Creamy, Light Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe for Creamy, Light Macaroni and Cheese comes from MyRecipes.com. It has butternut squash in it to replace some of the butter and cheese that might normally be in baked macaroni and cheese. We tried it out last summer and it was a huge hit. And right now, when it's cold outside (my kids have been out ice-skating all afternoon) it will feel oh-so-inviting and wonderful. We'll pair it with a leafy green salad-- yes, the same salad we've had twice this week- but really, we like it and it's an easy way to add in the things we need to our diet. (Diet meaning a way of eating, not caloric restriction.)

If your gang likes a good mac & cheese, it's worth a try.


Photo by MyRecipes.com  Creamy, Light Macaroni & Cheese (follow link to recipe)

Augmentations:
Instead of using a lot of separate cheeses- I used the parm/asiago/romano blend we have all the time in our fridge & only bought the gruyere to shred. Sadly, most of the gruyere (what we didn't shred) has been consumed while making the mac & cheese. Leaving a little less room for the meal. Ah well, 'tis life.

I also didn't bother to brown the panko bread crumbs in oil first- seemed like a nearly pointless step. If it were for a fancy schmancy crowd, maybe- but not for our lot.

I like this recipe because the squash lends such a sweet flavor to the mac & cheese. Just an extra oomph to it and it's a nice one because it's cutting out some of the fat.

The results? Just as good as we remembered and as far as we can figure- about 200 calories per serving (we used a 9x13 and cut it into about 15 pieces- not all were the same size).