Bacon Mac and Cheese

I love mac and cheese. Like seriously love it. All kinds - the blue box, Velveeta shells and cheese, it's all wonderful. But nothing beats homemade - the real, baked-in-the-oven kind. So when I found this recipe on Annie's Eats, I had to try it. (And p.s., if you've never checked out Annie's blog, make it a priority. It's fantastic!)

 
Ingredients:

16 oz. pasta
9 slices bacon
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
¼ cup flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
2½ cups milk
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
6 oz. Parmesan cheese, shredded
4 oz. white cheddar cheese, grated or chopped
1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400˚ F.  Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Once water reaches a rolling boil, cook the pasta according to package directions until just shy of al dente. Drain well and set aside. At the same time, thaw spinach according to package directions (I used the microwave method), drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate with a slotted spoon. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the bacon grease.  

To make the cheese sauce, add the reserved bacon grease to a medium saucepan with the butter. (If there was not enough bacon grease to make 2 Tablespoons, replace the missing amount by adding an equal amount of butter.) Heat over medium-high heat until the butter is completely melted. Whisk in the flour and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant (do not burn!), around 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and cook the mixture, stirring frequently, until it begins to bubble and thicken. Stir in spices. Reduce heat to low and whisk in the cheeses until completely melted and smooth.  

Combine pasta, cheese sauce, bacon and spinach and pour mixture into casserole dish. Bake 15 minutes or until cheese it bubbly and top is golden brown.

Adapted from Annie's Eats.

Langostino Macaroni and Cheese

Wow. This is absolutely amazing. Decadent (definitely not healthy!), rich, and oh-so-satisfying. It would be perfect for a romantic evening, but it was just as perfect for a relaxing Sunday night in our house!
1 box macaroni, cooked and drained
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 small garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 cup FF milk
1 cup FF half-and-half
1-1/4 cups reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 10 oz. package langostino, defrosted according to package directions
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning (I didn't have any of this, but it would really be fantastic in this!)
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Sale and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat until oil starts to ripple. Add onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add butter to pan and stir to combine with onions and garlic. When butter is melted, whisk in flour to make a roux. When combined, add milk and half-and-half and whisk until combined. Allow mixture to thicken.

When milk mixture has thickened, add spices and cheeses and stir until the cheese is melted. Add langostino meat and stir to combine. Mix with pasta and pour into casserole. Bake uncovered until top is browned and sauce is bubbling, about 15-20 minutes.

Penne with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

I admit it - I love the Cheesecake Factory. And while a lot of their food is good, I love their Fettuccine with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes - it's creamy and decadent. But I also know that it's not something that would be considered healthy. So I decided to make a version at home and lighten it up some. It turned out so well, this is definitely going in the regular rotation!
1 box penne pasta
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 cup chicken broth or stock
1.5 cups fat free half and half
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), diced
2 gloves of garlic
1 tsp. sun-dried tomato oil
3/4 Parmesan cheese, plus extra to garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook penne until al dente and set aside.

Melt butter over medium-high heat. When melted, whisk in flour to make a roux. Stir in chicken broth and half and half. Add garlic, tomato oil, and salt and pepper and whisk until combined. Reduce heat to medium and let sauce thicken (2-3 minutes), being careful not to let sauce boil.

While sauce is thickening, dice sun-dried tomatoes. When sauce has thickened, add diced tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Toss with pasta and garnish with additional Parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 servings

Tri-color Tortellini with White Wine Alfredo Sauce

This was my first attempt at making my own pasta sauce, and I'm proud to say that it was very successful! Traditional cream sauce includes heavy cream, but I just couldn't bring myself to cook with it, so I used the fat free half and half I put in my morning coffee. Nevertheless, it was delicious and still felt decadent!

2 bags frozen tri-color tortellini
3 Tbsp. light butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 cup white wine
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup fat free half and half
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil tortellini and cook per package directions. Drain and set aside.

Melt light butter over medium heat. Gradually whisk in flour to create a roux. Add wine and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in half and half and cook, stirring often, until thickened and heated, adding salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Be careful not to let this sauce boil!

Right before you add to the pasta, add Parmesan and stir until melted. Pour over pasta and garnish with additional Parmesan or Parmesan-Reggiano, if desired.

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

This is an amazing Weight Watchers recipe I originally got from Aimee's Adventures. I made a few variations for the recipe below, but it's still incredible.


12 whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 cup of skinless breast meat from a rotisserie chicken (you could also use canned chicken for this if that's what you have on-hand - a can or two drained should work nicely)
3 cups Ragu 6-Cheese pasta sauce
1 cup buffalo wing sauce
1.5 cups water
15 oz. skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Egg Beaters
*9 slices 2% pepperjack cheese (I only had regular, so I used 6 slices instead)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Shred chicken in bowl, and mix with pasta sauce, wing sauce, and water. Combine ricotta cheese and egg substitute in another small bowl.

Spray 9x13 pan with Pam. Spread 1 cup of sauce/chicken mixture in the bottom of pan. Arrange 4 uncooked noodles over the sauce. Spread more sauce, then a layer of ricotta/egg mixture. Add another layer of sauce, then noodles, etc., and end with a layer of sauce. Cover and bake 70 minutes. Uncover and add cheese, then bake another 15 minutes uncovered. Let stand 10-15 minutes.


*For less heat, you could use cheddar cheese, or a mixture of cheddar and bleu. You could also tame it by serving ranch and/or bleu cheese dressing on the side for dipping as needed. Just remember to up your Points values accordingly!

WW Points: 6 for 1/8 of the pan

Fettuccine with Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce

I admit it, to the hard-core foodies out there, this will be an insult to your kitchen-telligence. However, when you want a nice dinner with the hubby after a long day, this is great with garlic bread, tossed salad, and a bottle (or two) of Riesling. Enjoy!

1 roasted red pepper, drained
1 jar light Alfredo sauce (I usually go for Ragu, but any will do)
Whole wheat pasta (Barilla is my fave)

Directions:
Blend red pepper until smooth. Stir into Alfredo sauce, then heat through. Serve over pasta.

WW Info:
Pasta: 3 Points per 1-cup serving
Sauce: 2 Points per 1/4-cup serving
Additional Points for wine, bread, and salad as needed