Homemade Mac & (Cottage) Cheese! #GayLeaFoods

I can't believe January 2014 is already more than halfway over. If you've made a new year's resolution, this is around the time that people start breaking them. Not to encourage you or anything!! I won't be breaking any, because, as you may remember, I don't make resolutions -- especially when it comes to food! Except maybe, to resolve to eat well, eat balanced meals, enjoy my meals and snacks.

One of my favourite things in the world is cheese. Maybe this is why I will never lose the most weight I possibly can, because I.heart.dairy. Milk, cheese, eggs -- they speak to me. In honour of the new year, and sticking to meals that are balanced and healthy, I wanted to share a great alternative to one of my family's favourites - homemade macaroni and cheese.

This rendition uses an ingredient you won't feel guilty about adding to your meal plan: cottage cheese. Namely, Gay Lea Nordica Cottage Cheese. Cottage cheese is both low in fat and high in protein, making it a good addition to smoothies and meals. Personally, I've always been a ricotta fan, but I was eager to try this switch up to our family's classic mac and cheese.

What you need:

• 1 container of Gay Lea Nordica Cottage Cheese, pureed
• 1 cup of Old/Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup of low-fat milk
• 1 package of elbow noodles
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp of evoo
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 tbsp of flour

First of all, this recipe is so easy. My daughter loves it and it's an easy way to sneak some cottage cheese into kids' meals!

In a large pot, par-cook pasta (6 minutes). Drain and leave aside. In another pot, heat evoo and add one chopped onion. When the onion is translucent, add flour and create a roux. Taking the pot off the heat, add milk and stir. Allow the milk to come to a boil before adding your cheddar cheese and Cottage Cheese. The pureed cottage cheese will look like sour cream. Stir cheesy mixture until incorporated and heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer drained pasta to a cassarole dish and cover with cheesy mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Because you didn't fully cook the pasta, it won't get mushy in the cassarole dish after baking. Not only is this a great meal for dinner, it also makes a wonderful lunch and tastes great hot OR cold. 

To celebrate all of the creative ways you can infuse cottage cheese into fun recipes such as smoothies, Gay Lea is giving away a Breville Die-Cast Hemisphere Blender valued at $329.99. You can enter with the rafflecopter below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

AND if you'd like to win a YEAR'S supply of Gay Lea Foods Nordica Cottage Cheese, enter my contest below!

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What's your favourite way to use cottage cheese?

“Disclosure: I am part of the Gay Lea Blogger Campaign with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.”