Mac & Cheese Bake
Nothing beats a good bowl of Mac & Cheese, but I didn’t want to have the traditional Kraft Mac & Cheese so thought I would go searching for an amped up version. I came across the Curvy Carrot Blog where the blogger posted a clever way of serving up mac and cheese – in mini pie forms. Now I adapted the recipe quite a bit and yet it was delicious, but the ideas all stem from the blog.
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
6 crackers – I used whole grain crackers we had on hand (the blogger used ritz crackers)
½ Cup Cheddar Cheese, grated and divided
1 Tbsp. Melted butter
2 handfuls of uncooked whole grain penne noodles
2 oz. of grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. egg white
1/8 cup milk
1 Tbsp. Cottage Cheese
Dash of Red Pepper Flakes – pending on how much of a kick you want
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray two ramekins and set aside
In a food processor, combine the crushed crackers, 1/4 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and the melted butter. Blend together until it sticks together. Press into the bottoms and up the sides of the ramekins.
In another large bowl, combine the cooked (and still hot!) macaroni with 1/8 cup of the shredded cheddar, and the parmesan cheese, mixing well.
Then add the egg white, milk, cottage cheese and red pepper flakes. Mix until all the ingredients have melted and the mixture is smooth.
Divide the macaroni mixture between your two ramekins.
Top each muffin cup with the remaining 1/8 cup of cheddar.
Bake the mac and cheese until lightly golden on top, about 20-25 minutes.
Let cool slightly before removing from the muffin pan, serve immediately.
Cheers
n
insatiably 