When mac and cheese from a box gets old, try this

Macaroni and cheese: America's No 1 comfort food and a no-no on almost everyone's weight-loss food plan. It doesn't have to be that way, though.

Here's why.

I've been making mac and cheese with the help of that blue box or from scratch for longer than I can remember. Scratch versions tastes better, but admittedly aren't as easy to prepare as the box kind.

In 1990, the first time I lost more than 100 pounds, I decided that I couldn't omit mac and cheese from my meals forever. Yet at that same time, I was fanatical about removing as much fat from my diet as possible. I had to find a leaner mac and cheese.

My first experiment started with the blue box. I eliminated the butter and doubled the milk opting for skim. The flavor fell flat and the sauce was thin.

For my second attempt, I picked nonfat cottage cheese to stand in for the butter and my blue-box version turned out surprisingly well -- better flavor and thicker sauce -- and the calorie and fat numbers dovetailed neatly into my new lean food plan. Reasonable servings of mac and cheese were back. Yes!

However, as time went I grew tired of the box and I hankered for the homemade stuff. Still being less than pleased with fat-free cheeses, I cobbled-together a recipe with non-fat cottage cheese, a sprinkling of parmesan and a touch of Velveeta. It wasn't as good as a five-cheese mac and cheese I made in heftier days, but it wasn't bad.

Then Kraft debuted reduced-fat cheeses using 2-percent milk instead of whole milk (4-percent butterfat). My first bite of the extra-sharp, 2-percent cheddar yielded decent flavor notes and texture. I believed I'd found a realistic path to a tasty lower-calorie, lower-fat mac and cheese.

Before I even got to test my theory, Kraft brought out Velveeta Light, a lower-fat, lower-calorie version of an old favorite. Off to my kitchen I went to make mac and cheese with these new-found cheeses. Instead of using regular milk, though, I also went with a fairly new product, fat-free evaporated milk, using it enrich the smooth sauce without adding too many calories or any fat.

When I combined my new sauce with cooked macaroni, the macaroni floated in a yellow ocean. I turned off the heat and set the pan aside briefly thinking my sauce was too soupy. But by the time I had the rest of my dinner ready and the table set, the pasta had absorbed just enough sauce to make it look just like regular mac and cheese. And, it tasted great, so much better than any previous version.

Last week I went to buy Velveeta Light and couldn't find any. I soon discovered that Kraft had transformed Light into 2-percent Milk Velveeta, with half the fat of regular. I made my recipe once again with the newest Velveeta and found that it works great.

If you could use a little comfort that won't send your scale heading the wrong direction, here's that updated recipe.

Don's Newest Mac and Cheese

1 box (14.5 ounces) uncooked, higher-fiber, higher-protein macaroni pasta (such as Barilla Plus)

½ cup 1-percent milk

1 can (12 ounces) fat-free evaporated milk

1½ teaspoon dry mustard, dissolved in 2 teaspoons of water

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

8 ounces Velveeta reduced-fat prepared cheese (cut into ¼- inch cubes)

4 ounces reduced-fat, sharp cheddar cheese (such as Kraft's 2-percent milk), shredded

½ cup 1-percent cottage cheese

¼ cup nonfat sour cream

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a large pot, bring 6 quarts cold water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 generous tablespoon of kosher salt (or 1½ generous teaspoons table salt) to the water, stirring until dissolved. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add macaroni and stir until the water returns to a boil. Reduce heat sufficiently to keep the pot from boiling over and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes or until the macaroni is tender. Drain well, do not rinse and return to the pan.

While macaroni cooks, add milk, evaporated milk, mustard paste and flour to a 2-quart saucepan. With a wire whisk, whisk together until combined. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring almost to a simmer stirring continuously. Add the three cheeses, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and stir until the cheese melts. Stir in sour cream until incorporated and remove the pan from the heat. Pour the sauce over the drained macaroni and, over medium-low heat, stir together until heated through and combined, about 2 minutes.

Serves eight; 1¼- to 1½-cup portions.

Nutrition values per serving: 356 calories, 7.5 g fat ( 3.9 g saturated), 46.8 g carbohydrates, 3.6 g fiber, 23.6 g protein, 14 mg cholesterol, 775 mg sodium.

Salt Sense: Omitting the added salt reduces sodium content to 630 mg per serving.