Again, LOVING the food network magazine recipes. I had food&wine for over a year and rarely made anything from it, but I can’t stop using the recipes from FNM.
Here is a link to the recipe online. Some of the reviews are pretty awful, which I just don’t understand. Walter and I both really liked it. It had the richness of mac and cheese, but half the calories/ fat (read: guilt). It’s still not what I would call “low-cal”, but if you want to enjoy the delicious and comforting flavors of mac and cheese, without totaaaaally blowing your diet, I think it’s a great compromise.
Here is the recipe (my updates in parenthesis):
Ingredients
- Kosher salt (I always just use regular salt…)
- 4 ounces elbow macaroni (I used 2 cups of pasta, and omitted the bread)
- Cooking spray
- 2 plum tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick (regular tomato)
- 4 1/2-inch-thick slices baguette (omitted)
- Freshly ground pepper
- 3 shallots (I used one large yellow onion, and a few cloves of garlic)
- 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces (used half a bag of baby carrots)
- 1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 3/4 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/4 cups 2% milk
- 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (I had romano cheese I needed to use!)
Directions
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook as the label directs; drain.
Mist a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange the tomato and baguette slices on it in a single layer; season with salt and pepper. Bake until the bread is golden brown, about 7 minutes. (I roasted the tomatoes along with the remaining baby carrots, to serve on the side)
Mince the shallots, carrot and celery in a food processor. Mist a saucepan with cooking spray. Add the vegetables and cook over medium-high heat until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Gradually stir in the broth and bring to a boil; cook, stirring, until thickened, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Add the milk, cheeses and macaroni and stir until the cheeses melt. Season with pepper. Top the toasts with tomatoes; serve on the soup.
Per serving: Calories 476; Fat 20 g (Saturated 12 g); Cholesterol 84 mg; Sodium 636 mg; Carbohydrate 46 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 27 g
picture from the FNM, pretty accurate to how it turned out in my kitchen
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Overall, a very simple recipe (as long as you have a food processor). Great for a cold, winter day. It held up very well as leftovers, too.
Try me, I might be good! 
