High Protein Baked Mac & Cheese

High Protein Baked Mac & Cheese

This mac and cheese is the best of both worlds-- it's cheesy, creamy, and very tasty but doesn't sit like a brick in your stomach. It’s rich and satisfying, but way lighter than a traditional recipe. The secret? Adding whipped low fat cottage cheese into the sauce. It combines with the melted shredded cheese into a silky, protein packed base. Topped with a crispy, golden breadcrumb layer, it’s comfort food that works just as hard as you do.

Ingredients

Pasta & Sauce:

• 8 oz macaroni elbows
• 80 g skim milk
• 120 g Gruyère cheddar melange (60g of both work as well), shredded
• 25 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 15 g nutritional yeast
• ½ tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, black pepper
• 226 g low fat cottage cheese, blended smooth

Topping:

• 45 g panko breadcrumbs
• 10 g fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 15 g nutritional yeast
• Black pepper & smoked paprika to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until just al dente (1–2 minutes shy of package directions). Drain and set aside.
2. Grate both cheese into a large bowl, add the spices, and pasta, then stir. Once combined, slowly stir in the milk. Set pasta aside to cool.
3. Once the pasta and cheese sauce has cooled slightly, add in the whipped cottage cheese and stir until combined. Adding the cottage cheese too soon will cause it to split (caused by heat from the pasta). 
4. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Transfer the mac and cheese to a lightly greased baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the panko, Parmesan, nutritional yeast, and seasonings. Sprinkle evenly over the noodles.
5. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the topping is crisp and golden brown. Keep an eye on the oven, you don't want a scorched top.
6. Let it cool for a few minutes before diving in. The sauce will thicken slightly as it sets.

Nutrition (per serving, 8 servings total)

• Calories: 247
• Protein: 17 g
• Carbs: 22 g
• Fat: 10 g
• Fiber: 1 g

Why you’ll love it:

• 17 grams of protein per serving
• Real cheese flavor (thanks to Gruyère, Cheddar & Parmesan)
• No heavy cream or butter needed
• Crispy topping that gives you that classic mac & cheese bite