Jamika Pessoa cooks Mediterranean Superfood Mac n Cheese
We all love comfort food, but with summer coming up, we may be looking for ways to substitute our favorite dishes for a healthier option. Chef Jamika Pessoa recently dropped by "GMA3" to show us how to "cheat it or eat it," where we find a healtheir spin on delicious, more indulgent dishes.
Mediterranean Superfood Mac n Cheese
Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients
-8 oz. Chickpea pasta (penne or cavatappi) or pasta of your choice
-8 cups of water
-1 tablespoon of kosher or sea salt
-2 tablespoons of olive oil
-1 zucchini, diced into 1-inch pieces
-1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
-1/2 red onion, diced into 1-inch pieces
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese (small curds)
-8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, divided
-4 oz. crumbled feta cheese, divided
-1/2 cup of water drained from cooked pasta
-1/2 cup nutritional yeast
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon red pepper chili flakes (optional)
-Fresh basil leaves for garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
Bring a large pot (or Dutch oven) of water with salt to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Be careful not to overcook pasta. Once pasta is cooked, drain 1/2 cup of pasta water to make the cheese sauce. Drain remaining water and set pasta aside.
Using the same pot from pasta, heat over medium high heat. Add in zucchini and onions. Cook for 3-5 minutes or just until it begins to brown, add in sundried tomatoes and garlic. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring so that garlic doesn't burn. Lightly season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.
To make cheese sauce, in a food processor or high-power blender, combine cottage cheese, 4 oz. of mozzarella cheese (roughly chopped), 2 oz. of feta cheese, 1/2 cup of hot pasta water, and spices. Blend until completely smooth.
Return cooked pasta to pot with sauteed vegetables. Stir in remaining mozzarella cheese (grated or chopped into small pieces), and cheese sauce. Combine well. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish and top with remaining 2 oz. of feta cheese. Bake for 30 minutes until the top begins to brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven and rest for 10-15 minutes as the sauce continues to thicken.
Garnish with fresh torn basil leaves. Serve warm.
