You asked for it. I delivered.Meet my new best friend — lightened up mac and cheese with cauliflower thrown in, ya know, just so you get your veggies. I’ve had SO many requests for a skinny version of macaroni and cheese and didn’t want to post just any recipe. So I tried a bunch of different ones and this particular one was my absolute favorite! Not only is this a healthier version, but it’s creamy, super cheesy and has a sweetness that all the other recipes lacked.
Take my word for it.
The combination of cheddar, parmesan and cream cheese was incredible and instead of making this into one big casserole like the recipe had called for, I put them into individual ramekins for portion control. If you’re just cooking for two or three, feel free to put this in a few ramekins and the rest of the mac and cheese in a smaller casserole dish that you can heat up the next day. That way nothing goes to waste and you can enjoy this deliciousness all week!
You may be wondering why I used Italian breadcrumbs instead of making my own. Well trust me I wanted to, but after I had gone to the store I realized I was out of wheat bread! So I ended up just using what I had on hand. A better alternative is blending two pieces of whole wheat bread with about a tablespoon of olive and a tablespoon of parmesan cheese and using that as a topping for your macaroni. Throw in some chopped parsley like I did for some color and a hint of flavor. I also used Ronzoni Smart Taste elbow macaroni {which I LOVE} because it has the same great taste as regular pasta but is lower in points.Can’t beat that!
1/2 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
4 Tbsp reduced-fat grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz. grated sharp cheddar
4 oz. fat-free cream cheese
1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add macaroni and cauliflower. Reserve a 1/2 cup of the water then drain macaroni and cauliflower.
In a separate bowl, combine Italian breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan cheese and the chopped parsley together and set aside.
Place cheddar, cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese, half-and-half, salt and pepper in the already heated pot you just used and mix in the macaroni and cauliflower. Stir until well-combined and cheese is completely melted. Add reserved water.
Place in 8 greased ramekins (or a 9×13 baking dish) and top with bread crumb mixture. Bake for about 18 to 20 minutes, or until bubbling and the crumbs are browned. Enjoy!
Notes
Serving Size: 1 ramekin • Calories: 335 • Fat: 10 g • Carbs: 49 g • Fiber: 6 g • Protein: 16.6 g • WW Points+: 9 pts
Hope y’all enjoy this healthier twist on your favorite comfort food! And just so you know, the boyfriend gave it two thumbs up.
I know this will be on the menu this weekend. My hubby loves your recipes and little does he know he is eating less fattening foods and does not know it. Thank you for all your help!
Kelly, this is absolutelly wonderfull!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I’ve been wanting to make mac & cheese in a lighter version and this one is just perfect. Big kiss sweetie
What a beautiful mac and cheese, Kelly! I love that you added in a bit of cauliflower, too. I have a similar side dish recipe with a snuck-in veggie today. Yay for getting your veggies with a bit of carbs, too. Thanks for sharing!
Simply delicious! How clever to stick some cauliflower in there to healthy it up a bit. Glad to know this is man-approved too so the hubs will be a willing eater.
Love the cream cheese idea! Next time I’m trying it, usually I do low fat milk with some cornstarch on REALLY low heat. I do a cheesy cauliflower recipe too that is similar (minus the pasta of course) that is sort of a substitute for mashed potatoes. Yum!
You are my absolute newest BFF!!! I am SOooo glad to have found your blog on food buzz. Now following your incredible recipes and I do hope you can follow me back as I incorporate more healthful recipes into my nutrition as well. The more the merrier! Thanks again for ALL of your recipes…..this mac n’ cheese must be awesome! Oh, I’m in a food blog group that makes recipes from Cooking Light once a month. The recipes are wonderful!!!
I love how you use individual serving dishes. It is a great way to work on portion control. This looks like a great recipe. I heard that cream cheese adds so much creaminess. I have yet to try it.
this looks dangerous! I’m glad you made them in individual ramekins because I’d probably end up eating half the pan….I love the combination of cheeses you chose, this looks soooo. gooood. yum!
This mac n’ cheese looks so delicious. I can’t wait to try this sometime. I think my family would love this. I would take your idea of using the ramekins as well. I’m all about portion control.
Kelly, I LOVE the addition of cauliflower to this recipe. It’s such a creative way to cut the calories without affecting flavor – and managing to work in veggies! Thanks so much for sharing – I’m inspired…
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What a great way to lighten up a classic! I’ll bet the cauliflower is hardly noticable in the end, too. I’ll have to try this out – thans for sharing the recipe! 😀
I just pulled this out of the oven and I can’t stop nibbling! I added the other half head of cauliflower plus a bunch of copped asparagus, which essentially doubled the recipe so I doubled the sauce. I baked it all in a casserole dish and my husband and I will have lunches for a week! This is a great recipe, almost as good as your amazing lettuce wraps!
I had such a hard time finding reduced fat Parmesan cheese, so I wasn’t able to use it. I got whole wheat elbow macaroni. We shall see how it tastes in about 18-20minutes =]
This was SO yummy ! I could even do without the bread crumbs.. Unneeded cals for me 🙂 I even might do a whole head of cauliflower next time I make it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I just made this for dinner and it was delicious! I didn’t have half-and-half so I just used skim milk and threw in a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt for some richness. Other than that, I followed the recipe. So good! Thank you!
I love the look of the site and there are a ton of recipes I want to try.. having said that…
This recipe (cooked in a 9×13 pan, not ramekins) was disappointing. There was no creaminess, the dish never “bubbled” and the crumb mixture on top never really integrated with the rest. On the plus side my wife, who hates cauliflower, ate most of her serving before I told her it was there. But I wonder if the individual sizes are the way to go. I was disappointed (as a huge mac and cheese fan) but I’ll try other ones here and see if I can find some “winners” 🙂
I love this recipe! My husband LOVES mac and cheese but now I can make it healthy and best part is my 3 year old asks for seconds every time I make this!
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