Bacon Mac

Bacon Mac


3 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
12 oz penne pasta
4 tsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk, divided
2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
2 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
cooking spray

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tbsp salt to a boil. Add pasta, cook 8 minutes or until al-dente; drain.

3. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk, bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until it cools to 155*. stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 tsp salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper, and bacon; stir. Add pasta; toss. Spoon into a 2 quart broiler safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese. Broil 7 minutes.

makes 6 servings; about 1 cup each.

Cal 399; fat 13.8, fiber 2

Notes: I didn't add the salt to the water, I see no purpose, other than to waste salt and add sodium, so I never add salt to pasta water. My pasta always comes out just fine too. I used whole wheat pasta, don't use anything else anymore. I also used the Kraft 2% cheese.

This was really good the night I made it, however it was used as a side dish, Mac & Cheese was never a meal itself, so it's hard to adjust to that fact as an adult. The longer it sits in the fridge, the drier it gets. So make sure you can eat it all within a day or so of cooking it. Next time, I am going to "doctor" it up. Instead of just plain ole mac & cheese, I'm going to double the sauce recipe, and add chicken, broccoli, cauliflower and probably a few baby carrots. I'll steam the veggies and have the chicken already cooked and chopped and throw it in before I broil it. I also have a cheese sauce recipe that I may substitute and see if I can't cut the calories down once I doctor it. It's not that great leftover as it tastes like plain noodles.  So I highly reccomend doing something else with it if you have leftovers.