Hi all,
I recently posted that I was having low fat macaroni cheese for lunch and was asked a couple of times for the recipe. Here it is!
Low fat macaroni cheese
Serves 4, vegetarian and can be frozen.
300g dried macaroni
Oil spray
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 roasted red pepper in brine from a jar, finely chopped
1 courgette, grated
400ml vegetable stock
4 tbsp tomato puree
200g fat free cottage cheese
1 tsp mustard powder, mixed with 1 tsp water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
160g reduced fat Cheddar
Salt and pepper
1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Cook the macaroni according to the packet instructions, drain well and tip into a wide mixing bowl.
2. Meanwhile, place a large frying pan sprayed with oil over a high heat. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper and courgette and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes. Add to the macaroni.
3. Put the stock, tomato puree, cottage cheese, mustard and eggs in a jug and whisk until smooth. Pour this over the macaroni mixture, then stir in ¾ of the Cheddar. Season and stir well.
4. Transfer to a shallow, ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over the remaining Cheddar and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until bubbling and golden. Allow to rest for a few minutes, then serve with a salad.
I’d like to say that this recipe is all of my own making, but it isn’t. I follow Slimming World (successfully!) and it’s one of theirs. It quickly turned into a favourite – it makes four generous servings and can be eaten perfectly well chilled (although it’s much nicer warm!) and can be frozen for a month once it’s cooked.
A good substitute for the courgette is sliced leek; grated courgette also works well in other meals, like curry or shepherd’s pie if you’re looking to include sneaky veg into kids’ meals…
Enjoy!
