Few things are more comforting than mac and cheese, and I finally perfected a recipe for it that only uses a few ingredients and takes less than ten minutes to come together. I will admit that the “4-ingredient” part of the title is a tiny bit of a stretch, but the pasta doesn’t really count, the chicken broth is optional, and no one ever includes salt, pepper, and spices in their ingredient counts...so it’s fine, okay? That being said, the four ingredients are butter, milk, cheddar, and Parm.
If you follow my recipe using all the same brands and ingredients that I do, one serving comes out to be less than 550 calories, which is pretty bangin’ for a dish that’s centered around pasta, butter, and cheese. I personally find that the result has lots of flavor and enough cheese to satisfy me, but you’re always welcome to add more cheese to take it up a few notches and make the result more decadent.
Another thing worth mentioning is that I make this mac & cheese in my Instant Pot in under 10 minutes. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, all you have to do differently is cook the pasta until it’s done before adding the other ingredients; pretty simple modification, and only increases the cooking time by however long it takes the water to boil, so an eternity.
I’ll list the exact brands I use and their calorie counts below the recipe. Here you go!
Quick and Easy Mac & Cheese-- Serves 1
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water (not tap)
1/2 cup chicken broth (just use another 1/2 cup of water if you don’t have this)
2 servings pasta (mine: Banza chickpea pasta)
1 tbsp butter
1/4 shredded low-fat cheddar
1 tsp grated Parmesan
1/4 cup milk (mine: almond milk)
A couple shakes of nutmeg (this may not seem important, but it's key for the flavor of this mac)
Salt and pepper
Directions (Instant Pot):
To the Instant Pot, add the pasta, water, broth, butter, salt, and pepper (there’s no need to stir anything).
Put the setting to high pressure for 6 minutes, close the lid, and set the vent to sealed. When the time is up, do a quick release of the pressure.
Stir everything together, and if the pasta isn’t cooked enough, put the setting to sauté and continue stirring until the liquid starts to be absorbed.
Then put the setting to keep warm, and add the rest of the ingredients, including more salt and pepper, and voila!
Ingredient Brands and Nutrition (as per portions given in recipe):
College Inn low sodium chicken broth: 2.5 cal
Banza rotini: 380 cal
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (because it was all I had): 60 cal
Sargento low-fat shredded cheddar: 90 calories
Store-bought grated Parm that I can't remember the name of: 6.5 cal
Silk unsweetened vanilla almond milk: 6.5 cal
Total: 545.5 cal
