Does Mac and Cheese Make You Lose Weight
This healthy, homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe is creamy and delicious! And 100's of calories lower than the average baked Mac and cheese recipe.
Making low calorie Mac and cheese homemade is easy with my skinny cooking tricks and tips.
This homemade mac and cheese bake makes a great main course, served alongside a salad or roasted veggies (I've supplied those recipes below).
But you can also serve this as a side dish with a nice piece of roasted chicken (also supplied below).
In this article I will show you how to make Mac and cheese healthy, and I'll supply you with a shopping list, a printable recipe card. Even some dishes to serve with this homemade Mac and cheese recipe!
Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe
This easy baked macaroni and cheese recipe is a great crowd pleaser! I recommend not telling anyone that it is low calorie… They won't even know!!
This is the best Mac and cheese recipe for people looking to lower the calories without sacrificing the flavor. And as a 4 time best selling cookbook author, and a regular on the Rachael Ray Show… You can say I know a thing about delicious meals.
Here's what you'll find in this article:
- Homemade Mac and Cheese Ingredients (shopping list!)
- How to Make Homemade Mac and Cheese
- Healthy Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe (recipe card!)
- What to Serve with Homemade Mac and Cheese
This easy Mac and cheese baked recipe article includes a shopping list to make your grocery shopping even easier! I recommend taking a screen shot on your phone.
Up next… The shopping list for this recipe macaroni and cheese baked dish!
Homemade Mac and Cheese Ingredients
In this section you will find the ingredients for our Mac and cheese best recipe.
This easy Mac and cheese recipe has gotten easier with a shopping list! Just take a screen shot with your phone, and pull it out when grocery shopping!
Here's what you'll want to pick up to make this low calorie Mac and cheese easy baked recipe…
Shopping List for Mac and Cheese:
- Elbow pasta
- Butter
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened almond milk or 1% dairy milk
- Garlic cloves
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
- Panko bread crumbs
- Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil spray
- Parsley (optional)
The almond milk makes this mac and cheese creamy, but you can use any unsweetened milk you have on hand.
You can find the exact measurements, directions, mac and cheese calories, and more below…
How to Make Homemade Mac and Cheese
I've made a lot of Mac n cheese recipes! All 4 of my cookbooks have Mac and cheese recipe… I've even made my Taco Mac and Cheese with Rachael Ray! ( Really! Video below!! )
This recipe Mac and cheese best represents all of my recipes for the dish… It's the creamiest Mac and cheese, without all of the calories of traditional recipe. Plus… I didn't use any "weird" ingredients to make this baked Mac and cheese easy, I used whole ingredients to do so.
I make mac and cheese homemade easy recipes low calorie so that you can curb your cravings without ruining your diet.
How to Make Mac and Cheese:
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain and set aside.
- In a large pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon, continuously, until you have a light brown paste.
- Add in 1 cup of milk and whisk well to remove any lumps. Mix the remaining milk and whole garlic cloves. Increase the heat to medium-high. Mix often, scraping the bottom of the pan often, until the sauce has thickened and coats the spoon. Turn off the heat, remove the garlic cloves and discard.
- Stir in the cooked pasta, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well, until all the pasta is coated and the cheese is melted.
- Move to a casserole dish, or a cast iron skillet, and top with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Spray lightly with olive oil and broil for 2-5 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
I make this Mac and cheese recipe easy by prepping it the night before, or in my weekly meal prep.
I don't bake it when I prep it, I just cover with foil and place in the fridge. Then I reheat it at 375 degrees for 20 minutes with the foil on, remove the foil and broil as instructed.
Now that you know how to make Mac and cheese, and how to prep and freeze it… Here's the sharable recipe card for my creamy Mac and cheese recipe.
Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe
This homemade Mac and cheese recipe is a healthier version of your favorite creamy Mac and cheese.
I like too serve this as a main course alongside a crunchy salad. But you can also serve with a roasted chicken thigh, or even meatloaf, without guilt… When you check out my low calorie recipes below.
Healthy Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe
This healthy homemade Mac and cheese recipe is creamy and delicious, for half the calories!
I cut 100's of calories in this homemade Mac and cheese bake, so you can enjoy Mac and cheese without ruining your diet.
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 325 kcal
- 13-ounce box of elbow pasta
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3 cups unsweetened almond milk or 1% dairy milk
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- Olive oil spray
- 1 teaspoon chopped parsley optional
-
Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain and set aside.
-
In a large pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon, continuously, until you have a light brown paste.
-
Add in 1 cup of milk and whisk well to remove any lumps. Mix the remaining milk and whole garlic cloves. Increase the heat to medium-high. Mix often, scraping the bottom of the pan often, until the sauce has thickened and coats the spoon. Turn off the heat, remove the garlic cloves and discard.
-
Stir in the cooked pasta, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well, until all the pasta is coated and the cheese is melted.
-
Move to a casserole dish, or a cast iron skillet, and top with breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Spray lightly with olive oil and broil for 2-5 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Calories: 325 kcal Carbohydrates: 51 g Protein: 12 g Fat: 8 g Fiber: 8 g
Let us know how it was!
What to Serve with Homemade Mac and Cheese
It really depends… Are you going to have this easy baked Mac and cheese as a main course, or a side dish?
So with that in mind, I have some side dishes and main courses that will go well with this man n cheese recipe.
Side Dishes to Serve with Homemade Mac and Cheese Bake:
Main Courses to Serve with Homemade Mac and Cheese Bake:
Final Thoughts
Here at Lose Weight By Eating we know that pasta is not the healthiest of ingredients… But completely removing something you love from your diet, will be your weight loss demise in the end!
As a 10 year weight loss coach, I have seen it over and over again. Someone wants to accelerate their weight loss by cutting out all pasta, or cheese, or sugar. These are the poor souls who ultimately fail and fall off the plan all together.
Others do lose all the weight, and "celebrate" by going overboard. Or finally give in to a pasta dish they've been craving, just to follow the next 3 weeks with "I'll start again on Monday." In which they gain weight…
Yes it would be healthy to remove all pasta from your diet! But if you LOVE pasta, then you are just setting yourself up for failure. It's far better to find a healthy substitution that you can enjoy without ruining your diet.
For more recipes to help you stay on plan, while feeding your cravings… see below.
What to Read Next:
Lose Weight By Eating Cookbooks
Does Mac and Cheese Make You Lose Weight
Source: https://loseweightbyeating.com/homemade-mac-and-cheese-recipe/