This is a perfect recipe to inject a bit more nutrition into the old family favorite: Mac and Cheese. By simply adding a sweet potato, you’ll get a vegetable in the dish and you won’t even taste it. What you will taste is a creamy and very cheesy sauce with great flavor. On a scale of 1 – 10 for Mac and Cheese, I’d give this an 8.5.

Give it a try. Everybody benefits from added nutrition and less fat.

If you do try out the recipe, be sure and let me know how it turned out.

Sweet Potato Mac & Cheese

“Eating Well” Magazine

Fiber-rich sweet potato is used as the base for the cheese sauce in this healthy, homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. The bright orange color tricks your eyes into thinking this healthy macaroni and cheese recipe is loaded with cheese, but there’s actually only about half as much cheese as compared to a traditional recipe.

4 servings | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

8 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles (2 cups)
1 medium sweet potato (about 12 ounces)
2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 tablespoons coarse dry whole-wheat breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat the broiler. Coat a 2-quart broiler-safe baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain; set aside.

Meanwhile, prick sweet potato with a fork in several places. Microwave on High until tender all the way to the center, 7 to 10 minutes.

Whisk milk, flour, and garlic in a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat, whisking frequently, until steaming and hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat.

As soon as the sweet potato is cool enough to handle, cut it open and scoop the flesh into the steaming milk. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. (Alternatively, transfer to a blender and puree just until smooth, then return to the pot.

Add cheese, mustard, salt and pepper and stir until the cheese melts. Add the pasta and peas to the sauce and stir to coat. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Combine bread crumbs and oil and sprinkle on the pasta. Broil on the upper rack until the top is lightly browned and crispy, 1 to 2 minutes.

Dive in, knowing you are eating well.