Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
(for 4 servings)


2 cups of dry macaroni
½ cup of feta cheese, crumbled
1.5 cups 2% M.F. cottage cheese
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle of mozarella cheese

Preparation

Cook macaroni according to directions.
In a large bowl mix feta and cottage cheese.
When pasta is cooked, drain it and combine with the cheese mixture.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Transfer to a baking pan. Sprinkle with paprika and with Mozzarella cheese. Bake on 375F, for 15 minutes, until cheese starts to bubble and macaroni browns slightly.


Why is this recipe nutritious?

Nutrition Facts
Per 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe)
Amount % Daily Value
Calories  291
Fat 6 g 10%
Saturated 3.8 g 20%
+ Trans 0.0 g
Cholesterol 24 mg
Sodium 450 mg 18%
Carbohydrate 40 g 13%
Fibre 0.2 g 1%
Sugars 2.7 g
Protein 19 g
Vitamin A 6% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 14% Iron 5%
This recipe is vegetarian. It is low in cholesterol and high in protein, calcium, and all the B vitamins.

This recipe is high in calcium. It contains 162mg (14% of your daily need) of calcium per serving, mostly from cheese (feta and cottage cheese). Most important functions of calcium include bone and teeth strength and muscle contraction. Calcium can be found in many foods including dairy products, fortified soy products, almonds, canned fish with bones, tofu and broccoli. Recommended daily intake is 1000mg for males and females (19-50 years of age).

This recipe is high in vitamin B12, mostly from cheese. It contains 0.92 μg (38%) of vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is involved in the building of DNA, in making of red blood cells and in maintaining nerve cells. It can be found in meat, dairy products such as milk. yogurt and cheese, eggs, kidneys, liver and fish. Recommended daily intake is 2.4 μg for males and females (19-50 years of age).

At a first glace this recipe may seem higher in saturated fat and sodium, however this recipe is almost a complete meal (all you need to do is add veggies and fruit for dessert). When you take into consideration that you only have three meals and a few snacks per day, 18% of your daily intake of sodium is not much for a whole meal. Same goes for saturated fat.

Nutrition Tip:

If you are following a low sodium diet, you can lower sodium in feta cheese by replacing the fluid from the feta container with fresh tap water. The salt from the cheese will go into the water. You can replace this water weekly, to even further reduce the sodium amount.


Nutrition Tip #37



Did you know that a handful of pistachios per day can help lower your blood cholesterol levels? This is because they are a good source of the good polyunsaturated fats.

Insurance Coverage

Health insurance companies generally provide coverage for nutrition counselling. Check with your private insurance provider for coverage on services provided by a registered dietitian.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Downtown Toronto Dietitian's Office
5 Rees St, Harbourfront
M5V 3J2

Tel: (647) 533-5511
Email: nutritioncheck@live.ca