Baked Skinny Mac & Cheese

Let's start the New Year right with a wellness note!  Last year I became a HUGE fan of non gmo, locally sourced, all organic EVERYTHING.  I went crazy over this lifestyle and I am seriously so proud to say that I have medical records indicating my top notch health.  I'm one of those crazy people that stresses about health all the time and I'm constantly living in fear of coming down with some type of deadly disease (lol I know it's pretty dramatic!).  I came across a quote a while ago that read, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" and it has pretty much become a huge inspiration to my current lifestyle.  My biggest cloud of inspiration revolves around an all organic lifestyle and I truly truly truly hope this new Wellness tab will inspire you all to live this life with me! So, with that said, this new tab will feature all amazing recipe's I've cultivated in the last year, along with other wellness topics :)  I can't wait, let's get started with a Baked Skinny Mac & Cheese dinner!

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups of whole wheat pasta

• 1 1/2 tbsp butter

• 1/4 cup minced onion 

• 1/4 cup flour

• 2 cups milk of your choice

• 8 oz (2 cups) reduced-fat sharp cheddar

• Pink salt

• 12 oz fresh broccoli florets

• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs 

• cooking spray

 

Instructions



1. Begin with cooking both the pasta and broccoli in a large pot of water.
2. In a skillet, melt your butter over medium heat and add in the onion for about a minute.  Add the flour and cook for another minute until it reaches a golden brownish color.  The flour will eventually look like blotches, but don't worry this is normal :)
3. Add milk into the skillet and whisk.  Raise the heat up a bit and let the milk boil until it becomes a creamy sauce.
4. Once the sauce is thick, remove from heat and season it with your pink salt and add in the cheese.  Mix well until the cheese is melted.
5. Meanwhile, spray your baking dish with cooking spray and pour in the pasta.  Directly over the pasta, pour in the cheese sauce and stir lightly until the entire dish is covered.  
6. Finally, sprinkle your bread crumbs over the pasta and bake for 15-20 minutes.