Healthy mac 'n' cheese recipe involves simple ingredient swap to cut calories

14 January 2024 , 16:08

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You can enjoy one of your favourite foods with less calories

We all love a good mac 'n' cheese, but we'll often spice up the recipe by adding vegetables, meat, and different herbs and spices to suit our taste.

But if you're not keen on experimenting and would much rather keep your dish simple, you probably want to try out this Slimming World recipe. While it sticks to the foundations of a basic mac 'n' cheese, you'll be surprised how tasty it could turn out once you've added some cauliflower to the mix.

It will take you less than an hour to prepare in your kitchen, 55 minutes to be precise, and luckily you won't need to stock up on many ingredients as most products can be found in your home including onions, garlic, and cheddar cheese. The recipe recommends that you use a large saucepan to mix your concoction and once that's done, you need to put in the grill to cook.

Slimming World Mac 'n' cheese recipe.

Ingredients:

• 300g dried macaroni (or any other pasta shape)
• Low-calorie cooking spray
• 2 large cauliflowers, 1 grated, 1 broken into florets
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 400ml vegetable stock
• 120g extra-mature Cheddar cheese, grated
• 250g plain quark
• 4 tbsp fat-free natural or Greek yoghurt
• Mixed salad, to serve

Method:

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1. Cook the pasta according to pack instructions. Drain well and keep warm.
2. At the same time, spray a large saucepan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Add the grated cauliflower, onion and garlic and cook for 10 minutes, adding a splash of water if anything starts to stick. Add the 400ml of freshly made stock to the saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Use a stick blender or a food processor to blend the cauliflower and stock mixture into a smooth sauce. Remove from the heat, stir in half of the cheese and leave to cool for 10 minutes before stirring through the quark and yoghurt.
4. While the sauce is cooling, put a medium saucepan of boiling water over a high heat, add the cauliflower florets and cook for four minutes. Drain and keep warm.
5. Pre-heat your grill to high. Tip the pasta into a large ovenproof dish and spread it out evenly. Arrange the cauliflower florets on top, then pour over the sauce and top with the rest of the cheese. Grill until the cheese is melted and golden. Serve with the salad.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Ayaan Ali