Apple and Cheddar Penne Pie

Apple and Cheddar Penne Pie (slightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, Servings: 8, Total Time: 75-80 minutes)

Ingredients

·         1 Tbsp. margarine, melted

·         1/3 cup breadcrumbs

·         3 tsp. fresh thyme

·         12 oz. dried penne pasta

·         2 cups chopped and peeled cooking apples

·         ½ cup chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla

·         3 Tbsp. margarine

·         3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

·         ½ tsp. salt

·         ¼ tsp. ground black pepper

·         2 cups skim milk

·         ½ cup apple cider

·         6 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened and cut up

·         1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese (6 ounces)

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a casserole dish with PAM.

2.      Mix 1 Tbsp. melted margarine with breadcrumbs and 1 tsp. of the thyme; set aside.

3.      Cook pasta 2 minutes less than directed by package directions; drain. Return pasta to pan; set aside.

4.      Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt 3 Tbsp. margarine over medium heat.  Cook apples and onion for 5 to 8 minutes or until tender. Add flour, salt, and pepper to saucepan. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in milk and apple cider. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low. Add cheeses and the remaining 2 tsp. thyme; stir until cheese melts.

5.      Add sauce mixture to pasta; stir to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle with reserved breadcrumb mixture.

6.      Bake, uncovered, about 40 minutes or until edges are bubbly. If desired, top with fresh thyme sprigs.

Ok, so definitely not the healthiest thing that I have ever made, but oh so tasty!  I decided to use a casserole dish instead of a pie pan and did not use butter and breadcrumbs to coat the sides (as the original recipe calls for) – I don’t think that I missed out on anything except extra calories!  The original recipe calls for butter, whole milk, and regular cream cheese, switching to margarine skim milk, and fat free cream cheese saves some calories and fat while keeping the taste.  Even though I didn’t use reduced fat cheddar, that is another way to reduce calories without skimping on taste.  With the changes that I made, there are less calories and fat, but it is still a very satisfying, creamy dish. 

Now on to taste!  The pasta has a sweet hint because of the apple and sweet onion – a nice contrast to the creamy cheese sauce.  I used regular breadcrumbs instead of panko and I like that it added a little crunch to the top of the casserole.  I honestly think that the only further change I would make is to switch to reduced fat cheddar cheese and possibly add some more thyme and maybe 2.5 or 3 cups of apple.  It’s nice to use apples during harvest season – and this a great way to capitalize on fall produce!