Sometimes, there's just no room for compromise when a craving strikes, and that's the case for so many of us when it comes to mac and cheese. You don't want to use vegetables in place of noodles, and you're just not willing to part with all that cheesy goodness. And you don't always have to. As you can see in the recipe below, you can keep the best parts of this dish but make some minor tweaks to ensure that it still remains low carb.
Start by swapping out those starchy pasta noodles with a low-carb option - they're out there! And that whole milk you use to make your cheese sauce, use almond milk instead. Just one cup of whole milk can have as many as 15 grams of carbs. With almond milk, you'll get just two per cup. And that flour you use to make the roux, use almond flour. Instead of getting five grams of carbs per tablespoon, you'll get one measly gram. When all of these things come together, you'll get that rich and delicious mac and cheese, without breaking your carb bank.
Low Carb Mac & Cheese
4
5 minutes
40 minutes
45 minutes
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons almond flour
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 1/4 cup shredded cheese mix (I used one with provolone, cheddar, and mozzarella)
2 cups low-carb pasta, cooked
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9" x 13" casserole dish.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add the almond flour and whisk to combine. Let the flour cook for about two minutes then, while whisking, add the paprika and dry mustard powder. Gradually add the milk, whisking as you do to avoid lumps.
Remove the sauce from the heat and slowly stir in the cheese. Add the pasta and stir to fully coat and combine.
Place in the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling throughout.
Pro-tip: Use salt and pepper to taste
