| Moscow Food Co-op Recipes | |
Baked Macaroni
by Jen Hirt, from the November 2003 newsletter
What’s left to say about macaroni and cheese? Not much. It’s probably one of the most ubiquitous and blanded-down dishes around. Plus, macaroni and cheese is total comfort food. The boxed offerings add convenience, and a homemade version bubbling in the oven conjures a nostalgia for a grandmother’s Sunday brunch. And it seems to serve as the foundation of buffets and lunch lines, a golden side dish all hot and melty. For many years of my finicky childhood, macaroni and cheese was all I would eat. I can’t blame myself.
But boxed macaroni and cheese meals have their limitations, even if you add a handful of chopped vegetables or a few ounces of real cheese (rather than that odd powdered stuff).
Since I like to tinker with standard recipes, here’s a version that actually has more zucchini than macaroni or cheese. Zucchini, that overzealous vegetable, contributes a flavor that easily complements cheddar and parmesan. I use low-fat cottage cheese as a source of protein, and low-fat milk tinged with lemon juice as a tasty alternative to the traditionally recipes, which call for butter, cream, or whole milk. A trio of nutmeg, salt, and pepper add flavor.
This dish is great for a light lunch. Pair it with a small salad or a sandwich. It easily serves four. Obviously, macaroni is best when steamy hot, but cold mac-and-cheese has sufficed my appetite on more than one occasion. It’s a versatile dish.
Baked Macaroni
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 1/2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
4 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded
4 oz. parmesan, shredded
1/2 cup low-fat milk mixed with 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400.
First, mix the low-fat milk and the lemon juice in a cup and set aside. (This
is a way to get a buttermilk flavor without the negatives of rich buttermilk.)
Next, bring about 3 cups of water to boil. Add the macaroni when the water
boils. Don’t cook for the entire recommended time – five minutes
is fine. The macaroni will finish cooking in the oven. As the noodles boil,
shred the zucchini, the cheddar, and the parmesan. Set aside about a half
cup of cheese to sprinkle on top. Mix the remaining cheese and the zucchini
in a large bowl with the cottage cheese. At this point, the noodles have
boiled long enough, so drain them and set aside. Add the milk to the zucchini-cheese
mix. Stir in the noodles and the salt, nutmeg, and black pepper. Mix well,
making sure that the zucchini and cheeses are evenly distributed. Spread
the macaroni mix into a large baking dish. Cover and bake for 15 minutes.
Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and bake for 10 minutes more.
The dish is done when it is heated through, the cheese is melted, and the
noodles are tender. To achieve a crispy, golden-brown top, slide the dish
under the broiler for a couple minutes. Let the macaroni sit for five minutes
(it will absorb excess liquid, if there is any), then serve.
Jen Hirt is an MFA student in creative writing at the University of Idaho. She's working on a collection of essays about greenhouses.
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