Is mac 'n' cheese your downfall? It sure is mine. But now I've found an ally, a healthy substitute. It's a "skinny" pot of grits, conveniently cooked in the slow cooker with sweet potato (or pumpkin or butternut squash) and a little mik, with just a tablespoon of butter stirred in to finish. Good stuff this, really good stuff.
Homemade macaroni and cheese is my downfall – or it would be, if I let it.
What’s the recipe, you ask? It’s low-brow and sinfully good but sorry, the cheese is the highly processed not-really-cheese-at-all Velveeta.
Take it upscale? Yep, I’ve tried fancy cheese, lobster too. Make it healthier? I’ve tried. Throw in vegetables like butternut squash (Butternut Squash Mac ‘n’ Cheese) and cauliflower (Cauliflower Mac ‘n’ Cheese). It’s still my downfall.
But things are looking up because Sweet Potato Grits (and its cousins the Pumpkin Grits and the Butternut Squash Grits) completely satisfies my yen for mac ‘n’ cheese – with zero cheese and a single tablespoon of butter.
Could you add cheese and more butter? Sure, the inspiring recipe did, a half cup of cheddar and 4 tablespoons of butter. But when I taste the grits straight from the slow cooker, to my taste that added richness just isn’t needed.
And instead of devouring a potful, I am satisfied with reasonable portions, say as a base for Winter Stew or alongside Perfect Lamb Chops.
Mac ‘n’ cheese may remain my downfall but thanks to these grits? I’ve got a new ally.
For sweet potatoes, I’d recommend Baked Sweet Potatoes but a Delicious Microwave Sweet Potato will do in a pinch. For pumpkin, Homemade Kabocha Squash "Pumpkin" Purée is wonderful. I haven’t used canned pumpkin but think it would work fine, especially if drained a bit, though with less flavor. For winter squash, just follow the instructions for How to Roast a Whole Butternut Squash.
Do you have a favorite recipe for a healthy substitute that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. Follow Kitchen Parade on Facebook! SLOW COOKER SWEET POTATO GRITS or PUMPKIN GRITS or BUTTERNUT SQUASH GRITS
Time to table: 3 to 7 hours
Makes 4 cups
- 1 pound sweet potato, cooked and mashed to yield about 1-1/4 cups cooked sweet potato (see TIPS) — or —
- 1-1/4 cups cooked pumpkin (see TIPS) — or —
- 1-1/4 cups cooked winter squash (see TIPS)
- 1 cup (160g) stone-ground grits
- 1-1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk (or 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk)
- 2-1/4 cups water
- 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Black pepper to taste
-
JUST BEFORE SERVING
- 1 tablespoon butter
If you have one, line the slow cooker with a liner, you still need to stir often but it seems to prevent scorching.
Add the sweet potato, pumpkin or winter squash to the slow cooker. Stir in the grits. A splash at a time, add the buttermilk, incorporating each addition before adding another. As soon as the sweet potato (or pumpkin or winter squash) has loosened up, stir in the remaining milk and all the remaining ingredients.
TO COOK ON LOW Cover and let cook on low for about 7 hours, stirring occasionally.
TO COOK ON HIGH Cover and let cook on high for about 3 hours, stirring often after the first hour.
TO FINISH About a half hour before serving, check the consistency, if too loose, remove the cover and let finish cooking, stirring often. Stir in butter and adjust the seasoning.
Serve immediately. Reheats beautifully, a small portion heats in the microwave in 90 seconds, a full batch heats in the oven in about 30 minutes and puffs up a little, browning nicely on top.
WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 3/4.5, PointsPlus 4/6 This recipe has been Alanna-sized with reductions in fat and adjustments to use common ingredient sizes. DISCLOSURE My Disclosure PromiseThis Week, Years Past 2002 - 2011
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I've never looked for them, but would I find stone ground grits in the grocery store? Maybe near the cornmeal? Thanks!
Denise
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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna