Light and Healthy Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese
Yes, your childhood favorite can be made healthy! And don’t forget the mini smokies for your Light and Healthy Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese, too!
Dish Count :: 1 Pot and 1 Baking Dish

I’m calling a mulligan on this weekend. I need a do over. No, really – I do. I’ve earned it. It started off all well and good, no, not good – it was grand. My mom and I had a grand day of eating, painting and walking Huck planned out. All of those things were accomplished and it was lovely. But then the weekend took an epic turn – off a cliff.
Somehow winding up in Urgent Care hooked up to an IV on a Saturday night when normal people would be out having a date with their husbands, and then having the power go out from a massive wind storm isn’t exactly the most stellar of ways to spend one’s days of work respite.
A pesky headache was not-pleasantly poking me in the right temple all day, and with a couple Excedrine I thought it would go away as usual. My mom and I had been planning this day of food and painting for weeks, working between my busy work and travel schedule, and I wasn’t going to let a measly headache get in my way! A giant mug of tea in hand and we continued our painting, chatting about what direction we were going to go with the nightstands, and all of those other great things mothers and daughters talk about. But alas the pesky headache didn’t diminish.
To the Nap Cave!

My typical sure fire way to stop a headache in its tracks… didn’t work. A couple more doses of pills, writhing in tears and pain, the blessed husband of mine insisted on a trip to Urgent Care. I’d gone down this IV road before, I knew it would help, but on a Saturday night when I should be sitting at home reveling in my painting accomplishments, relaxing with my feet on his lap and a glass of wine in hand it well, caused even more tears to pour from my face. But we went in.
Bless the hearts of all of my nurse husband who held my hand the entire time, even after the drugs knocked me out cold (so cold I was snoring apparently). Upon finally waking, what did I want? A cheeseburger and fries. #whendontI? When no McD’s was to be found we settled for Wendy’s, which let me tell you – does not salt their fries like McDonald’s, I was full but not satisfied and still a groggy mess from the drugs. So, groggy and burgery, we trudged upstairs to no power, a worried Huck, and Ben needing to go to work. Huck and I walked around our neighborhood with flashlights to survey the damage and dodge falling limbs.
Usually a couple of hours after a power outage the lights come back on. We’re used to wind storms, flickering lights and the occasional power outage, but at 2:30 I was wide away realizing that nope, there was still no power. And at 5:30, after I fell asleep texting Ben on shift as to whether or not I should go get dry ice for our fridge and freezer, I got up, and did just that.
After spending an early birthday day with your mom where you are given a little birthday walking around money, your first guess isnt’ that you’re going to spend it on dry ice to rescue what you possibly can from your fridge, all while having flash backs of the time earlier this year you did the same thing when the chest freezer took an epic dive.
As soon as the sun came up, with still no power, Ben just getting off from work, and no internet to surf (the horror!), we went to breakfast fearing to open our fridge and let any cold air out. Breakfast it was, then to his sleeping and me filling my non-migrainy day with more crafting on the nightstands, walks with the dog and taking a shower at the gym of my apartment complex that mysteriously had power where we, 100 yards away, did not.
And so now, this is where we stand, me going to dinner with my grandma, uncle and his new girlfriend, Ben at home, wondering how he will make himself dinner – I laid out a can of tomato soup, and bread so he can fire up the grill for a grilled grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup and even pop some popcorn old-school style if he’s feeling ambitious – and me, typing this in the middle of a Safeway parking lot when two of the other Starbucks in town are too, without power.
Dear Universe, I really need another weekend. KThxBai.

Try these other inspired smoky recipes
Smokey and Spicy Mexican Red Beer
Red Pepper and Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
Print
Light and Healthy Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Yes, your childhood favorite can be made healthy! And don’t forget the mini smokies for your Light and Healthy Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese, too!
Ingredients
- 1 package (12 ounces) Whole Wheat Pasta
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- 4 Tbsp Flour
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 cup Low-Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Broth
- 1 cup Milk, Non-Fat or Skim
- 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Fontina Cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan, shredded
- 1 Tbsp Tabasco Chipotle Sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 package (12 oz) Beef Mini Smokies
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot or dutch oven. Rinse quickly in cold water to stop the cooking process, drain and set aside.
- In the dutch oven over medium heat, heat butter until melted and starts to simmer over medium high heat. Add in garlic and coat in the butter until fragrant – about 30 seconds.
- Using a whisk, add in flour until a paste forms. Allow the roux to bubble and start to turn a light golden brown. Then very slowly – pour in the chicken stock constantly whisking the roux. Make sure the mixture is smooth.
- Add in the milk, whisking it in as well. Sprinkle in the various cheeses and stir in until melted. Whisk in the Chipotle sauce.
- Whisk in salt and pepper to taste. Add in pasta and toss to coat. Add beef mini Smokies into mac and cheese and stir in.
- Pour the macaroni and cheese into a baking dish, cover and bake for 25-30 minutes so smokies can heat thoroughly.
- Remove from oven, uncover and serve immediately and serve with additional shredded parmesan on top.
Keywords: Macaroni and Cheese, Pasta, Healthy, Cheese, Recipe, Stove Top
Looks like heaven!
Um, yes please! This sounds awesome! Love the chipotle kick!
I hope you are better friend! So sad the day went to crud so fast but glad you went to the hospital.
Love this one pot meal.
I hope your headache is gone and you are feeling better! Hopefully next weekend is better, you can make it even more awesome than a regular weekend to make up for this past one! On the bright side, this chipotle mac and cheese sounds really good 🙂
Aww, man… What a terrible weekend! I hope things get better soon! Looks like this Mac and Cheese could cheer anyone up!
I’m so sorry to hear about your weekend. I have went the IV/shot route with headaches before too and they do wonders. Sadly they do wear you right out. At least your head is feeling better, now if that power would just get it’s act together! At least this mac and cheese is so delicious you can forget about all your problem while eating 🙂
Oh my gosh… you earned that burger and fries. So much going on… hope you are all better! Love this recipe, my kids will flip for it!
I agree you do need another go at the weekend! As a migraine sufferer I know that you need the time to recover from such a headache.
This pasta looks phenomenal though. Any excuse to cram some of those adorable mini smokies into a dish is my favorite excuse. Yum!
Friend, I am sorry. Migraines are the worst and completely paralyzing some times. Sigh…..hopefully you ate up this mac & cheese to make yourself feel better!
Here’s to a much better week! Love this mac & cheese so much!
Hope you’re all better now and thank God for having a personal nurse at home. 🙂 This mac-and cheese totally won my heart, especially it’s light and healthy.
Perfect weeknight dinner idea!
Give me all the mac & cheese! This looks so amazing!
So sorry to hear about your weekend! My husband gets crazy migraines but not to the point that he ever needs to go to the Urgent Care, so I feel for you, darling.
But on the bright side, I would totally devour the heck out of this mac and cheese 🙂
Things will look up soon!
Oh goodness, girl! Those pesky migraines can be killer. I hope you are feeling better soon and find some comfort in this insanely delicious dish!!
Oh my gosh, I so wish I made this tonight for dinner!! YUM!
This looks like the perfect week night dinner that the whole family would enjoy. Those are my kind of dishes!
You definitely deserve a do-over! I’m so sorry! I hope you’re feeling better now. Mac and cheese always helps, no? 🙂
Oh gosh, all that due to a headache?? I’m so sorry. :(( Girl, you need all the mac and cheese! You deserve it!!
Definitely you deserve SOMETHNG—ANYTHING that is all around wonderful. Geez unbelievable to have a headache like that. I rarely get headaches, so if I got any kind of a migraine I would be scared.
Mac and Cheese is THE ultimate comfort food in my book. It’s a start.
Oh no! Hope the week get’s better for you. I have a friend who get’s bad migraines – NOT fun. 🙁
But, on a happy note, this could be my new favorite mac n cheese. Chipotle is one of the best things ever and lil smokies are, too. Swooning over here!
You poor thing. You deserve the entire pan. What a god hubby you have!
I hope you are feeling better and were able to get a few days of rest! I love all the flavors in this mac and cheese. Enjoy the weekend!
It looks delicious , I will try to cook it, greetings from Uruguay
yaaas plaaaaaayse.
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I am so excited while I read all the comments