From Pin to Plate: Skinny Baked Mac and Cheese

Happy Thursday y’all!

Ok, now I seriously sound like Paula Deen.

(source)

Let’s restart, shall we?

Happy Thursday everyone! (much better!)

Today’s post is going to be short and sweet, because I am running around doing a million  things this morning before work, and then I’m heading home early to do a million MORE things in preparation for our flight to Florida tonight!

That’s right – this is really happening. Me. Running. In Florida. For 13.1 Miles.

AHHHHHHHH!!!!

Can you tell all the nervous-excited energy that’s going on around here??

SO, instead of spending an entire post contemplating whether I’m more nervous or petrified, I thought I would spare you all and give you a recipe instead. Which I found on Pinterest, of course. Who needs a cookbook nowadays, when we have the magical world of Pinterest?

You’re welcome.

Also, you all should go check out SkinnyMom! It’s full of some great food and fitness resources from a bunch of different bloggers.

Skinny Baked Macaroni and Cheese with chicken and broccoli

Slightly adapted from SkinnyMom; All original credit goes to Teresa at SkinnyMom.com

Ingredients

• 12 oz whole wheat pasta (I used 1 box of shells, which was actually 13.25oz)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 2 cups skim milk
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 8 oz (2 cups) Shredded Cheddar• salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 12 oz Broccoli Florets (I used 3 small heads of broccoli, chopped)
• 1/8 cup grated parmesan
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used panko, because it’s what I happened to have)
• cooking spray
• 1 chicken breast, cut into small chunks
• 1 egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F . Cook pasta and broccoli together in a large pot of salted water, aiming for al dente. Drain.

2. Drench chopped chicken breast in whisked egg, and roll in half of the bread crumbs. Cook in small skillet over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked through. Put aside.

3. In a large skillet, melt butter. Add onion and cook over low heat about 2 minutes.

4. Add flour and cook another minute, or until the flour is golden and well combined (Mine never really got golden…). Add milk and broth and whisk, and bring to medium-high until it comes to a boil; cook about 5 minutes or until the sauce becomes smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Remove from heat, add cheese and mix well until cheese is melted.

6. Add cooked macaroni, broccoli and chicken and mix well. Pour into a lightly sprayed baking dish.

7. Top with grated cheese and other half of the breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray on top.

8. Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes, then broil for a few minutes until the bread crumbs are golden.

Chris’ only critique of the original recipe was that it needed more sauce. I will admit, it was a little heavy on the noodles and a little lacking in the sauce department, so that might be something to play around with if you’re a big sauce person.

Otherwise it was a pretty delicious healthy rendition of macaroni and cheese!

Well I hope you all have a good Thursday! Next time we chat, it’ll be from sunny and WARM Florida!!

AHHHHH!!!!

So tell me: What recipe have you made recently that you’d like to share?

Tags: broccoli, florida, macaroni and cheese, paula deen, Pinterest, Recipe