Mushroom Sage Mac and Cheese


I've been getting lazy about keeping up on counting calories, but I couldn't bring myself to make the full-fat version of this macaroni and cheese. The sheer number of calories per serving reminded me of why mac and cheese tastes so good, but I thought it would be better to have a tasty and guilt-free version.

Adapted from the Culinary Ginger.

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
-1 1/2 teaspoons fresh sage, finely chopped
-12 ounces dried pasta, cooked two minutes less than package directions
-8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
-1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-2 cups whole milk
-1 cup heavy cream
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
-2 cups sharp white cheddar, grated
-1 cup swiss cheese, grated
-1 cup mozzarella, grated

Add the panko and chopped sage to a bowl and mix, set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray a small skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned and reduced. Stir in the sage and cook for 1 minute. Set aside.
In the same pot the pasta had been in, add the three tablespoons butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, whisk in the flour to form a paste and cook for about two minutes. Slowly pour in the milk, cream while whisking and starts to thicken. Stir in the salt and nutmeg. Once thickened and there are no lumps remove from the heat.
Stir in the cheddar, swiss, and mozzarella, in small batches allowing it to melt in between additions.
Add the mushrooms and pasta into the pot and stir until well mixed.
Transfer to a greased 8 x 8 baking dish and top with the panko breadcrumbs. Put the the mac and cheese onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until the top is golden brown.




Dave really liked this recipe, he ate several servings of this. The sage and mushrooms added some nice flavors to the macaroni and cheese. I don't think that cutting some of the cheese and/or cream out of this recipe reduced any of the flavor or creaminess of the macaroni and cheese. 

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