Who says comfort food can’t be healthy? This lower-carbohydrate version of luxurious lobster mac and cheese from the American Diabetes Association features crisp-topped, cheesy cauliflower florets and tender poached lobster. It is so good!
Prep Time: 15 minutes. Cook Time: 45 minutes.This Recipe Serves 8
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 head cauliflower, trimmed into florets (8 cups florets)
- 5 cups water
- 2 4-oz frozen lobster tails or 1 cup chopped imitation lobster meat
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 2 cups fat-free milk
- 1/16 tsp (pinch) nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp hot sauce
- 3 oz reduced-fat Colby-Jack cheese
- 4 oz fat-free cream cheese
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Coat a 9×13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Place cauliflower florets in a large microwave-safe dish. Pour 1 cup of water over the cauliflower and cover. Microwave for 12 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Drain and then keep warm.
- While cauliflower is microwaving: If using lobster tails, bring 4 cups of water to a boil and then reduce until water is just barely simmering. Add the lobster tails to the water and poach for 7 minutes. Remove the tails from the water to cool slightly. Cut the lobster tails, remove the meat from the tails and chop. Makes about a cup of lobster meat.
- Add olive oil to a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the milk while whisking. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 3 minutes.
- Add the Colby-Jack and cream cheeses and stir until melted.
- Add the cauliflower to the baking dish. Use a fork to break up the florets into 1-inch or smaller pieces.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the cauliflower and stir to coat.
- Sprinkle the lobster over the cauliflower and stir to coat.
- Sprinkle the panko bread crumbs evenly over the top of the casserole and then spray the top of the panko with cooking spray.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
Chef Tip: When poaching lobster tails, the water should be just barely simmering. It will have very few, if any, bubbles.
Choices/Exchanges: 1/2 Starch, 1 Nonstarchy Vegetable, 1 Lean Protein, 1/2 Fat Serving Size: 1/8 of casserole
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