One benefit of doing a cleanse is that it makes you appreciate the food you used to eat without reservation. After doing the Ultimate Beach Body Detox cleanse, I really thought about what food or dish I wanted to have once the cleanse was over. After careful consideration, I knew I wanted some kind of cheesy pasta, but I didn’t want to go overboard with the cheese. So, I turned to Cooking Light and found this blush mac ‘n cheese with tomatoes dish.
The pasta was extremely rich and creamy, considering the roux only contained 1 tablespoon of flour as thickener. And, who knew you could get so much flavor from just a bit of shallots, garlic, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, and only 4 ounces of reduced-fat cheddar? I went a step further in the health department by using organic soy milk instead of 1% milk. I couldn’t even tell a difference. This came together so easily and satisfied my three-week long craving for cheesy pasta. And, the best part is that I didn’t have to undo any benefits I received from the cleanse to enjoy it!
This recipe can be found in the April 2013 issue of Cooking Light or here.
Apr 08, 2013 @ 20:26:43
I love mac and cheese and tomato, I often slice tomatoes on top and bake. Yours is pretty much guilt free and I love that!
Apr 08, 2013 @ 20:30:15
This mac and cheese looks delicious. I love the fact it doesn’t have a lot of calories and isn’t real heavy on the sauce. Thanks for sharing:)
Apr 08, 2013 @ 20:43:25
Oooh, I saw that recipe and wondered how it would be. I might have to go back and try it out myself!
Apr 08, 2013 @ 20:49:18
I toss cherry tomatoes in with pasta (with olive oil, some anchovy paste, garlic, onions, Parmesan and a hint of red pepper) when the CSA cherry tomatoes start to overwhelm me. Yours looks great–I may need to try something with a roux this summer!
Apr 08, 2013 @ 21:39:23
Mmmm I love adding cherry tomatoes to pasta. Such a good burst of flavor (and veggies!)
Apr 08, 2013 @ 22:07:12
yum this is what I call mac and cheese
Apr 08, 2013 @ 23:05:40
Oh my goodness! This looks amazing! Mac ‘n cheese is my weakness and I love finding new ways to make it
Apr 08, 2013 @ 23:30:09
uh it definately looks good !
Apr 08, 2013 @ 23:41:29
I think I would go for a pasta dish too xx
Apr 09, 2013 @ 03:14:31
Ok, YUM. I need this NOW!
Apr 09, 2013 @ 04:11:41
This is such a gorgeous, colourful pasta dish – beats Kraft mac n cheese hands down.
Apr 09, 2013 @ 04:24:40
Beautiful pasta and so much healthier than the usual loaded with calories one!
Apr 09, 2013 @ 05:31:16
Lovely, creamy, delicious… I really love it!!!
Apr 09, 2013 @ 05:44:46
Your making me crave pasta and I love the addition of fresh spinach and tomatoes.
Apr 09, 2013 @ 05:58:30
Perfect comfort food!! I’m craving this dish right now!
Apr 09, 2013 @ 06:11:16
I think you made a terrific decision choosing this recipe…it certainly looks good.
Apr 09, 2013 @ 08:14:57
I used to eat so much macaroni and cheese that I quit liking it. It reminds me of the days when I was working two jobs, living on mac and cheese and five for a dollar ramen noodles, getting out of debt.
Apr 09, 2013 @ 10:35:25
Hi, your comfort food look awesome and I love this.
Have a nice week ahead.
Apr 09, 2013 @ 10:54:57
This looks so delicious and pretty and healthy. Thank you for sharing!
Apr 09, 2013 @ 11:54:17
That looks quite tasty!
Apr 09, 2013 @ 12:43:17
I love the look of this mac and cheese…much colorful and healthier…great twist.
Enjoy your week 🙂
Apr 09, 2013 @ 14:12:13
The tomatoes really make the dish- almost too pretty to eat! The reduced cheese sounds like a good alternative too.
Apr 09, 2013 @ 14:27:49
3 weeks of cleanse, congratulations! This creamy pasta had to be a good reward 🙂
Apr 09, 2013 @ 19:15:39
oh I love all the vibrant colors in this! looks like a great meal!
Apr 09, 2013 @ 19:27:06
What a great meal… love the addition of tomatoes:) Yum.
Apr 09, 2013 @ 19:27:13
This looks so delicious. I love mac and cheese.
Tracy @ Sunny Days and Starry Nights
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Apr 09, 2013 @ 20:14:04
Whoa, this looks a lot creamier than the full fat and ultra cheesy mac and cheese I shared recently. And I love that there’s some yummy spinach in it, too.
Apr 09, 2013 @ 20:22:46
I love veggies in mac and cheese. They cancel out all the bad stuff!
Apr 09, 2013 @ 21:22:11
That is amazing that it is so rich while you only used 1 tbsp of flour!
Apr 09, 2013 @ 21:28:05
Good for you! I think the hardest part after a cleanse is staying on track and eating healthy.. but enjoying yourself. You’ve managed that splendidly here! xx
Apr 09, 2013 @ 23:09:40
what a fun and creative take on a classic. I must give this a try soon. Love the tomatoes in it
Apr 09, 2013 @ 23:33:54
There is something in the name of this recipe that made me smile. …
This looks fabulous now that you mentioned cooking light I need to take our my cooking light cookbook too.
This looks just fabulous.
Apr 10, 2013 @ 00:45:29
Great choice! This looks really warm and nurturing! Delicious!
Apr 10, 2013 @ 01:22:54
I love the touch of tomatoes here. Nice recipe
Apr 10, 2013 @ 02:11:56
this looks like great comfort food. yummo!
Apr 10, 2013 @ 06:39:50
Looks so delicious! Yum! Yum!
Apr 10, 2013 @ 08:49:25
I would de for a mac & cheese now!! I just love it!
Apr 10, 2013 @ 09:45:44
Everything looks so tasty and the colors are gorgeous!
What a wonderful comfort food 🙂
Apr 10, 2013 @ 10:02:37
This looks soooo good…that sauce looks great, and I love adding some veggies to mac and cheese!
Apr 10, 2013 @ 12:29:54
I saw that recipe, I’ll definitely have to try it now! looks so good!
Apr 10, 2013 @ 15:14:48
Your mac and cheese look so creamy and delicious. Look excellent! I love that you added green and tomatoes. I want to feed my kids extra veggies with mac and cheese. 🙂
Apr 10, 2013 @ 15:30:30
I love pasta and especially Mac and cheese, this sounds so good and the ingredient list looks nice also. Not so fatty….. Nice post Andi thewednesdaybaker
Apr 10, 2013 @ 17:47:54
This looks absolutely delicious and healthy. Now I can indulge in mac and cheese without feeling guilty.
Apr 10, 2013 @ 17:51:24
How did you know I just bought a huge carton of those little tomatoes? This looks perfect!
Apr 10, 2013 @ 20:45:01
Yummy version of mac and cheese, looks great!
Apr 11, 2013 @ 03:43:17
This looks super yummy 🙂
xx
glamdevils
Apr 11, 2013 @ 09:49:27
This mac and cheese looks delicious!
Apr 11, 2013 @ 10:57:43
This looks so delicious.
Apr 11, 2013 @ 11:52:18
Sounds like a healthy alternative to comfort food!
Apr 11, 2013 @ 12:07:55
Wow! This looks great.
Apr 11, 2013 @ 14:49:18
Mmmmmm…love this!
Apr 11, 2013 @ 20:08:29
Oh I LONG for those little tomatoes! roll on summer!
Apr 12, 2013 @ 02:27:38
I didn’t realize it was a beach body cleanse you were doing. How cool is that? If I could have a beach body I’d cleanse all the time. 🙂
Since I probably can’t, I’ll eat your mac and cheese. LOL
Apr 12, 2013 @ 04:20:14
Never did it with tomato. Must try it in the Summer – this Spring looks too much like Winter to me. Have a great weekend!
Apr 13, 2013 @ 21:28:15
Pasta and veggies are so good. This looks great.
~Carmen
http://bakingismyzen.wordpress.com
Apr 14, 2013 @ 06:09:10
That looks really lovely !!
Apr 15, 2013 @ 19:59:24
Oh my gosh, my pasta loving heart just skipped at beat looking at this mac and cheese!
Apr 15, 2013 @ 22:02:06
It looks so bright and beautiful! I am addicted to Mac n’ cheese…my list keeps growing of things I want to consume when I am done with my cleanse! Yum!
Apr 16, 2013 @ 13:15:45
looks delicious… now I’m craving mac n cheese.
Apr 18, 2013 @ 23:56:33
Gorgeous meal! So warming and wholesome.
Apr 21, 2013 @ 19:24:46
Mmm yum this looks so delicious!
May 07, 2013 @ 13:51:41
Warm, gooey, and satisfying, this baked pasta dish takes comfort food to the next level.