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Caprese Macaroni and Cheese

Caprese Macaroni and Cheese 1

Last week, this was the only meal that was actually prepared from my weekly menu. I was transferring the meat I’d purchased to the freezer for a later date (i.e. this week and hence why I have no weekly menu — it’s the same as last week’s) and trying to appease the irritable and sick Mr. Prevention.

Which, by the way, thank you so much for humoring us both with the tomato soup question on Facebook. Only that man can make a can of sodium-packed soup taste like water. But, a mean grilled cheese rounded it out to be an acceptable meal.

Caprese Macaroni and Cheese 2

The next evening, I was all prepared to make tacos…when he informed me that “Chinese take-out sounds good”.

This is not what a pregnant woman who needs soapy water and/or lotion to remove her wedding and engagement rings should be up to. My fingers continue to look like turkey links/bratwursts and my shoes are all getting so tight. I need to be nixing the salt…or at least consuming meals with less than 2,000 milligrams of sodium, at the very least. Not eating salty take-out Chinese food.

But, whiny sick husbands get what they want. Today, he should be back to 100% and we can be back to our regularly scheduled lives. And meals.

Caprese Macaroni and Cheese 3

But last Sunday, I made this Caprese Macaroni and Cheese. It looked…fantastic. And simple. I figured it had some serious potential, as well as some serious potential to be a bit lack-luster (don’t you hate when dishes LOOK amazing but fail to ‘wow’?). However, it did not disappoint.

Cheese, cheese, cheese, and caprese…what’s not to love? Especially with the generous portion coming in at 466 calories and a respectable 8.2 grams of fiber!

The original recipe called for pesto, but I lightened things up a bit with using big tomatoes, some additional (whole wheat) pasta, and fresh basil. The result was truly epic. We can’t wait to make this again and for the first time in a LONG time, we were fighting over leftovers.

Caprese Macaroni and Cheese 4

Caprese Macaroni and Cheese
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 5
 
Ingredients
  • 10 oz whole wheat elbow macaroni (uncooked)
  • 1 cup 2% milk
  • 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ⅛ tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
  • 3 cups part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
  • ½ cup tomato sauce
  • 3 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 20-30 basil leaves, chiffonade and divided
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  2. Bring 3-4 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add pasta, stir, and cook 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain and set aside.
  3. In the meantime, whisk together milk, vegetable broth, flour, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Bring sauce to a low boil over medium heat; simmer for 4-5 minutes or until sauce thickens, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat and pour over hot, drained pasta, along with 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella; mix well.
  4. In the bottom of a 2 quart baking dish, spread tomato sauce on the bottom to coat completely. Add half of the macaroni mixture over the tomato sauce, top with half of the tomato slices, ⅓ of the basil, and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with macaroni, ⅓ of the basil, remaining 1 cup of mozzarella, and tomato slices, in that order.
  5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until bubbly and just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining ⅓ basil before serving.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Diethood
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ⅕ recipe Calories: 466 Fat: 17.2 Carbohydrates: 56.2 Sugar: 8.0 Sodium: 721 Fiber: 8.2 Protein: 30.4 Cholesterol: 40

 Early meeting, busy day 🙁

Thanks for all the sweet comments on Baby Shea’s nursery!! 😀 52 days!

Be well,

sig4

 

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11 Comments

  1. Pingback: Caprese Macaroni and Cheese -
  2. Angela R
    August 20, 2014 / 3:36 pm

    This looks yummy! We love caprese. Side note my hands swelled so much with my daughter I had to wear my rings on a necklace by the last month. I never had that problem when pregnant with my son last year; must be something about girls!

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  4. Lizzie
    August 21, 2014 / 12:25 pm

    This was the one I was most excited for from your weekly menu! I am pumped to try it. Did you serve it as a meal or a side dish?

  5. W.
    August 21, 2014 / 5:30 pm

    I’m new to your site, but immediately hooked! I made this the same day I read it, and IT. WAS. DELICIOUS. I take my macaroni and cheese very seriously, and even with skim milk — which was all I had on hand — this blew my mind. Thank you!

    • Nicole Morrissey
      August 21, 2014 / 6:15 pm

      Thanks, W.! So glad you loved this, too ๐Ÿ™‚

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  7. Amy
    August 22, 2014 / 12:13 pm

    FYI, none of your posts have showed up in Feedly for the past week. I thought baby Shea ha come early, but looks like you have been posting.

  8. Pingback: Caprese Mac and Cheese | ritasfoodadventures
  9. alison
    November 28, 2014 / 4:11 pm

    I was just wonderful if you use plain tomato sauce from a can, or pasta sauce from a jar? probably a dumb question but I didnt want to make it without knowing first. Thanks ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Nicole Morrissey
      Author
      November 28, 2014 / 6:27 pm

      Hi Alison! I just used tomato sauce from a can ๐Ÿ™‚

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