Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Macaroni and Cheese...the Healthier Way!

Greetings Divas! I love macaroni and cheese, but as traditionally prepared, it is not a healthy dish. Well, here is a recipe that is sure to please and that also sheds hundreds of calories from the traditional recipe. I found this recipe in Cooking Light magazine, and have made it on several occasions. This recipe combines bacon, garlic powder, onion powder, and chicken to create the decadent Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Macaroni and Cheese. I have tried this recipe a couple of times, and it was AMAZING! Even more amazing are the nutritional stats (because stats are important):

Classic Recipe

908 Calories Per Serving

963 Milligrams of Sodium

36 Grams of Saturated Fat

Cooking Light’s Recipe

497 Calories Per Serving

545 Milligrams of Sodium

7.4 Grams of Saturated Fat

WINNING! Now we can have our mac and cheese and eat it too! Check out the recipe for the Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Macaroni and Cheese.

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
1 slice applewood-smoked bacon
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup condensed 45% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
¾ cup (3 ounces) shredded six-cheese Italian blend (such as Sargento)
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/8 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
½ cup (2 ounces) shredded colby-Jack cheese

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Finely chop bacon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to drippings in pan; sauté 6 minutes or until done.

3. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup, stirring with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until sauce cools to 155°. Add Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.

4. Preheat broiler.

5. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and colby-Jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Voila! To see this recipe at Cooking Light Online, CLICK HERE!

For other delicious recipes courtesy of Cooking Light, check them out at CookingLight.com.

LEX