This is no bland, low-cal mac 'n' cheese. Instead, whole wheat pasta, Greek yogurt and butternut squash add rich and hearty flavor—without the extra calories.
With roasted butternut squash and sage mixed in to the pasta and cheese sauce, plus a sage-breadcrumb topping, this casserole from chef Mitch Rosenthal's book "Cooking My Way Back Home" has a delightful balance of textures.
Lobster tastes rich and buttery on its own. Pair it with creamy pasta—as chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier do at their Maine and Massachusetts restaurants—and it takes on a decadence we didn't know was possible.
Who says mac and cheese has to be limited to elbows or shells? Chef and restaurateur Marc Murphy, of Landmarc and Ditch Plains restaurants in New York, started subbing in spaghetti and making a pie-shaped version for his children and their friends as an after-school snack. Turns out adults love it, too.
Elizabeth Karmel, executive chef at Hill Country Barbecue Market, which has outposts in New York and Washington, DC, has figured out a way to marry the flavor of mac and cheese with one of its classic accompaniments: smoked, barbecued meat.
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