Macaroni and "Cheese"

I love mac and cheese- really what's not to love, right? So when I saw that Hungry Girl had a new mac and cheese recipe I was interested. I mentioned in my last post that I am trying to clean out the pantry and I had half a box of pasta and some Laughing Cow cheese to use up so this recipe was perfect!

I decided to puree the cauliflower and cheese to make it more of a cheese sauce. If you have little kids this would be a great trick to get them to eat their veggies! I will say that in my opinion this made too much cheese sauce. It was very thick and coated the pasta in a very thick coating that I wasn't a fan of. The taste was decent- definitely needs a little pick me up though. I think it needs some seasonings, maybe a dash or two of hot sauce, and then it would be very good. The concept is great- the process is easy- and the pasta is ok. I think it has potential but definitely needs to be doctored up a bit.

Here's a picture of the sauce after I pureed the cauliflower. You can see how closely it resembles cheese sauce:


Source: Hungry Girl

Ingredients:
1 package Green Giant Family Size Cauliflower & Three Cheese Sauce (freezer aisle)
2 cups uncooked Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Rotini Pasta (or another whole-wheat or whole-wheat-blend pasta)
3 wedges The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese (I used the garlic and herb kind)
Optional: salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Prepare pasta according to the instructions on the box, and then drain well and set aside. While pasta is cooking, place contents of the cauliflower & sauce package in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave for 12 - 16 minutes, until sauce has melted and cauliflower is hot. Then place in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour back into a bowl.

Unwrap cheese wedges and place in a small microwave-safe dish. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth, and then add to the bowl.

Mix thoroughly, ensuring that the Laughing Cow cheese is evenly distributed and the pasta and cauliflower are coated in cheese sauce. If you like, season to taste with salt and pepper.

** 4 points per 1 cup serving