HEALTHY MAC AND "CHEESE"

Healthy Mac and

This recipe is easy and great for adults and kids alike. It's full of vegetables and very little cheese, but the color and texture fool kids - they'll be convinced it's the old-school mac 'n cheese they love!

Provided by Kate

Categories Main Dish Recipes Pasta Macaroni and Cheese Recipes Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipes

Time 1h24m

Yield 10

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
2 sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
10 mushrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup skim milk
⅔ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
salt to taste

Steps:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.
Place sweet potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Mash with a potato masher.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, squash, mushrooms, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and pepper; cook and stir until soft, about 10 minutes.
Combine sweet potatoes, onion mixture, and chicken broth in a food processor. Puree until smooth.
Melt butter in the same skillet used to cook the onion mixture. Add flour; cook and stir until a paste forms, about 1 minute. Pour in milk slowly, stirring until smooth. Add 1/3 cup Cheddar cheese; cook over low heat until melted into the sauce, 3 to 5 minutes.
Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
Stir pureed sweet potato-onion mixture into the sauce. Pour sauce over macaroni; mix well. Pour into a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup Cheddar cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top.
Broil in the preheated oven until cheese browns and becomes crisp, 2 to 5 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 337.2 calories, Carbohydrate 51.1 g, Cholesterol 18.5 mg, Fat 9.6 g, Fiber 4.4 g, Protein 11.9 g, SaturatedFat 4.3 g, Sodium 262.3 mg, Sugar 6.2 g