Rosemary Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Chicken & Goat Cheese

Rosemary Mac and Cheese6

Rosemary Mac and Cheese June has been a big month in our house.  We celebrated Charlotte’s birthday, Father’s Day and Tim’s birthday all within 1 week!  Not to make it all about me, but there’s another birthday this month… Diet Deep Dish’s 6 month anniversary!  Hitting this milestone gave me a chance to take a step back and see how far DDD has come in just 6 months - from interviews to product reviews to a speaking engagement - yay!  It also gave me a chance to reflect on why I started this blog in the first place: to show that it’s possible to enjoy delicious Midwest comfort food in a healthy way.  With that in mind, I bring you Rosemary Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Chicken and Goat Cheese… Rosemary Mac and Cheese4  And yes, it is as good as it sounds.  I first saw this dish on the menu at Coquette Café and immediately started thinking of ways to lighten it up.  In the past, I’ve used cauliflower, but this time we’re changing it up with butternut squash.  The sauce ends up being a little sweet from the squash, which complements the goat cheese and rosemary perfectly. 

  Rosemary Mac and Cheese2   Rosemary Mac and Cheese3  And celebrating the 6 month mark would never have happened if YOU weren’t reading this, so THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!  I am so grateful and excited for what’s to come!  If you have a suggestion for another Midwestern dish to lighten-up, please leave a comment below!  Thank you!

Rosemary Mac and Cheese5 

Rosemary Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Chicken & Goat Cheese
Serves 6
This lightened-up macaroni and cheese gets its creamy sweetness from butternut squash!
Write a review
Print
Prep Time
4 hr
Cook Time
30 min
Prep Time
4 hr
Cook Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 lb. chicken breast
  2. 6 cups water for boiling pasta (reserve 1 cup for sauce)
  3. Kosher salt
  4. 12 oz. whole wheat pasta
  5. 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  6. 4 oz. goat cheese, softened at room temperature
  7. 4 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
  8. 2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
  9. 1 tbsp. cumin
  10. 1/2 tsp. chili powder
Instructions
  1. Cook and shred the chicken breast. I like to place the chicken in the slow cooker with 1/2 cup water or broth and heat on low for 3-4 hours. This makes it so easy to shred!
  2. In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water with a sprinkle of salt to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender. RESERVE 1 CUP OF PASTA WATER. Set aside.
  3. Place the cubed butternut squash in a large saucepan and fill with about a 1/2 inch of water. Cover and bring to a simmer, cooking for about 10 minutes, until tender.
  4. Place the cooked squash, goat cheese, cream cheese and 1 cup pasta water in a blender and blend until smooth, adding more pasta water (or skim milk) as needed.
  5. Stir in the spices and pour over the pasta. Stir in the shredded chicken and enjoy!
Adapted from Coquette Cafe
Adapted from Coquette Cafe
Diet Deep Dish http://dietdeepdish.com/
   Rosemary Mac and Cheese7

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...