Skinny Broccoli Mac and Cheese {recipe}

This is another Skinnytaste inspired recipe. Gina...that girl has a gift. I'm so glad to have found her blog months ago!

With cooler Fall weather approaching, we all put up our grills and lawn chairs to move back inside to enjoy comfort food. Many casseroles, soups, and crockpot recipes become our once again, favorites. This mac and cheese is a great addition to that collection of feel good food. It is surprisingly light and doesn't "weigh you down" as many pasta dishes too. I also really liked the broccoli as an added veggie. 

Again, I will use my husband as my rating scale (because he has a palate of a 6 year old. Love you!) and he enjoyed it. He would have preferred I skip the last step of putting it in the over to bake as he likes a "runnier" mac and cheese. Baking it caused it to become more like a casserole, but I think it would be great either way! 

Skinny Broccoli Mac and Cheese

adapted from Skinnytaste

Gina's calorie breakdown looks something like this:
Servings: 8 Serving Size: 1 cup Calories: 314.9


12 oz high fiber elbows
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp light butter (I used Brummel and Brown)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup minced onion
2 cups skim milk
1 cup fat free chicken broth
2 cups shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar
salt and fresh pepper to taste
12 oz broccoli florets (I used a pre-cut bag of fresh found in the salad aisle)


If you don't choose to bake it, skip these 3 ingredients.
1/8 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
cooking spray

As you can see, I keep Great Value in business.

Preheat oven to 375° (if you don't want to bake it, skip this step).Cook pasta and broccoli together in a large pot of salted water, according to package directions. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray (again, if you don't want to bake it, skip this step).




In a large skillet, melt both butters then add the onion and cook over low heat about 2 minutes. 

Add flour and cook  until the flour is golden and well combined. 

Add milk and chicken broth and whisk, raise heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil; cook about 5 minutes or until the sauce becomes smooth and thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.






Once the sauce is thick, remove from heat, add cheese and mix well until cheese is melted.Taste then add more salt and pepper if desired. Combine cooked macaroni and broccoli with sauce and combine well. 

If you don't want to bake it, you are done here! But, if you want to pop it in the oven to get a nice, golden brown crust on top, keep reading! 


 Pour into prepared baking dish. Top with grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more cooking spray on top.Bake for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy! 

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