Ok, all of us that suffer with heart failure know that it's impossible to find low sodium mac and cheese. The best thing to do is avoid this on buffets, socials, etc because mac and cheese can contain 800-2000 mg sodium in 1/2 to 1 cup! So, here's a recipe I wanted to pass along. It's low sodium and low fat....very heart healthy. You CAN enjoy mac and cheese again!
Makes 8 servings -serving size 1/2 cup
2 cups Macaroni ( I use whole wheat pasta to make this even healthier!)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1 egg medium size, beaten
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/4 cups (4 oz) sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded, low fat
nonstick oil cooking spray
1. Cook macaroni according to directions. (Do NOT add salt to the cooking water.)
Drain and set aside.
2. Lightly spray saucepan with non stick cooking oil spray and saute onions for
about 3 minutes.
3. In another bowl, combine macaroni, onions, remaining ingredients and mix
thoroughly.
4. Transfer mixture into casserole dish, sprayed with non stick cooking oil.
5. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let Stand 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition facts for this healthy recipe are:
Nutrition fats: Calories: 200, Fat 4 g, Saturated fat 2g, cholesterol 24 mg,
Sodium 120 mg
Compare this to a regular serving of mac and cheese which is for a 1 cup serving. Below represents what a regular "unhealthy" portion of mac and chees would contain. Above recipe is for a healthy version at 120 mg per 1/2 cup serving.
This is nutrition facts for regular mac and cheese, not for recipe posted. This is for comparison purposes.
calories 370, calories from fat 160, total fat 18 g, saturated fat 11 g, cholesterol 40 mg and sodium 1130 mg in 1 cup! That's twice what a healthy person needs in a day!
About Me
- Kimberly Binkley
- At age 39, I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and cardiomyopathy. I was given days to live with a heart function of 5% at that time. I was also told I needed a heart transplant to survive. I am now a 13 year survivor and have not had a heart transplant. I am married to my best friend, Steve and have one daughter, age 19. I'm sharing my journey to help others and because it "Matters to my Heart."
5 comments:
1180 sodium in 1/2 a cup is NOT LOW SODIUM!!!!
Right, if you will re-read this carefully, the healthy version has 120 mg not 1180! That's the unhealthy version!
This is a healthy version of mac and cheese to give you a comparison to what can be done if you make your own. Mac and cheese is generally very high sodium unless you make it yourself. The unhealthy version is 1180 per 1 cup, not this recipe. This recipe is for a HEATHLY version at 120 mg per 1/2 cup, which is much healthier and doable on a low sodium diet. Look at the post carefully and you will see that I was saying a regular serving (unhealthy) version has 1180 mg of sodium per 1 cup serving. I was not saying that is low sodium. Just wanted to clarify that!
I cannot thank you enough for providing me with this absolutely scrumptious, low sodium version of macaroni and cheese. I cook for my dad since he moved in with me and my husband last year and he has not had macaroni and cheese since 1986 because of the salt content. I decided to google low salt macaroni and cheese and found this site.
It was literally, the best I have ever had and continually make it for him. My husband even commented that this was the best he has ever had also.
Thank You so very much
Melissa
Healthy choice used to make a fat free cheddar cheese. It was SOOOO good and I have no idea why they stopped making it. These recipes are interesting, but without knowing what brand of cheese they used or where they got it, they aren't particularly helpful to me.
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