For years, everywhere you went, it was macaroni and cheese this, macaroni and cheese that. "I just love macaroni and cheese," people would say, as if it were a favorite relative or something. It just seemed as if macaroni and cheese would never fall out of favor. Then one day, the infamous pasta was labled a "bad carb." Nowadays, almost everywhere you go, people are saying, lean mean this and lean meat that. "I just adore turkey," they coo, "it's so lean, so healthy." Well, you get the picture, and it ain't altogether pretty.

Just how did the ever-popular macaroni and cheese wind up on the endangered comfort- food list? According to the latest Favorability Rating, blame for its plunge was placed on rapid weight gain (67%), clogged arteries (30%), and gridlock in Congress (2%). Not to worry, macaroni-and-cheese lovers. We've lightened up your favorite dish, cutting a third of the calories and over half the fat, while sacrificing none of its rich flavor. Now you can eat macaroni and cheese all of the time, if you want. Of course, you don't have to, this being America and all.

How We Did It
Thanks to all the low-fat dairy products on the market, we were able to lighten up this recipe from reader Jean Rogachoff, of New Portland, Maine. A combination of nonfat and reduced-fat products gives the dish better flavor and consistency than it would have with all fat-free products. To get more cheese flavor, we omitted the original recipe's ham and doubled the amount of cheese with a reduced-fat sharp cheddar. Instead of its white sauce, we added an egg to make the mixture creamy. Finally, we scaled back on the buttery crumb topping, using just enough to add color to the casserole.

Before and After

Serving Size
1 cup | 1 cup

Calories per Serving
547 | 356

Fat
30.3g | 11.2g

Percent of total calories from fat
50 | 28

Cholesterol
96mg | 63mg

Sodium
741mg | 724mg

To the Rescue. Do you have a favorite recipe that needs a healthy makeover? Maybe we can lighten it up. Send it to us, along with your reasons for wanting a healthier version and any interesting stories or traditions about the recipe. Include your name, address, and daytime phone number with the recipe, and send it to CL_Web@timeinc.com with "Lighten Up" in the subject line. We can't lighten every recipe we receive, but if we adapt yours, we'll send you a Cooking Light cookbook. We reserve the right to edit all recipes. All recipes submitted become the property of Cooking Light and may be republished and used for any purpose.