I was looking for a quick and comforting meal for this busy time of year, and creamy mac and cheese with store-bought cooked chicken was the perfect answer. Once the elbow macaroni is boiled, the rest of the ingredients come together in minutes.

This dinner can be ready in just 10 minutes. For a festive touch, I added fresh tomato pieces to a bag of washed, ready-to-eat greens for a simple red-and-green side salad.

HELPFUL HINTS:

Any onion can be used in place of red onion.

Any short cut pasta can be used

Look for cooked or rotisserie chicken breast in the meat department.

COUNTDOWN:

Place water for macaroni on to boil.

Assemble ingredients.

Boil macaroni.

Make cheese sauce.

Add macaroni to sauce.

SHOPPING LIST:

To buy: 1 container elbow macaroni, 1 container no-salt-added chicken broth, 1 bag shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, 1 carton nonfat ricotta cheese, 1 small piece Parmesan cheese, 8 ounces cooked chicken breast, 1 bottle smoked paprika, 1 red onion, 1 bag washed, ready-to-eat Romain lettuce. 1 bottle reduced fat salad dressing.

Staples: salt and black peppercorns.

Chicken Mac and Cheese

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

1 cup elbow macaroni

1 cup no-salt-add chicken broth

1/2 cup diced red onion,

3/4 cup shredded reduced fat sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup nonfat ricotta cheese

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

8 ounces cooked chicken breast cut into small cubes, (about 1 1/2-cups)

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place a pot containing 3 to 4 quarts of water on to boil for pasta. Add macaroni and boil 8 minutes. Meanwhile, Add chicken broth to a saucepan and place over medium high heat to bring it to a simmer. Add onion and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar cheese and ricotta cheese. Mix well. Add smoked paprika, chicken and Parmesan cheese. When ready, drain the macaroni and add to cheese sauce. Toss well and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately on two dinner plates.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 614 calories (22 percent from fat), 15.3 g fat (6.3 g saturated, 3.0 g monounsaturated), 139 mg cholesterol, 57.9 g protein, 54.7 g carbohydrates, 3.0 g fiber, 498 mg sodium.

Lettuce and Tomato Salad

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

2 cups washed, ready-to-eat Romaine lettuce cut into bite-size pieces

1 ripe medium tomato, washed and cut into eighths

2 tablespoons reduced fat salad dressing

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Add lettuce and tomato to bowl and toss with dressing. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Chicken Mac and Cheese.

Yield 2 servings

Per serving: 35 calories (32 percent from fat), 1.3 g fat (0.1 g saturated, 0.4 g monounsaturated), 1 mg cholesterol, 1.4 g protein, 5.7 g carbohydrates, 2.1 g fiber, 13 mg sodium.

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