This is one of my most popular recipes, and for good reason. The first time I made it, Jeff asked if he could eat the whole thing. That’s how good it is. I mean, how can you go wrong with you combine broccoli in cheese sauce, mac and cheese, and bacon?
Shells and Cheese with Bacon and Broccoli
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 10 strips lean center cut bacon, sliced. (I used Appleton Farms brand from Aldi)
- 12 oz large shell macaroni
- 1 large broccoli stalk, cut into florets (about 4 cups)
- 2 cups almond milk, unsweetened original
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 6 slices Velveeta singles
- 3 oz Trader Joe's Lite Shredded Mozzarella
- 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Lite Three Cheese blend
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425. Boil pasta according to package directions. In the last two minutes of cooking, add in broccoli. Drain well.
- Brown bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tsp of bacon grease.
- In a large pan, whisk together bacon grease, milk, cornstarch, and spices. Bring to a boil, then turn to lowest setting and simmer until slightly thickened, a minute or two.
- Slowly whisk in Velveeta and mozzarella until melted (this will thicken the sauce a lot). Add a couple dashes of your favorite hot sauce if you like.
- Fold in half of the cooked bacon along with the pasta and broccoli. Pour into a large baking dish and top with 1/2 cup cheese blend and remaining bacon.
- Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then broil for a minute or two if cheese isn't browned to your liking.
Notes
Click here to determine your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe (if you are logged in to your WW app, it should calculate for you automatically). Serving size is 1 1/3 cups.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints: 7 for 1 1/3 cups
Cals: 301 | Fat: 9g | Sat Fat: 4g | Carbs: 40g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Protein: 17g | Sodium: 528mg | Cholesterol: 26mg
This looks fabulous and so much for 7 points. Thank you for sharing, my family is going to love this!
You’re so welcome! I hope you family loves it as much as we do. 🙂
This is going to be a great new dinner idea for my family! Thanks for sharing 🙂 If you are looking for a refreshing, summer drink, I recommend this amazing mango smoothie 🙂
https://thesweetworldsite.wordpress.com/2018/05/12/mango-lassi/
You’re welcome!
It was good. The almond milk gives it a nuttiness that milk wouldn’t give it, but that nuttiness is pretty worth it for the cutback in fat.
I added cooked chunked chicken breast, and some button mushrooms.