Caveman Keto Weight loss through low carb cooking
Today I’m going to make a keto conversion of a childhood classic: Mac & Cheese! This is also a continuation of my quest to find the perfect faux pasta. Last week I used spaghetti squash to make Spaghetti and Meatballs. This week, in order to recreate this classic we’re going to use Spaghetti Squash and combine it with an aged cheddar cheese sauce and some veggies!
Finished Spaghetti Squash Mac & Cheese!
Start by cooking the Spaghetti Squash. I’m not going to go over that part in detail as I covered it pretty well in my previous spaghetti squash article.
Next, prep the vegetables. I like to slice the onions really thin so they’re similar size to the noodles.
Slice the peppers thin as well.
Fry the peppers and onions in a skillet.
Here is the result of cooking the spaghetti squash.
Next, start the cheese sauce. The base is heavy cream.
Throw the cheese into the cream and stir it until melted.
After a minute or so the cheese should look smooth like this.
Next, throw the vegetables into the cheese sauce.
Now, throw the spaghetti squash into the cheese sauce and mix.
Here’s the final mixture!
Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish for baking.
Here’s the finished product! I think if I were to do it again I’d use a little bit less heavy cream. It was a little liquidy but It was still really good!
- Serves: 6
- Serving size: ⅙th
- Calories: 405
- Fat: 29
- Carbohydrates: 16
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 22
- 3 Spaghetti Squash
- 12 Oz Aged Cheddar (3 year)
- 2 Oz Parmesan
- 4 Oz Cheddar
- 1 Medium Pepper (166 g)
- 1 Small Onion (107 g)
- ¼th Cup Heavy Cream
- Prepare the spaghetti squash per the recipe here
- Thinly slice the pepper and onions
- Fry the peppers and onions in a skillet
- Heat the cream in a large pot and add the cheese
- Stir the cheese until it combines with the cream and becomes smooth
- Add the vegetables, including the noodles, and mix
- Transfer the mixture to a greased casserole dish and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees
I find that adding cream cheese to my cheese sauce thickens it up nicely. This recipe makes me excited to try spaghetti squash.
I’ve been having very good success making keto-friendly sauces using a tablespoon of coconut flour (along with melted butter) to make a roux for thickening. I usually use 2+ tablespoons of butter/other fat with one tablespoon of coconut flour; cook it for a minute or two before whisking in your liquid. I’ve also been adding 3-4 ounces of cream cheese to my cheese sauce for “mac” and cheese, which helps it set up. (I’ve made good mac and cheese with shiritaki noodles, if you drain, rinse, and the boil them for 5-6 minutes and then rinse thoroughly.)
As far as spaghetti squash being watery – I have had the best luck by cooking it face-down without any water (to get more moisture to evaporate), with knife holes poked in the skin. After scraping out the cooked squash, drain in a colander and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Most Mac & Cheese recipes use a bachemel sauce- that is, start with a roux before you dd the cream/dairy.
Have you considered cooking 2Tbs of butter and flour before building the sauce? it would thicken it and avoid the “liquidy” problem.
flour on keto? unlikely. this dish already has a bit of a high carb count for my tastes.
yes, use less heavy cream. normal pasta will absorb some liquid during baking (or you undercook the pasta so it wants to absorb water).
will using some xanthum gum to thicken it help at all? i don’t think almond or coconut flour will bind up like you want them too.
This has got to be one of my favorites of your so far! Keep it up.
Hey guys! Just an FYI on thickening the sauce…if you heat the heavy cream to a low simmer and then add a tsp of Dijon mustard, the sauce will thicken up. Stir for three minutes or so AND THEN add the cheese.
I was just wondering for the cheese sauce, if there is a lactose issue, can the regular cheese sauce be substituted with almond milk and goat/sheep cheese? Would that change the taste of the squash?
I was just wondering about how many cups of squash you ended up with. 3 spaghetti squash can be pretty subjective depending on size. Can you post a rough estimate of how many coups of squash you had?
Kind of a big deal the servings for this should read 10 not 6. Did this through MFP to make sure. Please update it explains why I haven’t been in ketosis my first week.