Macaroni and Cheese. Those three words together conjure up decadent mental images of pasta covered in cheddar and doused in butter. Delicious. Americans consider macaroni and cheese to be one of the ultimate comfort foods, and many of us who adopt a healthy lifestyle mistakenly assume we must give up this classic American food.
As a self-proclaimed wanna-be foodie and culinary geek, I enjoy finding tasty ways to improve the foods I eat - be it by upping the nutritional ante or cutting the calories and fat by substituting a healthier, leaner ingredient.
In your quest for a better Badass, maybe you switched to lowfat milk, upped your vegetable intake, cut portions or tried new foods like Almond Butter.
But what about all those foods you've labeled “bad” and “evil” – the foods you enjoy but declare counterproductive to squeezing into your skinny jeans? What about the pizza, cookies and chicken wings that you have tried to avoid like Lindsey Lohan avoids the library?
I believe that as soon as we label a food “bad”, we’re challenging our brains to crave it. Denying yourself entire genres of food only leads to binging and guilt later on. Besides, many of the dishes that you may have declared off limits can be the most successful healthy-cooking makeovers.
A few general tips for converting your favorite dish from FlabbyAss to BadAss:
- Lower the fat content: This may sound obvious, but it bears repeating. Many times we use WAY too much butter, oil or animal fat in a dish, simply because we have never tried lowering or eliminating it. Next time you reach for your oil, try using ½ as much – you may be surprised! Also, don’t forget about tasty substitutions for butter or oil in baking, such as applesauce, pumpkin or canned prunes.
- Substitute your current fat for heart-healthy fats: Instead of butter, margarine or (shudder) Crisco, use olive, walnut, grapeseed or flax oil. Also, modern food science has developed many butter substitutes (such as Smart Balance) which are low in cholesterol and high in monounsaturated fats.
- Up the volume and add vegetables: I promise you, there’s a way to add a vegetable into almost every “unhealthy” dish you can think of. Not only will this add nutrients and fiber, it will up the low-calorie volume of the food you’re eating so you’ll feel full sooner. Add peppers and onions to your pizza, add zucchini and carrots to your marinara sauce or wilted spinach or kale to your bowl of bisque.
- Up the flavor by using full-fat foods, sparingly: Modern science has given us the ability to remove the fat content of many standard foods, but the results can sometimes be disastrous. Have you ever TRIED fat-free cream cheese? It tastes like moldy sawdust and really isn’t worth the few grams of fat and 20 calories you save by consuming it. There are many low-fat foods that I use often in my cooking, such as fat-free Greek yogurt, Egg beaters and skim milk. But some foods are worth the calorie expenditure. There is no substitute for the flavor of blue cheese, walnuts, bacon and cream cheese. So eat them, but exercise control!
- Use whole grains: Using whole wheat flour, whole wheat pasta, old fashioned oatmeal, oat bran or quinoa can significantly improve your dish. I recommend doing a white/wheat blend, especially in baking and pastas, until you become accustomed to the switch. These grains add fiber, fill you up faster and deliver more nutrients!
Now, let’s use those tips to makeover America’s Culinary and Cholesterol-bearing Sweetheart: Macaroni and Cheese.
A few weeks ago, a blog reader requested a Badass version of this dish… and it got me into kitchen scientist mode. A little research, a lot of experimentation, a few unappetizing attempts and 4.2 boxes of whole wheat macaroni later, I present to you Badass Fitness readers a tasty, Badass version of the American favorite!
The secret? Butternut squash. As soon as I saw Martha Stewart’s recipe using pureed butternut squash, I had to try incorporating it into my version. I love roasted butternut squash. And its creamy texture, when pureed, goes great in soups. So why not mac n’ cheese?
Also, you’ll see we use both part-skim ricotta cheese and Greek yogurt to increase the creamy texture of the dish while saving calories.
I swear on the Badass CEO’s rock-hard six pack (Sorry, Shannon) that this recipe is delicious! You don’t taste the squash itself, but it lends a great texture to the sauce. And by using quality “full fat” cheddar cheese, you get that delicious, comforting flavor. The vegetable (broccoli in this case) adds fiber and nutrients.
In my time, I have certainly peeled, sliced, roasted and pureed many squash. But for convenience, I recommend grabbing a can of pureed butternut squash (available in many health food stores) or using the frozen pureed version in your supermarket. Just defrost and you’re ready to use.
The Cast of Characters:
- 1 lb box whole wheat pasta (I used Barilla Plus Rotini – extra Omega-3s, protein and whole grains , and tastes great!)
- ½ yellow onion
- 1 cup pureed butternut squash
- ½ cup fat free evaporated milk
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 ounces cheddar cheese of your choice
- 2 ounces Gruyere or fontina cheese (any semi-hard, melting cheese will work great here, but Gruyere is readily available and not too pricey. Other options are Edam, Havarti.)
- ½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- ½ cup fat free Greek yogurt (Fat free plain yogurt or sour cream also works well)
- ½ cup Egg Beaters or egg substitute
- 1 ½ cups of cooked broccoli (other vegetables such as cauliflower and carrots work too)
- 1 Teaspoon dry mustard, ground
- ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- Salt and Pepper
- Optional toppings: 2 Tablespoons bread crumbs, 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9’’ x 13’’ casserole dish with a healthy oil.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water and cook pasta according to directions. With whole wheat pastas, it's better to cook them a little longer than to leave them ‘al dente,’ as they have a tougher texture. When fully cooked, drain and set aside.
3. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a medium saucepan. Grate onion into the oil and allow to sauté briefly. Add garlic and allow to sweat.
4. After about a minute, add your pureed squash, chicken stock and evaporated milk to the saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil and allow to simmer until it reduces down by about half and thickens. This should take about 10 minutes over medium heat. Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally.
5. Now add your seasonings – dry mustard, cayenne, paprika and thyme. If you like a dash of Worchester or Tabasco in your macaroni and cheese, add it here.
6. Reduce heat to low and add your cheeses – stir in ricotta and grated cheeses. Allow to melt. Taste. Good, huh?
7. Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, then mix in Greek yogurt and egg beaters. Combine with well-drained pasta and broccoli.
8. Pour into casserole dish, season and top with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese if desired. Cook in oven until set and golden brown on top, about 25 minutes.
9. Enjoy!
Makes about 8 large servings. For a smaller crowd, just cut the recipe in half. Each serving: Approximately 200 calories, 8 grams of fat and a whopping 9 grams of protein.
Coming tomorrow: The Badass Fitness CEO rants against 500-calorie diets and other extremes.