Homemade Mac and Cheese

A low calorie, high-protein mac and cheese that is great as a main dish or a side
This recipe contains pasta (penne, whole wheat), butter (unsalted), flour, milk (almond), garlic powder, cheese (parmesan), cheese (gruyere), herbes de provence, bread crumbs (panko)
4 Servings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 hr 10 min
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cup(s) whole grain or whole wheat penne pasta
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp. flour
- 1 1/2 cup(s) unsweet almond milk
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/8 cup(s) parmesan cheese
- 1/8 cup(s) gruyere cheese
- 1 tbsp. herbs de provence
- 1/4 cup(s) panko bread crumbs
Instructions:
- 1. Preheat oven to 450 and coat a casserole dish with cooking spray.
- 2. Cook the pasta according to package until al dente, drain and set aside. In a large pot melt butter over med-low, add in flour stir in a figure 8 until it is a thick slightly browned paste, add the almond milk and garlic powder bring to a low simmer and stir often for about 15-20 minutes until its thickened and it coats the spoon you are stirring with. Take the heat down to low then dump in the pasta, stir until all coated, toss in cheese and stir until melted and evenly distributed. Move to casserole dish, sprinkle with herbs, then panko crumbs then a little more Parmesan cheese and place in oven until top is a crusty, browned and beautiful about 15 minutes.