Ingredients:
- Cooking spray
- 12 ounces whole wheat elbow macaroni (about 3 cups)
- 1½ tablespoons butter
- ½ cup diced onion
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 cups fat-free milk
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 8 ounces (2 cups) reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 12 ounces fresh broccoli, cut into florets (about 5 cups or 1 large bunch) 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water, according to package directions, reducing cooking time by 2 minutes. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- While macaroni cooks, prepare broccoli in another pot just until the broccoli turns bright green. Steam, blanch or even briefly microwave. Don’t overcook to retain the maximum amount of nutrients!
- Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large, heavy skillet, melt butter. Add onion; cook over low heat about 2 minutes. Add flour and cook another minute, or until the flour is golden and well combined.
- Add milk and chicken broth and whisk, raising heat 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.
- Once the sauce is thick, remove from heat, add mustard and cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Add cooked macaroni and broccoli and mix well.
- Pour into prepared baking dish. Mix breadcrumbs with garlic powder and cheese then sprinkle over pasta mixture. Spray mixture with cooking spray (this helps the breadcrumbs brown).
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden.
Variations & Tips
- You may use olive oil instead of butter.
- You may use any kind of whole wheat pasta you prefer.
- For a vegetarian meal, use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth.
- You could use frozen broccoli florets, thawed, in place of fresh.
- You could add additional veggies like carrots or peas to this recipe.
- You could season the breadcrumbs with any of your favorite spices (Italian seasoning, paprika, onion powder, etc.).
- You may freeze leftovers.
Nutrition Facts
356 calories, 13.4 g fat (7.9 g saturated fat), 18 g protein, 44.5 g carbohydrates, 5.4 g fiber, 380 mg sodium
YIELD: 8 servings
SOURCE: Adapted from Skinnytaste.com
Watch the Broccoli Mac & Cheese cooking demo below and download the recipe to make it yourself.