FN's Top Recipes, Lightened Up: #1 Baked Macaroni & Cheese
STEPHEN MURELLO
Macaroni and cheese tops just about everyone’s list of favorite comfort foods -- and Alton Brown's version repeatedly tops the list of Food Network's most popular recipes. It's easy to see why: It feeds a crowd, and the gooey goodness is so filling. The dish is also easy to lighten up. Make these few tweaks to make it light enough for a regular indulgence.
Sure, boxed mac and cheese is easy to whip up, but it seriously lacks in flavor. This dish is a simple, wholesome recipe made with real ingredients -- no powdered cheese mix here! Real cheddar cheese provides protein and calcium.
- Trade the whole milk for low-fat milk (1%) to cut back on the saturated fat (without losing any calcium).
- Use half of the cheese -- you still get all the flavor and save 115 calories and 175 milligrams of sodium per serving.
- Try panko for the topping (and lose the butter) to shave off an additional 50 calories per serving.
-
More Top 50 Recipes, Lightened Up:
Next Up
The One Ingredient You Need to Make the Best Boxed Mac and Cheese
Sorry, butter and milk — you’ve officially been replaced.
Spinach and Artichoke Macaroni and Cheese — Meatless Monday
Cozy up to winter comfort food without the calories using Food Network Kitchen's surprisingly healthy recipe for macaroni and cheese.
Mini Mac and 'Shrooms — Meatless Monday
Upgrade your macaroni-and-cheese game by adding hearty, earthy mushrooms with the help of Food Network Magazine's easy recipe.
Best 5 Macaroni and Cheese Recipes
Check out Food Network's top-five recipes for decadent macaroni and cheeses from Trisha, Alton and more chefs.
Food Network Magazine: April 2010 Recipe Index
Find recipes for Easter, Passover, mac and cheese, easy weeknight meals and 50 simple egg dishes from Food Network Magazine.
The One Cheese Bobby Flay Will Never Put on His Burger
Plus five other things we learned from taking his burger course.
Our Top 10 Recipes to Make All Summer Long
These tried-and-true fan favorites make any backyard barbecue sizzle.
The 5 Best Baked Bean Recipes You'll Want to Make Again and Again
Here's how to dress up the beloved classic.
One Recipe, Two Meals: Pasta with Butter and Peas for the Kids, and a Veggie-Packed Primavera for You
We're having our pasta and eating it too! Here's one simple version for your kiddos, and one giant, glorious version for you.