Mac N’ Cheese-less 

Making comfort foods like mac n’ cheese healthy can be challenging. Just remember our favorite trick: “Think about all the things you could have and not what you shouldn’t have.” This recipe exemplifies this perfectly. The “cheese” sauce alone has so many possibilities: Add jalapeno and you have a spicy nacho sauce, or pour the sauce over potatoes for an au gratin. Let your imagination run wild.

Nutritional Information: Calories (491); Sodium (441mg); Sugars (11.8g); Cholesterol (0mg); Saturated Fat (2.2g); Fiber (10.8g); Protein (14g); Carbohydrates (79g)
 

4 cups water

1 cup raw cashews*

12 oz. 100% whole wheat short elbow pasta

6 cups sweet potato, peeled, cut into ½-inch cubes

4 cups unflavored, unsweetened almond milk

2 tsp. mild hot sauce such as Cholula (optional)

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

¾ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp. nutmeg

1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

*Silken tofu may be substituted for cashews, although the taste and texture will be different.

Combine the water and cashews in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, drain the nuts and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, but still firm to the bite (al dente). Drain the pasta, rinse and drain again. Set aside in a large mixing bowl and cover.

Combine sweet potatoes and almond milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Strain the sweet potatoes in a bowl, reserving the almond milk. Measure the reserved almond milk and add more, if needed, so that it equals three cups.

Cool the almond milk to lukewarm and place in a heavy-duty blender. Add the cashews and blend until the sauce is smooth.

Add the sweet potatoes, hot sauce, mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Process until the sauce is smooth, scraping the container as needed.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix well. Place in a 10-by-12-inch casserole or baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

To make the sauce less sweet, replace half the almond milk with unsweetened hemp or soy milk. For a crunchy topping, sprinkle with whole-grain breadcrumbs.