Broccoli Mac and Cheese Au Gratin

I clipped this recipe from the July 2007 issue of Cooking Light. It takes a bit of time to prepare this recipe since the cheese sauce is made from scratch. This recipe turned out really well. I would compare it to a pasta Alfredo versus an actual macaroni and cheese. We liked the addition of the broccoli. You could add chicken and easily have a complete meal. The garlic bread crumbs on top add a nice flavor. Usually when I am going to make a Cooking Light recipe, I check the reviews for the recipe ahead of time. I had some difficulty locating this recipe on their site. I ended up finding it after I had finished preparing the dish. I was surprised to see the recipe only got three stars with several reviewers stating it was bland. We disagreed with those reviews. It would be bland if you were expecting a tangy macaroni and cheese, but like I said this was more like an Alfredo. I would make this again. I served this with some homemade tuna patties.

Broccoli Mac and Cheese Au Gratin

4 cups uncooked medium seashell pasta (about 12 ounces)
6 cups broccoli florets (about 1 pound)-I used organic frozen broccoli
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3 3/4 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Asiago cheese
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Dash of ground nutmeg
Cooking spray
2 (1-ounce) slices white bread

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cook pasta in boiling water 8 minutes; add broccoli. Since I used frozen, I added the broccoli and put a lid on the pot of boiling water and allowed it to steam. Cook 3 minutes or until pasta is done. Drain.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 45 seconds. Transfer garlic mixture to a small bowl; set aside.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; stir in onion. Cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 3 cups milk. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine the remaining 3/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to onion mixture. Return pan to medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; stir in the cheeses, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and nutmeg. Add pasta mixture to milk mixture, tossing gently to coat. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine garlic mixture and bread in a food processor; pulse 15 times or until fine crumbs measure 1 cup. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pasta mixture. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until the top is brown.

Yield

8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups pasta)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 360(26% from fat); FAT 10.4g (sat 5.2g,mono 3.4g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 19g; CHOLESTEROL 27mg; CALCIUM 341mg; SODIUM 708mg; FIBER 3.2g; IRON 2.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.7g

Maureen Callahan , Cooking Light, JULY 2007