Makeover Creamy Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Ooooo, this was good! Here is the recipe from Taste of Home:

Ingredients:

* 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
* 1/4 cup butter, cubed
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
* 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 1 cup (8 ounces) fat-free sour cream
* 1/2 pound reduced-fat process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
* Minced chives, optional

Directions:
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Reduce heat; stir in the sour cream, process cheese, Parmesan, mustard and pepper until smooth.

Drain macaroni; stir in cheddar cheese. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Add cream sauce and mix well. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with chives if desired. Yield: 7 servings.

So, what did I do different? (Because I always change it somehow) First of all, I didn't add mustard, only because we don't have that in this house. I used reduced fat milk, not fat-free, only because we drink 1/2-1% in this house. I used 1 and 2/3 cup of fat free cheddar and 1/3 cup of colby jack, because I ran out. Here is what the sauce looked like all done:



Man, it was THICK and CREAMY!

I also used a box of Ronzoni Smart taste. This was actually 4 cups of uncooked pasta, not 2 like the recipe called for. If I had only done two, we'd be eating cheese and mac, not mac and cheese for dinner tonight.



So the final thing I did different... I added about 2 cups of frozen peas, and 1/2 a package of Oscar Mayer smoked ham diced up. In the end, it was so tasty (I know only because I had a small serving already, even though we haven't eaten dinner yet :P). The actual sauce was pretty good too. While I was waiting for the pasta to cook up, I was dipping pretzels in the cheese sauce.. YUM!



This made tons of food, enough for me to freeze half of it for dinner after Gianna comes :D