Cheesy Sprouts

Bye bye boxed mac and cheese.

Cheesy Sprouts, photo and recipe by me, Anna Vocino

How to not miss Mac & Cheese…

I’ve been watching the tour de force documentary re-enactment series called The Food That Built America on The History Channel.

The show is a blend of insanely dramatic music, dull re-enactments with low production value, fun talking head interviews, and informative stories of the food brands that have for the most part, made us fat and sick as a nation.

And I can’t get enough of it.

Recently, watching the episode recounting the birth of Kraft Mac & Cheese, I started wondering why this is one of the best selling products on grocery store shelves.

Granted, I’ve not eaten it since prior to 2002 when I was diagnosed with celiac, but I don’t have nostalgia for it as I thought it never tasted that great.

But I learned in this show that Kraft figured out how to dehydrate cheese, package it with dehydrated pasta, and market it to ‘Muricans as a cheap dinner. Albeit, we are the ones who supply the expensive ingredients to make it work (the milk and butter).

And it was all born out of a need to use up silos full of several years old dehydrated cheese…

hooo boy.

Well, my lovely Happies, you know it’s my mission in life to give you ideas on how to make homemade sugar and grain free food that tastes absolutely delicious.

Cheesy Sprouts are my answer to the monstrosity that is boxed mac & cheese. You can feel free to sub any vegetable that will hold up, but shaved Brussels sprouts seem to have the perfect size and consistency to hold up to all the butter and cheese.

You can use any kind of easily meltable cheese with this recipe, I prefer medium to sharp cheddar.

Just, for the love of all that is holy, don’t use Velveeta.

As always, here’s a downloadable, printable PDF of this recipe for Cheesy Sprouts.

CHEESY SPROUTS

(serves 3-4)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, tops cut into disks, ends trimmed and discarded

• 1/2 onion, sliced thinly

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 cup water

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 2 cups grated Colby Jack or cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a large, flat-bottomed saute pan until oil is shimmering. Cook Brussels sprouts and onions until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Toss well and cook 2-3 more minutes. Sprinkle in water and cover to cook 4-5 minutes.

Remove lid and stir. Add butter until melted and tossed. Pour in heavy cream and stir. Fold in cheese. Turn heat down to low and cover to let simmer for 3-5 minutes, being careful not to burn. Remove lid and serve.