A healthier take on the cookout classic, Lighter Baked Macaroni and Cheese is packed full of gooey cheesiness. It can be made gluten free, too!
I know that I’m not alone when I say that Macaroni and Cheese is one of my all-time favorite foods. I’m not above the boxed stuff, either. But there’s something about a dish of baked mac and cheese that just hits different.
Years ago, Jeff and I used to cater parties for friends. He would smoke meat and I would prepare the sides. My mac and cheese was always a favorite. It has tons of butter, pounds of cheese, eggs, heavy cream. The works!
Maybe one day I’ll share that recipe with you all– Special Occasion Mac and Cheese? It’s heavenly! But that version is so rich and heavy that I can only eat it once in a while.
Many readers have asked me to come up with a Lighter Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe, one that you can make as often as you want. Of course, I needed to make sure it didn’t taste like “diet food.”
So after many, many attempts, I’m finally here to share with you the BEST baked light mac and cheese recipe.
I’m also happy to share that this is easily made gluten free! I used a similar bechamel base as my Skinny Alfredo Sauce, using a combo of almond milk, cornstarch, and light cream cheese to mimic the classic sauce that is usually made with butter, flour, and whole milk.
Since the sauce itself is gluten free, I tried a version of this using gluten free pasta, and it turned out great! I like the Banza chickpea elbows the best.
HOw do you lighten up mac and cheese?
The first step is definitely the bechamel trick that I mentioned above. That saves a ton of calories and fat.
I tried to make this with full-fat cheddar cheese, but I found that the flavor wasn’t that much different than using a combination of reduced-fat cheddar and full-fat, grated parmesan. I found the cheddar at Target, though I’ve also seen the Lucerne brand of reduced-fat cheddar at Albertsons and Vons.
Grated parmesan is one of my go-to secret ingredients when a recipe needs a little something extra. It totally makes the sauce! I like Trader Joe’s grated parm. Don’t use the green bottle stuff! It won’t add the same flavor.
Add a bit of Greek yogurt in at the end to up the tanginess factor that you’d get with a sharp cheddar. The result is a creamy cheesy sauce with half of the calories and fat of regular recipes!
Once the sauce is ready, mix in your pasta and get ready to bake it. Top with a little extra cheese some a light sprinkle of panko breadcrumbs for extra crunch. Sprinkle with paprika for color.
Now comes the hardest part. You really need to let it cool off before eating. The pasta will continue to soak up some sauce, and everything will set up better. If you can handle the 10 minute wait, it’s so worth it! You’ll have this to look forward to.
If you’re looking for an easier mac and cheese that comes together in just 15 minutes, you have to check out my One-Pot Mac and Cheese.
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! Leaving a starred review and comment below helps my blog grow. I’m always grateful when you can take the time to do that!
It also makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there!
Lighter Baked Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni, whole wheat or gluten free
- 2 cup unsweetened, plain almond milk
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp reduced-fat cream cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 5 ounces reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese shreds, divided
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 2-3 dashes hot sauce
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup nonfat, plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp panko bread crumbs
- sprinkle of paprika
Instructions
- Boil pasta according to package directions, undercooking by about a minute. Drain, rinse to stop the cooking process, then set aside. Measure out your cheddar and reserve 1 ounce for the top of the casserole.
- Preheat oven to 400F. In a large skillet, whisk together almond milk and cornstarch. Turn heat to high and continue whisking until the mixture starts to boil.
- Lower heat to medium-low. Whisk in garlic powder, salt, pepper, hot sauce, and dijon. Continue to cook until sauce is thick, about 2-3 minutes
- Turn heat to lowest setting, Whisk in cream cheese, a tablespoon at a time, then whisk in parmesan until completely melted.
- Turn off heat, then whisk in 4 ounces of the cheddar cheese. Continue to whisk until completely melted, then whisk in yogurt.
- Fold macaroni into the sauce, mixing until all pasta is coated.
- Spritz a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray (I used a 10×7 inch dish). Pour the mixture into the dish and spread out evenly.
- Sprinkle reserved 1 ounce of cheddar evenly over the top, then do the same with the panko. Sprinkle the top with paprika (about 1/2 a teaspoon). Spritz the top of the casserole with cooking spray.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the top is brown and cheese is bubbling. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before eating.
- A serving is 1/6 of the casserole, or 1 fully packed cup.
We have nut allergies in our home. Do you think oatmilk would work instead of almond milk?
I think that would work just fine!
This was delicious! It had a good sharpness to it. Topping was crispy. My only negative was I wish it had been just a smidge creamier once baked. But I will definitely make again!! Thanks for another awesome recipe.
Thanks, Emily! I would undercook it by about 5 minutes next time. All ovens differ, so your temp might be higher than mine. Hope that helps!
I made this exactly as written and it was DELICIOUS! So great to be able to eat macaroni & cheese on a random Wednesday and not have it take my entire day’s worth of calories. Definitely adding this to my recipe rotation. Thank you!
This was so creamy and delicious! Loved the crunchy topping too. My hubby loved it too and you can’t tell it’s lightened up at all.
Yay! So happy you liked it!
How do you come up with 205 calories? I put this recipe in My Fitness Pal and it calculated 466 per serving.
Hi Adrienne, I can understand the confusion. Unfortunately, nutrition calculations will vary a bit depending on the brand of ingredients you use. I checked the recipe just now by importing it to MyFitness Pal and I noticed that it calculates 1 lb of black pepper for the recipe automatically (that’s over 1100 cals on its own!), so that’s probably throwing things off. I use freshly grated parm and shredded reduced fat cheddar, as well as brands of almond milk/pasta with lower calories than the default calculation, etc. You may want to go into the recipe and replace the ingredients using the actual brands you use and verify the quantities so your estimates are more accurate. Hope this helps!
Have you tried freezing this at all? Thinking about working it into our Thanksgiving rotation but I do most of my prep ahead of time, either freezing or assembling the day before.
This is so good! I will never make mac n cheese any other way after trying this recipe. Thank you!
Just discovered this recipe recently and made it for dinner last night. My mac and cheese-loving husband and I both enjoyed it. I cut the recipe in half and subbed the almond milk for 1% milk and all the cheeses for a shredded Mexican-style blend. The WW app figured the recipe at 8 points. So thrilled to find a such tasty and quick recipe. Thanks!
So happy to hear that you love the recipe and adjusted it to suit your tastes! Stay tuned, I have a new one-pot Alfredo recipe coming soon that you might enjoy 🙂
You’re so welcome! I love when you can alter a recipe to fit with the ingredients that you like. Thanks for sharing your alterations!
Ooey and gooey and so delicious!! Comfort food!!
Yesss! Give me all of the comfort food!