Bacon, ranch and chicken mac n' cheese

yummy comfort food? Yes please!  Ever since I saw this recipe I knew that the hubs was going to make it. In fact, I told him about it and he was like 'we're making it next week'. Unfortunately, given the wedding and all we didn't end up making it until two weeks ago.

If you have your hopes up for a traditional macaroni and cheese, you will be disappointed.  This one is creamy in the middle due to the can of cream of mushroom and a bit crispy on the top from the additional cheese.  It came together so quickly, I can't even tell you.

I think the only change we made was to use dried dill instead of fresh (they were all out at Wegmans; it happens sometimes when you go at night during the week). 

Clearly we're not the only ones who liked it. As of today's post, 27 people gave it an average rating of 4 out of 5.  I also felt like this portion size was adequate.

Recipe by SaBrina Bone, Cooking Light, March 2010

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 2 cups)

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1  slice applewood-smoked bacon
• 8  ounces  skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1  tablespoon  butter
• 1  tablespoon  all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2  cups  fat-free milk
• 1/3  cup  condensed 45% reduced-sodium 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded six-cheese Italian blend (such as Sargento)
• 1/2  teaspoon  onion powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  garlic powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  chopped fresh dill
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) shredded colby-Jack cheese

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Finely chop bacon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to drippings in pan; sauté 6 minutes or until done.
3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; sprinkle flour evenly into pan. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Combine milk and soup, stirring with a whisk; gradually add milk mixture to saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until sauce cools to 155°. Add Italian cheese blend, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, and salt, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in pasta and chicken.
4. Preheat broiler.
5. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with reserved bacon and colby-Jack cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 497

Fat: 17g (sat 9.2g,mono 4.7g,poly 1.4g)

Protein: 33.3g

Carbohydrate:51.7g

Fiber: 2g

Cholesterol:74mg

Iron: 2.4mg

Sodium:767mg

Calcium:368mg

Chicken, Bean, and Blue Cheese Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

WHOA DOUBLE FEATURE!  This recipe is also from the Cooking Light Cookbook, 'Fresh Food Fast' and it was another hit in our house.  I know my mother (who is probably the only one actually reading this) will LOVE this recipe because it is a very light meal.  

I would say this is perfect for those summer nights when you're tired and don't want a heavy meal but you can make it ahead and enjoy it later.  The only change I made to this recipe was to use Barilla multi-grain pasta (yep snuck that one by the guy in my house). He didn't even notice the difference.  I found the sun-dried tomatoes NOT packed in oil at Giant in the produce near the peppers in a resealable bag.  A rotisserie chicken makes this fast!

As of today's post, we are the first ones to review this recipe and give it a 4 (out of 5)!

I hope you enjoy this in your home as much as we did in ours!

Recipes by Cooking Light, Fresh Food Fast, April 2009

Prep: 6 minutes; Cook: 16 minutes

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  cups  uncooked rotini (corkscrew pasta)
• 1 1/2  cups  (2-inch) cut green beans (about 6 ounces)
• 2  cups  diced cooked chicken breast (about 3/4 pound)
• 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) crumbled blue cheese
• 1/4  cup  Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add beans during last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain pasta and beans; rinse with cold water until cool.
2. Combine pasta mixture and remaining ingredients; toss gently to coat.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 315 (25% from fat)

Fat: 9g (sat 2.7g,mono 3.9g,poly 1.1g)

Protein: 28.8g

Carbohydrate: 30.1g

Fiber: 2.8g

Cholesterol: 65mg

Iron: 2.5mg

Sodium: 192mg

Calcium: 75mg

Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast, Oxmoor House, APRIL 2009

Sun-Dried Tomato Vinagirette recipe (also by Cooking Light, Fresh Food Fast, April 2009)

Prep: 4 minutes
This recipe goes with Chicken, Bean, and Blue Cheese Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

Prep Time: 4 minutes
Yield: 1/4 cup (serving size: 1 tablespoon)

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  balsamic vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1  tablespoon  water
• 2  tablespoons  chopped sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh basil
• 1  tablespoon  chopped red onion

Preparation

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in tomatoes, basil, and onion.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 43 (75% from fat)

Fat: 4g (sat 0.5g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.5g)

Protein: 0.3g

Carbohydrate: 2.6g

Fiber: 0.3g

Cholesterol: 0.0mg

Iron: 0.2mg

Sodium: 37mg

Calcium: 6mg