Real Chics, Real Food: Whole Wheat Mac n' Cheese with Pancetta

Lately the Cooking Channel and I have become best friends every free moment that I have. I love the Cooking Channel vs Food Network because the shows tend to be more about real people cooking in the city they love. The recipes seem a bit easier too. This whole week, there has been a lot of buzz about the best mac n cheese, and I could not resist to give it a try on my own. I tried to make it a little healthier by using whole wheat products too! Seriously... I am in love.

Makes 6 servings: Calories 461

Carbs 48

Fat 19

Protein 28

Fiber 4

Ingredients:
Half chopped onion
2 garlic cloves
.30lbs pancetta (sliced thin from the deli counter)
6 cups of cooked Whole Wheat Pasta (I used elbows)
2/3 cups parmesan cheese
10 slices of low sodium American cheese
2 TBS whole wheat flour
2 cups 2% milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Cut the pancetta into bite size pieces and fry in a saucepan without any added oil. The pancetta will create it's own oil when it starts to fry. Meanwhile, boil enough water to cook the pasta. Make sure you salt the water thoroughly to give flavor to the pasta.

Once the pancetta has fried, it should look just like little bacon bites. Remove the meat from the saucepan and place on a paper towel to drain any excess fat. Next, sauté the chopped onion and garlic in the leftover oil from the pancetta. Sauté until onions are soft. Next mix in 2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour until combined completely. Wisk in 2 cups of 2% milk that has been warmed in the microwave or stove until at least room temperature. The mixture should begin to thicken up slightly.

Lower heat and mix in American cheese and 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese until well combined. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remember that the pancetta has a lot of salt, so not much more is needed at this point.

Turn off the heat and mix in 6 cups of the cooked pasta and the pancetta. Pour pasta mixture in a 9 x 13 inch pan and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top has browned slightly and the cheese is bubbling.