Do you ever crave mac & cheese?  I know I do.  But when you get right down to it, what is it we’re craving?  If you’re like me, its that creamy, gooey cheese sauce.  Here’s a quick and easy way to enjoy the mac & cheese experience, and still stay keto!

This goes great with chicken dishes in particular.

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2 or 3)

1 bag of steam-in-bag green beans (the long ones, not the) cut green beans

1 cup melting cheese, yellow or white, grated or cut in small cubes

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (or 1 teaspoon liquid mustard, if you don’t have the dry kind)

1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Directions:

First, put the cheese, the cream,the butter and all the spices in a small pan.

Heat on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cheese is melted.  Reduce the heat even more, so the sauce will continue to thicken without sticking.

Meanwhile, cut a small hole in the green bag.  The instructions will tell you not to do this, but do it anyway, because we want the finished product to be fairly dry.

Place in microwave.  If you like your pasta “al dente” set the microwave to the shorter of the times recommended on the package.  If you prefer a softer pasta, use the longer time setting from the package.

Check your cheese sauce.  if it’s thick enough to suit you, take it off the heat.  If you would like it thicker, put a tablespoon of the sauce in a small dish and put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to cool it.  When its cool, stir in 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, then add the mixture to the main pan, stirring as you go.  Continue cooking and stirring until the cornstarch works its magic by thickening your sauce.

Place the green beans on each plate, ,pour cheese sauce over the beans, and sprinkle a little paprika over the dish.

Or, if you like your cheese brown and crusty, cook the green beans to the “just crispy’ point, put them in a baking dish, add the cheese sauce and bake in a toaster oven or regular oven until golden brown.