Macaroni and Four Cheeses....yum!

I love macaroni and cheese. I really when it's baked in the oven and the tops and edges are crispy and toasted. The weeone, on the other hand, loves Kraft macaroni and cheese. Somewhere I went wrong with that kid! =) So, when I came across Ellie Krieger's Macaroni and Four Cheeses recipe I thought it would be a good mix of what we like. It's creamy on the inside and crunchy on the outside and is full of the nurtitional goodness that we like to get into our kids!

Ellie's recipe includes pureed winter squash. It's the squash that gives it the orange color that the weeone likes, but it's the combination of the cheeses and the breadcrumb topping that gives it the crunch I love so much. It's a quick and easy meal to put together and it makes a lot! I ended up splitting it into two pans and sending one pan home with my mom for her and my father to eat. I'm told they really liked it.

This was definitely not the weeone's favorite mac and cheese, but I think I'll probably make it again and decrease the amount of squash and increase the amount of cheese and try again.

Macaroni and Four Cheeses Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave

• cooking spray
• 16 ounce(s) pasta, elbow macaroni, (1 box)
• 20 ounce(s) squash, winter, frozen pureed (2 packages)
• 2 cup(s) milk, lowfat (1%)
• 1 1/3 cup(s) cheese, cheddar, grated, extra-sharp (4 oz.)
• 2/3 cup(s) cheese, Monterey Jack, grated (2 oz.)
• 1/2 cup(s) cheese, ricotta, low-fat
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon mustard, dry
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper, cayenne
• 2 tablespoon bread crumbs, fine, dry
• 2 tablespoon cheese, Parmesan, freshly grated
• 1 teaspoon oil, olive

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook the macaroni according the package directions. Drain and transfer to the prepared baking dish.

Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk in a large saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until it is defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheddar, jack cheese, ricotta, salt, mustard, and cayenne. Pour this mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine.

Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake until the cheeses are bubbling around the edges, about 20 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.

Serving size: 2 cups

Number of servings: 8

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 390

Total Fat: 11 g

Sat Fat: 6 g

Cholesterol: 35 mg

Sodium: 547 mg

Total Carbohydrate: 56 g

Fiber: 3.5 g

Protein: 18 g