Two-Cheese Mac and Cheese

This was on the cover of the September CL.  I think we (D) made it the day after the mailman delivered the magazine.  It was very good, and yes, we ate it with no bacon or chicken in it.  I would definitely have again.

We had with a salad.

Two-Cheese Mac and Cheese

Yield: Serves 6 (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients
10 ounce large elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 1/4 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson), divided
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
8 teaspoons all-purpose flour
4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
3 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup)

Preparation
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Set aside.

2. Preheat broiler to high.

3. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add garlic to pan; cook 3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring frequently (do not brown). Stir in 1 cup stock; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute. Combine remaining 1 1/4 cups stock, milk, and flour; stir with a whisk until flour dissolves. Add milk mixture to garlic mixture, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Remove milk mixture from heat; add cream cheese, stirring until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta to milk mixture, tossing to coat. Let stand 5 minutes. Pour pasta mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle cheddar evenly over pasta mixture. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Let stand 5 minutes.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 358; Fat: 15g; Saturated fat: 6.1g; Monounsaturated fat: 5.6g; Polyunsaturated fat: 1.9g; Protein: 14.4g; Carbohydrate: 40.7g; Fiber: 1.7g; Cholesterol: 31mg; Iron: 2mg; Sodium: 409mg; Calcium: 170mg

Cooking Light SEPTEMBER 2013