Tomato Basil Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese Recipe
March is National Nutrition Month and eating healthy can be as easy as a few simple swaps and adds. For example, sweet potato cuts down on calories and gives this mac and cheese recipe made with Barilla elbow pasta a delicious boost of nutrients. Get your kids excited about healthy eating by encouraging them to be creative and try new foods from each of the five USDA MyPlate food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods and dairy. This elbow pasta recipe will certainly do some of the legwork for you, since it tastes so good to begin with! Make sure you balance it out with some veggie side dish to complete your next dinner idea.
Tomato Basil Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese
Ingredients (Serves 8)1 box Barilla® Elbows
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup peeled and shredded sweet potato
1 cup Barilla® Tomato & Basil Sauce
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 ½ cups of shredded Fontina cheese
¼ to ½ cup of low-fat milk
2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped
Directions
1. Bring 4 to 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil, add salt to taste and then add the elbows. Stir gently.
2. Cook elbow pasta according to package directions; remove from heat and drain well.
3. Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring the broth to a boil and add the sweet potato; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until soft. Then remove from heat.
4. In a blender, combine the sweet potato, broth, tomato and basil sauce and salt; cover and blend until smooth.
5. In a very large skillet, bring the blended sauce mixture to a low simmer. Remove from heat and slowly stir in cheese until melted (mixture may appear curdled). Stir pasta into the sauce in skillet. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in enough milk to make a creamy consistency.
6. Serve mac and cheese topped with fresh basil.