Single Serving Mac and Cheese

 

I'm in love with making single serving recipes right now.

It's fun to take full size recipes and pare them down and try and have the end result be as good as the original.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. So far we have been pretty lucky!

We've previous stuck with mainly sweets for single servings...5 Minute Coffee Cake, 5 Minute Banana Bread, 5 Minute Peanut Butter Cookie, 5 Minute Carrot Cake, 5 Minute Chocolate Chip Cookie, 5 Minute Apple Crisp, 5 Minute Fudgy Brownie, 5 Minute Chocolate Cake, Single Serving Scone, Single Serving Pancakes, Breakfast Quinoa,, and Banana Bread Oatmeal (and other alternatives) and only a few savory...Spinach Frittata For One, 5 Minute Low Carb Bun, and now this delicious, creamy macaroni.

I made it twice with two different cheeses and they were both delicious. The one with Velveeta cheese was definitely much smoother though.

 

 

Single Serving Mac and Cheese

 

Ingredients

1/3 cup macaroni (I use Catelli Smart)

1/2 cup water

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup 1% milk

1/2 cup shredded light cheese OR 2 inch square of Velveeta cheese, cut up

2 Tbsp frozen peas

salt and pepper

1 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

 

Directions

Combine the pasta, water, and garlic in a large microwave safe mug or bowl.

 

 

Microwave for 2 minutes, then stir. (The water may overflow when you heat it - this is normal. If you don't want it to overflow make sure you use a very large microwave safe bowl)

Repeat this at least 2 to 4 more minutes, stirring after each 2 minutes. The water should absorb completely and the pasta cooked through. (If the pasta needs another minute it is okay to add 1 tsp of water and go another minute.)

Remove from the microwave and stir in milk, cheese (either 1/2 cup of light cheese OR 2 inch cube of Velveeta, whichever you are using.), and frozen peas. Microwave for another minute to minute and a half. Stir thoroughly.

Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Top with 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese. Serve hot.

 

 

 

This one (above) was made with 1/2 cup shredded Italiano blend cheese.

 

 

This one (above) was made with the Velveeta.

These were both delicious.

The Italiano version was fairly stringy from the cheese - it didn't completely melt and mix in with the pasta. It still tasted fantastic, it just wasn't smooth at all. I think some people might be scared away from eating it because of the little clumps of stringy cheese. Not me though. I'm a trooper.

I'm glad I gave it a chance. Soooooooooo good!

I am pretty sure it was the Italiano blend that caused the stringiness. It's the blend that is meant for pizzas and such.  I think shredded aged cheddar would work really well.

The Velveeta version was extremely creamy and smooth. I used a 2 inch cube of Velveeta because that was pretty much the same amount of calories as the 1/2 cup of shredded cheese so the nutritional info for the two is almost exactly the same.

According to My Fitness Pal the breakdown is:

322 calories, 38 carb, 11 fat, 17 protein.

**A couple of notes**

**It will bubble over in the microwave. Put it in a big microwave safe bowl if you want to prevent this and then serve it in a smaller, cuter dish.

**You don't have to add the peas BUT the peas definitely add some flavor and texture to the dish.

**I happen to like the flavor as is but feel free to spice it up with your favorite spices or a dash of hot sauce.

**It takes no time to make. I started at 2:00 and was sitting down to eat it at 2:15. And that was after I washed the big bowl I used to make it. Prep, cook time, and clean up in 15 minutes. True story.

 

Check out Six Sister's Stuff for some fun links!

My Turn (for us) and Carole's Chatter also have some great food and crafting links.