Swap Milk With One Pantry Staple For Lighter Mac And Cheese

Looking for a way to make your next batch of mac and cheese lighter? We've got the ultimate tip: Try swapping the milk for chicken or veggie stock to create a cheese sauce that's just as flavorful — with none of the heaviness.

A classic mac and cheese begins with a base of béchamel sauce, which is made by incorporating milk into a roux made with flour and butter. Substitute that milk for chicken or veggie broth in the same ratio and you'll create a breezy sauce with a lighter consistency. All you need to do is gradually add the stock to the roux and stir it continuously until it thickens into a smooth, savory, and lump-free sauce. It's what the professionals call a velouté sauce. Then, add in your favorite shredded cheese and you'll have an umami-packed sauce with a luscious texture and rich flavor on your hands. Finally, coat your cooked macaroni in your cheesy sauce, top it with more cheese or any other tasty additions that strike your fancy, and bake it until it's bubbly.

Switching the chicken broth for veggie stock and selecting a vegan cheese instead of a cheddar will make your meal vegan-friendly (you can also sprinkle a dash of nutritional yeast in there to imbue it with a cheesier flavor). While it's true that a light vegetable stock won't have the same meaty flavor or color as a chicken stock, it's a great stand-in for milk when you want to go the dairy-free route.

Make sure to taste your velouté before adding in seasonings in order to account for the hidden salt in your broth. Some store-bought stock cubes and bouillon powders may also include monosodium glutamate (MSG), which will boost the savoriness of your sauce and lend a satisfying roundedness. Using a homemade chicken stock, however, is a brilliant move because you'll be able to personalize the broth with your preferred flavors, from bay leaves and peppercorns to carrots and celery, while also monitoring its saltiness.

Simmering the broth for an extended period will also extract the jelly-like collagen from the chicken carcass, producing a scrumptious elixir with a gelatinous consistency. Add this to your roux and it will create a full-bodied sauce with heaps of texture. Just be mindful to strain it before gradually incorporating it into your butter-based roux to guarantee a super-smooth consistency. A homemade veggie stock won't have the same body, but you'll still be able to flavor it with hardy root vegetables, like onions and cabbage, to create an aromatic broth. If your sauce is too thin, consider adding a cornstarch slurry to thicken it slightly. Dissolving the cornstarch in a dash of water will prevent it from clumping when it's mixed into the sauce.