (If you want, you’ll be able to add a splash or two of pasta water to the sauce).
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Pour half of the tacky pasta into the baking dish. Sprinkle with many of the remaining shredded cheese, leaving some for the highest.
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Pour the remaining pasta over the layer of shredded cheese. High with remaining cheese and panko bread crumbs.
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Cowl and bake mac and cheese for 20-25 minutes or till completely scorching (with cheese melted within the heart). Put the broiler on (watch fastidiously) for the previous few minutes to brown the cheese and breadcrumbs on prime.
5 WW factors per 1 cup serving.
Serving: 124gEnergy: 239kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 19gFats: 3.5gSaturated Fats: 1.2gLdl cholesterol: 9mgSodium: 607mgPotassium: 311mgFiber: 4.1gSugar: 4.6gCalcium: 330mgIron: 1.6mg
Diet data is routinely calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.