Cheesy Chicken Noodle Skillet

Recipe from Kraft's Food & Family
Servings: 4 (2 cups each)

This recipe was just okay. I liked the creaminess of the cream cheese, but it definitely overpowered the dish. It also lacked flavor. If I make it again, I'd add less cream cheese, more broccoli and throw in some flavor like curry powder.

3 cups egg noddles, uncooked
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups frozen chopped broccoli
1/2 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 oz. (1/2 of 8 oz. package) cream cheese, cubed
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Bring large saucepan of water to boil on high heat. Add noodles and chicken. Cook 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and noodles are tender, adding broccoli to saucepan after 6 minutes. Drain noodle mixture; return to saucepan.

Add broth, cream cheese and mayo. Heat just to simmer on medium-low heat. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until cream cheese is melted and sauce is well blended, stirring constantly.

Add shredded cheese; stir 1 minute or until melted. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Everyday Macaroni & Cheese (Cook's Illustrated)

Recipe from The Best Light Recipe
Servings: 5

What better food to kick off the new year than macaroni and cheese?! That was exactly my thinking, so I reached for my new The Best Light Recipe cookbook, hoping that the team at America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Illustrated wouldn't disappoint me in my quest to find the best macaroni and cheese recipe. I love the format of this cookbook. Instead of just providing you with a recipe, the editors actually walk you through the entire process of developing the recipe, and in this case, how they made it "lighter" than traditional macaroni and cheese recipes. They discuss how they tested various types of milk and cheeses until they came up with the perfect combination, creating a recipe that is a bit healthier than the classic version, but doesn't sacrifice flavor in the process. The result is a very dense, smooth and creamy macaroni and cheese. It doesn't taste like any other mac & cheese recipe I've ever tried. And although it was very good, it's not the type of mac & cheese recipe that I'm searching for. That being said, I would probably still make this recipe again if I was in the mood for a very creamy mac & cheese. It was relatively easy to assemble and only required one saucepan, which made clean up a snap.

I did learn one important lesson while reading this recipe. Apparently you should not use pre-shredded cheese in your macaroni & cheese because it will have a negative affect on both the texture and flavor of the mac & cheese. I had no idea. No wonder the last three mac & cheese recipes I tried turned out lumpy and gritty. Looks like I might have to try those recipes again with fresh shredded cheese. You learn something new everyday.

Salt
1/2 pound elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)
1 (12 oz.) can reduced fat (2%) evaporated milk
3/4 cup 2% milk
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or celery salt (optional)
Pinch cayenne
2 teaspoons cornstarch
8 oz. reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)

Bring 2-1/2 quarts water to boil in a large saucepan. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and the macaroni; cook until the pasta is completely cooked and tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and leave it in the colander; set aside.

Add the evaporated milk, 1/2 cup of the 2% milk, mustard, garlic powder (if using), cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the now empty saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Whisk the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup milk together, then whisk it into the simmering mixture. Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened and is smooth, about 2 minutes.

Off the heat, gradually whisk in the cheddar until melted and smooth. Stir in the macaroni, and let the macaroni and cheese sit off the heat until the sauce has thickened slightly, 2 to 5 minutes, before serving.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 360
Fat: 10g (Sat. 6g)
Cholesterol: 40mg
Carbs: 45g
Protein: 24g
Fiber: 1g
Sodium: 720mg

Macaroni & Cheese (Muggs)

Recipe from In the Kitchen with Muggs
Servings: 5

This recipe is rather labor intensive for something as simple as macaroni and cheese. It also requires way too many pots going at once. The end result was a decent mac & cheese recipe, but nothing spectacular. I do think it turned out better than my previous two attempts, so it does have that going for it.

1 pound pasta (elbow or rotini)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 cups nonfat milk
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
10 oz. white sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 2-1/2 cups)
4 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
2 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish; set aside.

Cook pasta 2-3 minutes, drain and rinse well. (Pasta should be undercooked.)

Melt 1 tablespoon butter and add bread crumbs, coat well and set aside.

Heat milk until hot but not scalded.

Heat remaining 3 tablespoons butter, add flour and stir until cooked, about 1 minute. Slowly pour in the hot milk and whisk continuously until all the milk in incorporated and the sauce has begun to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, cayenne, 1-1/2 cups cheddar, 3/4 cup Gruyere, and all the Jack. Mix well until all the cheese has melted.

Add the cooked pasta and pour into the prepared dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheeses and top with bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes or until bread crumbs are golden brown and bubbling. Let sit for 5 minutes then serve.