This is our new favorite Mac and Cheese recipe. I served to the my kids when they were home and I can report that it is grandson tested and approved! If you want to make it more kid friendly, just leave out the tomatoes and spinach. The chicken and onion in the sauce give it a more robust complex flavor.
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| Recipes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Servings | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 |
| Cooking Day Ingredients | ||||||
| High Fiber Pasta | 6 oz. | 12 oz. | 18 oz. | 24 oz. | 30 oz. | 36 oz. |
| Boneless skinless chicken breast | 1/2 lb. | 1 lb. | 1-1/2 lbs. | 2 lbs. | 2-1/2 lbs. | 3 lbs. |
| Chopped onion | 1/4 C. | 1/2 C. | 3/4 C. | 1 C. | 1-1/4 C. | 1-1/2 C. |
| Light cream cheese | 4 oz. | 8 oz. | 12 oz. | 16 oz. | 20 oz. | 24 oz. |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 t. | 1 t. | 1-1/2 t. | 2 t. | 2-1/2 t. | 1 T. |
| Skim milk | 2 C. | 4 C. | 6 C. | 8 C. | 10 C. | 12 C. |
| Flour | 3 T. | 1/4 C. + 2 T. | 1/2 C. + 1 T. | 3/4 C. | 3/4 C. + 3 T. | 1 C. + 2 T. |
| Reduced sodium chicken bouillon granules | 2 t. | 1 T. + 1 t. | 2 T. | 2 T. + 2 t. | 3 T. + 1 t. | 1/4 C. |
| Shredded 2% cheddar cheese | 1 C. | 2 C. | 3 C. | 4 C. | 5 C. | 6 C. |
| On Hand Ingredients | ||||||
| Fresh spinach leaves | 2 C. | 4 C. | 6 C. | 8 C. | 10 C. | 12 C. |
| Fresh diced tomatoes | 1 C. | 2 C. | 3 C. | 4 C. | 5 C. | 6 C. |
Assembly Directions:
Cook pasta until aldente. Drain. Lightly toss with a little olive oil, cooking spray, or butter – just enough to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and onions to skillet and cook until the chicken is no longer pink. Remove skillet from stove. Add cream cheese and garlic. Stir until the cheese has melted.
In a bowl whisk together flour, milk and chicken bouillon granules. Add to the chicken mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat. Add the cheddar cheese and stir until melted.
Freezing Directions:
Dump pasta into meal size freezer bags. Seal, label and freeze.
Pour sauce into freezer bags. Seal, label and freeze.
Serving Directions:
Thaw bags in refrigerator overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish or a 9×13 pan with cooking. In a large mixing bowl, combine pasta, sauce, spinach and tomatoes. Pour into casserole dish or 9×13 pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the dish is bubbly and begins to brown.
Comment:
For a more kid friendly version, serve it without the spinach and tomatoes.
Nutritional Info:
Calculations done using fiber added pasta, light cream cheese, skim milk, 2% cheddar cheese, and reduced sodium chicken bouillon granules.
Per Serving: 380 Calories; 8g Fat (19.3% calories from fat); 31g Protein; 48g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 50mg Cholesterol; 444mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 2-1/2 Grain (Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat.
Carol Santee
Carol is the co-author of the Big Book of Freezer Cooking and the author of 30 Day Gourmet’s Slow Cooker Freezer Favorites, Freezer Lunches To Go and Healthy Freezer Cooking eBooks. She is a computer information specialist and works for a computer software company.One Response to “Grown Up Mac and Cheese”
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