Ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
3 cups large elbow macaroni
3 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup 1/3-less fat Neufchatel cream cheese (or light cream cheese), at room temperature
2 tbsps all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tbsps finely chopped fresh basil leaves*
4 tbsps grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the macaroni and cook until al dente, following the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Whisk the almond milk with the cream cheese, flour, and garlic powder in a large saucepan (it'll be a little lumpy at first, but the cream cheese will melt into the sauce as it warms up). Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook until the sauce is the consistency of a creamy Alfredo sauce, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat.
3. Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the broiler to high. Stir the macaroni, 2 tablespoons of the basil, 2 tablespoons of the cheese, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt into the sauce. Divide the mixture amoung four 8-ounce ramekins (or use an 8-inch square baking dish) and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the tops. Broil until the tops are bubbling and browned, 4 to 6 minutes (check the broiler often as heat intensity varies - I checked every 2 minutes). Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon basil and serve.

*I didn't use any basil since I didn't have any left, but at another time I sprinkled chili flakes on top so it was just a little bit spicy. Yum!

Overall, the recipe was really easy. The hardest part is probably just getting all the lumps out of the cheese sauce, but it really does just melt into the sauce after a while. Make it, you won't regret it!

For a printable recipe, click here
Recipe from Candice Kumai's Pretty Delicious