Macaroni & Cheese

It's the epitome of comfort food. What's not to like? It's creamy, soft, & warm. It's got lots & lots of cheese and usually has wonderful crunchy, crispy edges to nibble on. Sometimes it even has a buttery crumb topping. And it's not hard to put together.

Making it low sodium? Well, that's a whole other matter. That's because as simple as basic macaroni & cheese is, it involves layers of salt. The macaroni is cooked in heavily salted water. The cream sauce is salted so it won't end up tasting like kindergarten paste. Cheese is naturally high in sodium. The sharper the cheese, the higher the sodium content. So if you want to jazz up your macaroni & cheese by adding some blue cheese, Gorgonzola, or asiago along with the usual cheddar, you'll end up with a super tasty dish that someone on a low sodium diet shouldn't be eating.

Recently my poor husband suffered the dreaded root canal. There were the weeks of tooth pain, diagnosing the problem, then getting an appointment with an endodontist, and finally recovering from the root canal. Lots of soft foods. That's when I decided to tackle lower sodium macaroni & cheese.

The recipe I followed was pretty basic and pretty typical. But I had to adjust the methods to make the over all dish low sodium and tasty. Believe me, the tasty part is the real challenge. Here's what I did:

Macaroni - For 8 oz. of elbow macaroni, most recipes call for at least 2 teaspoons of salt in 2 quarts of water. I omitted the salt completely. That left me with extremely bland tasting pasta, so I knew I had to make sure the cheese sauce was as flavorful as I could get it.

White Sauce - Here's one place where using butter is a must. Butter, even unsalted butter, has a unique flavor that complements cheese, pasta, and white sauce. Light flavored oils do not add much flavor, and olive oil can overpower the cheese.

To boost the sauce flavor, I sauteed one small, minced onion in the butter. I cooked it until it was quite soft and then added two minced garlic cloves too. It's important to cook the roux until it turns a deep tan color. This will eliminate any possibility of a pasty taste and will add a nice nuttiness to the sauce. I added about 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard, a dash of cayenne pepper, and a teaspoon of low sodium Worcestershire sauce to the white sauce.

Add Ins - I mixed in a finely chopped passilla chile that I had roasted and frozen during the summer to add yet another layer of flavor without resorting to salt. Canned green chilies could be used instead (just be sure to use the brand with the lowest sodium content and drain well). Finely chopped fresh jalpenos would add some zing, as would some finely chopped sweet red pepper. A few chopped or thinly sliced sun dried tomatoes would add flavor & color (soften a bit in hot water or, if using jarred, be sure to use the brand with the lowest sodium content and drain well). And, of course, cooked & crumbled low sodium bacon would be great as long as you used no more than two slices (again, be sure to use the brand with the lowest sodium content).

Cheese - For 8 oz, pasta, most recipes call for at least 2 cups of grated cheese (about 8 oz.). Because of the missing salt in the macaroni & sauce, it's important to use a robust flavored cheese. I used about 1-3/4 cups of my favorite brand of extra sharp cheddar and about 1/4 cup of naturally low sodium but very flavorful Swiss cheese. (Feel free to adjust the ratio or cheddar to Swiss.)

Crumb Topping - I wanted to add a crumb topping because I thought it would add both flavor & texture. Here's another place where the wonderful flavor of butter is essential. I combined butter & homemade dried breadcrumbs together in a small saute pan. I also added a minced garlic clove and some chopped fresh herbs. I think any herbs, fresh or dried, would do, but I used some chives, thyme, & oregano from my pots of herbs outside. I cooked everything together until the butter & breadcrumbs gave off a nice, toasty aroma. Then I added about 2 teaspoons of grated Parmesan cheese. This added an extra touch of cheesiness to the topping.

The verdict? I successfully managed to make a flavorful macaroni & cheese dish without overloading on the sodium. I was pleased with the result and so was my husband.

Macaroni and Cheese
(Printable Recipe)

Crumb Topping:
1 cup dry bread crumbs
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 -2 tablespoons finely minced herbs, dried or fresh
2 teaspoons finely shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cheese Sauce:
1 small onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
3 tbsp. flour
2 - 2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. dry ground mustard
Dash cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp. lo sodium Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2-3/4 c. extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 c. Swiss cheese

Add-Ins: (optional)
Chopped jalapeno pepper
Rinsed & drained 4 oz. can green chili
Chopped sweet red bell pepper
Minced canned red pepper (pimento)
2 slices cooked & crumbled low sodium bacon

8 oz. elbow macaroni

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 inch square casserole dish. (Do not use a casserole dish that's too deep. It's important that every serving and almost every bite includes a well distributed amount of the flavorful crumb topping.)

Combine crumb topping ingredients except Parmesan cheese in small pan and saute together until toasty. Take off heat & add Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Bring at least 2 quarts of water to boil. Add macaroni and cook until pasta is fully tender, NOT al dente. Drain and set aside.

Melt the 3 tbsp. butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the minced onion and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent. Add minced garlic and cook another minute.

Stir or whisk in the flour, mustard, Worcestershire, and cayenne (if using). Combine well and let cook until mixture deepens in color, 2 - 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Continue stirring or whisking until mixture comes to a bubbling simmer. Lower heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 5- 10 minutes. Include add-ins, if using.

Take the mixture off heat and stir in the cheeses until melted. If sauce seems too thick, add additional milk or some NSA broth, one tablespoon at a time. Combine sauce with pasta and pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle casserole evenly with crumbs.

Bake until top is golden brown and bubbly, about 15-20 minutes. Do not over bake; you're just heating everything up. Let cool or set about 5 minutes before serving.

The Low Sodium Pantry: Supermarket Broths

OK, so it goes without saying that homemade salt-free broth is best. But it also goes without saying that sometimes people don’t have entire afternoons to devote to simmering a pile of bones, straining the broth, and then freezing it up in two cup containers. So why even worry about broth? Because it can add a lot of flavor and interest to what might be bland, tasteless dishes when the salt is removed.

Canned/Boxed:

First things first, though. Swanson’s Low Sodium Chicken Broth boasts 1/3 less sodium than their regular canned chicken broth. Sounds good but… The reality is that even their low sodium broth contains a whopping 570 mg. of sodium per cup of broth. That’s a lot! Unfortunately, Swanson many times is the only so-called low sodium canned chicken broth available in local grocery stores. Swanson’s broth is often on sale too, making its lower price attractive. Also, Swanson's taste pretty good, with a true chicken flavor. However, I still prefer not to use it, but if I do, I’ll be sure to water it down to lower the sodium content.

But there is some good news. Kitchen Basics is another brand of broth/stock found in most grocery stores, and it has come out with two new products -- unsalted chicken stock (130 mg. sodium per 1 cup) and unsalted beef stock (130 mg. sodium per 1 cup). That’s good news because Kitchen Basics products are readily available in most areas, and they’re reasonably priced.

Also more & more supermarkets are including natural foods sections. Look for either the Imagine or Pacific brands where the health foods are located. Check out your local health foods store too. Imagine has only 115 mg. sodium per cup of broth.

Pacific brand has even less sodium at 70 mg. per cup of broth, and Trader Joe’s low sodium chicken broth also has only 70 mg. sodium per cup.

I did a taste test of the four lower sodium chicken broths. Why chicken broth? Because I think it's more versatile than beef broth. I use it for all kinds of things -- chicken dishes, vegetables, pork, soups, and sauces. The Imagine and Kitchen Basics broths both had prominent vegetable flavors, similar to what you might end up with if you had made your own broth. Pacific had a pretty decent straight forward chicken flavor, and I thought Trader Joe’s was weak and the least flavorful. Pacific, Trader Joe's, & Imagine had a hard to define "murky" quality to their broths. OK to use in situations where you add a lot of additional flavorings.

My suggestion? Buy a carton of Imagine, Kitchen Basics, Pacific and/or Trader Joe’s chicken broth. Taste them yourself and see what you think. Be forewarned though, Imagine & Pacific broth cartons are more expensive than the much cheaper store brand broths.

I’ve also found canned Health Valley no salt added chicken broth in the natural foods section of my local grocery stores and local health food stores. It contains 130 mg. of sodium for 1 cup of broth. Imagine also has a low sodium beef broth with 125 mg. of sodium for 1 cup of broth. Kitchen Basics’ low sodium vegetable stock has 210 mg. sodium for 1 cup. And both Imagine and Pacific make a low sodium vegetable broth with about 140 mg. per cup.

Dry Granules:

I keep boxes of Herb-Ox Sodium Free Instant Broth & Seasoning packets on hand. I can find them in all my local grocery stores. This product is completely sodium free and is in dry granular form. The chicken bouillon tastes just like the Lipton instant chicken noodle soup mix. It reminds me of the chicken broth flavoring used in packaged rice & stuffing mixes. It can be used when making homemade flavored rice. I throw a packet in long cooking braised dishes where I know its artificial flavor won’t be overpowering.

The Herb-Ox beef bouillon tastes better. I use it all the time to enhance beef dishes. You can make a salt free French Onion Dip by combining a pint of sour cream with 2-3 beef broth packets and about 1 tablespoon of dried minced onions. Add a shot of low-sodium Worcestershire sauce. Let the mixture chill and serve with crudités or chips.

Pastes/Concentrates:

Trader Joe’s has an interesting broth product I really like, reduced sodium chicken liquid concentrate packets. Each pouch contains enough flavoring to make 1 cup of broth with 360 mg. sodium per cup. The individual packets do not need refrigeration; that’s a real advantage. I think it tastes really good, but the salt content is a bit too high to use all the time. The only time I use it is if I’m making something with at least two cups of liquid (such as a stew or chili) to dilute the salt content.

Another broth option is paste-style concentrates. These moist-packed broth bases dissolve easily in hot water and must be refrigerated after opening. One real advantage is that a single jar of concentrate lasts a long time. You hardly ever have to worry about running out.

Superior’s Better Than Bouillon is a well-known brand. Unfortunately, their low sodium bases leave a lot to be desired. One teaspoon of concentrate makes 1 cup of broth, but that one teaspoon contains about 520 mg. of sodium. That’s a lot! I ordered their low sodium products based on their reputation; at the time their website did not offer nutritional information. I was shocked when the low sodium bases arrived and realized I could not in good conscience use them.

Since then I’ve found another online sources for the paste style concentrates, Minor’s. I’ve been using both the Minor’s chicken broth base for quite a while now. It contains 130 mg. sodium for the ¾ teaspoon of concentrate needed to make one cup of broth. I don't mind ordering this base online because each individual container lasts such a long time. Even with shipping charges, I think the products are well worth the effort & cost.

I keep all these varieties of broth flavorings on hand – the cartons, the instant granules, and the concentrated bases. I use the different varieties depending on the dishes I’m cooking. For example, if I’m making a braised dish with a lot of flavorful ingredients, like chili, spaghetti sauce, green chile pork stew, pot roast, etc., I’ll use either the instant granules or concentrated bases. I just want to add an additional flavor dimension to the dish, but the broth itself will not be the star. My main hesitancy is in using the chicken granules when I’m making a gravy or sauce where that artificial chicken flavor will be prominent. In those instances, I’ll use either the broth cartons or the concentrated bases. The concentrated bases are great when you end up with a weak tasting sauce, gravy, or soup. Just a bit adds so much flavor.

For delicately flavored chicken based soups, I'd suggest sticking with homemade broth; if that isn't feasible, then diluted Swanson's low sodium broth or unsalted Kitchen Basics. The other low sodium chicken broths are good mainly if the broth itself isn't the star.

(For more info check out these two posts: New Product - Swanson UNSALTED Cooking Stocks and  The Search for Low Sodium Broth Bases.)

Tamale Pie that Tastes like Real Tamales

I love tamales! I've loved them since I first tasted them as a kid. My uncle's first hamburger stand in LA, Tommy's, had a limited menu of chili burgers & cheeseburgers, chili dogs, and tamales -- everything smothered in his special chili sauce. Whenever we'd visit him there, we'd always get a chili cheeseburger and I'd often get an additional tamale for "dessert." My mom would grab a few gigantic onions and humongous beefsteak tomatoes to take home. Me? I'd take home a couple of Xlnt tamales.

Since then I've regularly ordered tamales at Mexican restaurants, picked them up from small stands, and bought them either in the deli or frozen foods section of local grocery stores. However, I've never tried making them myself. I've always assumed it would be too difficult for me to tackle and too much work to motivate me.

I also like traditional tamale pie. It's a very tasty casserole -- a chili flavored hamburger mixture that often includes corn, olives, & sometimes beans nestled underneath a cheesy cornbread topping. Good stuff & very flavorful. Just not true tamale flavor. The most striking difference is that tamales use Masa Harina while tamale pie casserole uses ordinary cornmeal. Masa Harina is specially made from a large kernel corn that is dried and processed with lime; it is used in making tamales and corn tortillas. Also, traditional tamale pie is baked; true tamales are steamed.

I always wondered if there was a way to use true tamale ingredients but to cook them casserole style like tamale pie. I decided to give it a try.

The first thing I did was cook a 3-4 pound pork shoulder roast. I cut it in two gigantic pieces, removed excess fat, and stuck the pieces in my slow cooker. I added a 19 oz. can of Las Palmas red enchilada sauce, a couple of cloves of garlic, a small, finely minced onion, and a teaspoon of cumin. I did not add any additional liquid because slow cookers have a tendancy to make foods too watery. I let everything cook until the pork was falling-apart tender. Then I removed the pork, let it cool a bit, and chunked it up while removing any additional fat I discovered. I used my kitchen scissors to cut longish chunks so that there would be no long strings of meat in the final mixture. I refrigerated the broth & meat separately overnight. The next day I scraped off all the solidified fat from the broth and combined it with the meat, once again, in the slow cooker. I added about two cups of low sodium chicken broth, about a tablespoon of salt-free chili powder, and a 1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder to the mixture. I also added about 3 tablespoons of Wondra flour that had been mixed with about 1/4 cup of water. I cooked the meat mixture in the slow cooker on high for another hour, stirring to shred the meat further, until the mixture was quite thick.

Then I started working on the tamale dough. The masa package recipe called for 2/3 cup lard or vegetable shortening. I didn't want to use either of those ingredients. I don't have any problems with lard. After all, lard, along with butter & olive oil has been used by human beings for thousands of years. I don't care much for vegetable shortening, however, because it's one of those "new-fangled" fats. But my real problem with both those choices is that they needed to be beaten until fluffy. Hey! I'm way too lazy to beat lard or shortening! The whole point of making tamales in a casserole is to cut down work. So I took a cue from Ginger of the Recipe Exchange. Her tamale dough recipe used oil rather than the solid fats.

Once I mixed up the tamale dough, I pressed half of it into a lightly oiled glass casserole dish. I pressed the mixture as evenly as I could on the bottom and up the sides. I spooned in a generous amount of the pork mixture evenly over the dough. I used a slotted spoon so that the filling wasn't too juicy. Then I placed the remaining tamale dough over the filling, trying to make the top portion the same thickness as the bottom. I found the top difficult to spread, so I ended up patting out "blobs"of dough in my hands to get the right thickness before putting them on top.

I did not want to just stick the casserole in the oven & bake it. I knew it would crisp up and not have the nice steamed texture of true tamales. So I baked the casserole in a water bath. I put a large roasting pan in the oven. Then I put the uncovered tamale casserole in the pan and poured about 2 inches of very hot water in. I covered both the casserole & roaster with one layer of heavy duty aluminum foil. I baked it a little over 45 minutes, until the masa was set. I took off the foil, lifted out the casserole, and let it cool slightly before serving with some chili gravy. The verdict? Yes, I had duplicated true tamale flavor without all the work. I was happy!

Since I had quite a bit of pork left over, a few days later I made tamale pie again. This time I made half the dough recipe and only covered the bottom of the casserole. I wanted to see if I could make the dish a little lighter but still keep the true tamale flavor. It worked out fine too.

Tamale Pie with Masa Crust
(Printable Recipe)

Tamale Dough:

2 cups Masa Harina
2 cups lukewarm NSA broth
1 teaspoon baking powder (I used Featherweight no sodium baking powder)
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 cup light flavored oil (I think you could use only 1/3 cup and still get good results)

Combine masa, broth, baking powder, salt, and oil in a large bowl, Mix together until dough has the consistency of soft paste (I used my Danish dough whisk). Cover & let rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature so the dough can thoroughly absorb the moist ingredients.

Pork Filling:

1-1/2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder (you may substitute chicken, turkey, or beef)
10 oz. can red chili or enchilada sauce (green chili enchilada sauce would also work well with pork, chicken, or turkey)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1-3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2-4 cups water or NSA broth
1 teaspoon salt-free chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons Wondra flour mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 cup water or NSA broth if needed

Remove excess fat from meat. Place meat, canned sauce, onion, garlic, and cumin in dutch oven or slow cooker. (If using slow cooker, use only about 1 - 2 cups water or broth.) Cook over low simmer until meat is quite tender and shreds easily. Remove meat and let cool a bit. Cut meat into large chunks, and discard any fat pockets; refrigerate overnight.

Refrigerate broth overnight too. The next day, remove solidified fat from broth. Combine meat, leftover cooking broth, spices, Wondra flour slurry, and additional broth (if needed). Simmer the mixture, stirring often, until it is quite thick.

Tamale Pie Assembly:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square ovenproof baking casserole dish.

Press half of the tamale dough into the casserole dish. Press the mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides, about 1/4 inch thick, no thicker. Spoon a generous amount of the pork mixture evenly over the dough, being careful not to spoon in too much gravy. (a slotted spoon is helpful here). Spread the remaining tamale dough over the filling, trying to make the top portion the same thickness as the bottom. (As mentioned above, I ended up patting out "blobs"of dough in my hands to get the right thickness.)

Place the tamale casserole into a large roasting pan. Place the two pans on an oven rack. Pour very hot water into the outer pan, filling with about 2 inches of very hot water. Seal the the large pan with foil.

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until the masa is set. Take off the foil and remove the tamale casserole from the roasting pan. Let it cool slightly before serving. Remove the water filled large roasting pan after the oven has cooled off.

Serve warm with chili gravy, sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped onions, salsa, or whatever your heart desires. Leftover pork mixture may be used in tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and tostadas, or frozen for later use.

Chili Gravy
(Printable Recipe)

1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon powdered garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano, if available)
2 tablespoons unsalted chili powder
2 cups water or NSA broth

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.

Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients. Add NSA broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens. Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 10 minutes. Add water to adjust the thickness. Makes about 2 cups.