Baked Mac & Cheese

So I just came back from my biometrics collection and have found out that I am perfectly healthy (and my HDL level is 75!) woot! I am weirdly proned to have high cholesterol and although my cholesterol is still higher than normal, it has definitely improved- thank you diet!

This motivates me and makes me want to continue to improve on my healthy eating habits and I really want to make sure I get to that 'perfect' level!

This past week, I got a recipe from EatingWell.com- Baked Mac and Cheese. Recipe follows:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

3 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 16-ounce or 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
1 3/4 cups low-fat milk, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni, or penne

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat an 8-inch-square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl. Place spinach in a fine-mesh strainer and press out excess moisture.
Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until melted. Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Cook pasta for 4 minutes, or until not quite tender. (It will continue to cook during baking.) Drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well. Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the spinach on top. Top with the remaining pasta; sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

I am so happy I made this. Granted, there are definitely other recipes that are a lot healthier on the website. This mac and cheese was so delicious and comforting and is most defiinitely a lot better than your traditional mac and cheese!

I used shells instead of elbow noodles and/or penne because that was what I could find (cheap) and it worked fine. I was a bit weirded out by the cottage cheese- but it turns out that it really blended well with this dish and it really turned out to be one of the best mac and cheese I've ever had. The spinach add some texture to the noodles and I felt great about the whole wheat pasta!.. I'm thinking I should add some garlic powder next time... (garlic powder makes everything that much better)

This was really simple to prepare and really is a great, hearty dish for those new to the kitchen. I can't wait to make it again!

Time: 40 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Taste: 9