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This is a macaroni and cheese dish that you can feel good about eating – without the typical guilt that hits you when you have eaten more than one (or two) servings of the boxed kind. We are all guilty of this. I can be honest and say that I’ve eaten an entire box on more than one occasion. Maybe not all at once, but within the span of a day. The leftovers were no longer leftovers, but my second/third meal.
Anyone else ever add to their mac and cheese? Perhaps additional cheese? No need to run and hide in shame. The cheese is the best part! Right??
Being a major macaroni and cheese fan (hell, pasta in general), I wanted to still have my cake and eat it, too. I want to be able to have my small indulgences without fear of my pants shrinking in the dryer.
(The dryer is the devil, I know.)
I find that it’s best to cut back on the cheese, heavy creams and such and replace it with greek yogurt. I’m sure you’ve all tried it. I also find that it helps to cut back on your pasta intake by adding vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, or peas to the dish. Not only are you adding a vegetable to your plate, but you’re cutting back on calories.
I call it “fluffing” the dish. Kind of like adding chopped mushrooms to your ground beef/turkey/chicken on taco night. It increases the number of servings while incorporating a vegetable!
This week I chose to take the vegetable route – with, you guessed it, cauliflower! Now, although it may stink up your house (am I the only one that thinks cooked cauliflower smells weird??), it is such a bland/neutral vegetable that it can be easily added to any pasta dish without affecting the flavor of the dish itself.
I also used a veggie cheese (again, hello veggies!), rather than regular cheese, but feel free to swap out the veggie cheese for the equivalent in regular.
Creamy Cajun Chicken Macaroni and Cheese
Print Recipe Rate RecipeServings: 4 servings
Calories: 458kcal
Ingredients:
Mac & Cheese:
- 2 1/4 cup whole grain medium shells (or pasta of choice)
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 3/4 cup 0% plain Greek yogurt
- 2 cups Go Veggie Cheddar Shreds (or cheese of choice)
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
- 1 small head of cauliflower ((approx. 265g))
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
Chicken:
- 8 oz. boneless (skinless chicken breast, 1)
- 1/2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp. onion powder
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Garnishments:
- 1/2 cup Go Veggie Cheddar Shreds (or cheese of choice)
- Dash of dried basil
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions:
- In a Ziploc bag, combine the chicken, oil, lemon juice & seasonings. Close and toss to coat the chicken breast evenly. Place bag into the fridge to marinate for 30-60 minutes.
- Once the chicken has marinated, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place one pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package, until al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, cut the cauliflower into small florets and steam until they have softened.
- Place a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once heated, spray with non-stick cooking spray, add the chicken breast and season it with a pinch of smoked paprika, salt, and garlic powder. Cover the chicken with a lid and allow the chicken breast to cook through, flipping every 3-4 minutes. Once cooked, set aside and allow to cool before dicing.
- Once the pasta is cooked, save 1/4 cup of the pasta water & strain the rest. Place the pasta back into the pot with the baby spinach, stir, and cover to allow the spinach to wilt. In a mixing bowl combine the pasta water, Greek yogurt, almond milk, cheese, and remaining seasonings for the macaroni listed.
- After mixing, add in the cooked cauliflower and transfer the yogurt cheese mixture to the pot of pasta and stir well.
- Spray a medium baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Scoop the pasta mixture into the dish, spread evenly, and garnish with cheese, seasonings, & diced chicken. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
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NUTRITION:
Calories:458kcal || Carbohydrates:43.8g || Protein:39.7g || Fat:15.2g || Saturated Fat:0.7g || Cholesterol:34.4mg || Sodium:1mg || Fiber:7g || Sugar:4.9g
Disclaimer:The nutritional information provided on each recipe on With Peanut Butter on Top is given as a courtesy and as approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Nutritional information varies per brand/product. We recommend using an app to calculate full and accurate nutrition based on your ingredients used per recipe. Thank you! 🙂
