Comfort Food and Less

Baked pasta dishes have always been a comfort food for me; my favorite dish when I was growing up was baked macaroni and cheese. It would probably occur to very few people that such food can also be simple, luscious and--with the right ingredients--essentially lean.

I learned to make baked pasta dishes at the hands of Nona, the Italian grandmother-in-law I inherited by marriage. Nona’s signature dish was lasagna, a common pasta in America’s culinary melting pot. Everything was made from scratch: homemade noodles, two different sauces, vegetables, even cheeses. It was a wonderful dish, but one that took hours of kitchen time and came out hefty--probably due to the liberal splashes of olive oil and the creamy whole-milk cheeses.

I have since pared down Nona’s recipes to meet my busy schedule and preference for low-fat food. I’ve slimmed down the hearty sauces by using broth or wines instead of oil; and all my baked pasta dishes now use low-fat cheeses. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the rave reviews from my family as they tuck in to a hearty dinner.

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Nona would have been aghast at the thought, but baked pastas are perfect to make in quantity and freeze for later use. Simply assemble the pasta dish and cover tightly with three layers of plastic wrap pressed down onto the top. Freeze as is, before baking. Let the pasta thaw overnight in the refrigerator before following the baking instructions in the recipe.

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This macaroni and cheese is a lighter version of my childhood favorite, but still rich and creamy .

LIGHTER MACARONI AND CHEESE

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 cup defatted broth or white wine

1/4 cup unbleached white flour

4 cups low-fat milk

1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

Dash cayenne pepper

Salt, pepper

1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked al dente and drained

1 cup shredded low-fat or fat-free Cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Heat oil and broth to bubbling in saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in flour and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes without browning. Add milk in slow, steady stream, whisking to incorporate. Increase heat and bring sauce to boil, whisking. Add mustard, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Toss together cooked macaroni, cheeses and sauce in large bowl. Transfer mixture to lightly oiled shallow baking dish. Top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees until bread crumbs are light-brown and sauce is bubbling, 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Makes 8 servings.

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My friend Rene made me my first kugel (sweet baked noodle dish). It was so heavenly I developed this lower-fat recipe to enjoy for Sunday breakfasts.

RENE’S CINNAMON- APPLE KUGEL

1/2 cup currants

1/2 cup honey

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 ounces reduced-calorie cream cheese, such as Neufchatel

1 1/2 cups nonfat cottage cheese, drained

1 cup nonfat sour cream

2 tablespoons cornstarch

3 large eggs or equivalent egg substitute

3 medium green apples, peeled, cored and grated

8 ounces uncooked wide egg noodles

Combine currants, honey, cinnamon, salt and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Set aside.

Cream together cheeses, sour cream, cornstarch and eggs in blender or food processor. Add to currant mixture along with grated apples. Stir to incorporate.

Cook noodles in boiling water 5 minutes. Drain. Toss noodles with cheese mixture. Transfer to lightly oiled large shallow baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown on top, 45 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

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Nona’s famous lasagna can be made simple and lean with some prepared ingredients and low-fat cheeses.

THREE-PEPPER LEAN VEGETARIAN LASAGNA

1/4 cup Sherry or apple juice

1 cup sliced onions

1 cup sliced zucchini or yellow summer squash

1 cup sliced mushrooms

3 cups mixed sliced sweet red, green and yellow peppers

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1 cup nonfat cottage cheese

1 pound uncooked lasagna noodles

4 cups canned or homemade pasta sauce

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup toasted bread crumbs

Heat Sherry in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When bubbling, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, 3 minutes. Add zucchini, mushrooms and sweet peppers. Cook 5 minutes longer. Stir in basil. Remove from heat.

Puree ricotta and cottage cheeses until smooth in blender or food processor. Set aside.

Cook noodles in boiling salted water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain well.

Assemble lasagna in lightly oiled large shallow baking dish by layering, in order, pasta sauce, noodles, sauteed vegetables and cheese mixture. Repeat until all ingredients are used up, ending with pasta sauce. Stir together Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs in small bowl. Sprinkle over lasagna. Bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned and bubbling, 45 minutes. Makes 8 to 10 servings.