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Beef, Cheese, and Noodle Bake

Source of Recipe

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2006


Recipe Introduction

We really enjoyed this. My husband expecially loved it! It was a bit time consuming to make though. I did make a few changes...I chopped my own onions and garlic, and shredded my own carrots; I also shredded up half a zucchini I had kickin' around in the fridge; used 1% milk; used an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce which is just shy of a cup (according to the back of the can), so I added a couple of spoonfuls of salsa; barely used any nutmeg and will omit all together next time; used a whole wheat blend macaroni and full-fat extra sharp cheddar cheese. Oh, and I added some Frank's Red Hot Sauce, my favorite condiment lately.

List of Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package small elbow macaroni
Cooking spray
1 cup prechopped onion
1 cup preshredded carrot
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 pound lean ground sirloin
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) 2% reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese (such as Cracker Barrel), divided


Recipe

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Lightly coat pasta with cooking spray.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and carrot, and sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add ground beef; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes or until most of liquid evaporates.

Add pasta to beef mixture in pan, stirring to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Place milk, flour, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat 2 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add 1 cup cheese, stirring until smooth. Pour cheese mixture over pasta mixture; stir. Top evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 283(24% from fat); FAT 7.7g (sat 4.2g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 22.3g; CHOLESTEROL 46mg; CALCIUM 209mg; SODIUM 622mg; FIBER 2.1g; IRON 3.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.1g

Joy Zacharia
Cooking Light, JANUARY 2006

Notes from the mag: This family-friendly casserole is a great way to incorporate more vegetables into children's food. For creamiest results, do not overbake. With more than 200 milligrams of calcium, this dish is a good source of the bone-building mineral.