Homemade Mac n Cheese

• 4oz whole wheat elbow noodles (1 C)
• 1 C frozen broccoli
• 1 C low-fat milk, divided
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 C shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
• 2 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook noodles for 4 minutes. Add frozen broccoli and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and broccoli are just tender, 4 to 5 minutes more.
2. Meanwhile, heat 3/4 C milk in another large saucepan over medium-high heat until just simmering. Whisk the remaining 1/4 C milk, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl until combined. Add the flour mixture to the simmering milk. Return to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in cheddar, parmesan and mustard until the cheeses are melted.
3. Drain the pasta and broccoli and add to the cheese sauce. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, over medium-low, until heated through, about 1 minute.


Robyn's notes: I used frozen peas because it's what I had in the house, whole wheat flour, and regular black pepper. It came out fine with those changes.  Since I can't eat peas, I just picked them out of my serving, but it still tasted quite a bit of the missing peas, since they'd cooked in it.  I made the recipe again in early October 2007, in two separate dishes, using broccoli in his (he liked it) and no veggies in mine (I liked it).