Macro-Friendly Mac n’ Cheese w/ Bacon & Beef Recipe

Macro-Friendly Mac n’ Cheese w/ Bacon & Beef

Full disclosure, folks, I am going through a fat cut right now, and I’ve been dying to eat copious amounts of pasta: one of my favorite foods. I’ve been looking for a way to get that cheesy goodness of macaroni and cheese without taking in a few hundred grams of carbs along with it. The recipe I bring to you today provides the answer.

By swapping out macaroni noodles for cauliflower, I get most of the mouthfeel of pasta without the excess calories that come with it. I also learned while making this recipe that a head of cauliflower contains 11g of protein, which was surprising to see in a vegetable.

The real secret ingredient of this dish, though, is the powdered cheddar from Hoosier Hill. It has all of the deep cheddar taste without the high levels of fat, so it’s a win-win. You can combine this powdered cheddar with plain non-fat Greek yogurt for a rich cheese sauce that can fool even the most skeptical palate (HINT: that skeptical palate is mine). This recipe is filled with protein and contains a negligible amount of fat and carbs to help you stay within your macro goals. Check out the recipe below.

Necessary ingredients:

1lb 96/4 ground beef
2 heads of Cauliflower
4tbsp Hoosier Hill Farm cheddar cheese powder
1 cup Oikos nonfat plain Greek yogurt
4 slices pre-cooked bacon (chopped into small pieces)

Directions:

Remove leaves from heads of cauliflower and cut cauliflower head into 3″ pieces. Place in lidded pot with 1 cup water and cook over medium heat until soft. Test the softness with a knife. When it easily slices through all pieces, it’s finished.
In separate pan, brown ground beef while using wooden spoon to break beef into small pieces. Add in bacon pieces at the very end after draining excess liquid from pan.
Whisk the powdered cheddar and Greek yogurt in small bowl until the consistency is smooth.
Drain water from cauliflower pot and mash the pieces with potato masher or wooden spoon.
Add cheese mixture to cauliflower and mix for 1min until the mixture is consistently spread throughout.
Add beef and bacon to cauliflower pot and mix in until evenly distributed.

That’s it, folks! This should provide four servings, although I know I could eat the whole pot in one sitting. Try out the recipe for yourself and let me know what you think! Check out the macros below.