Talk about "meatless Monday" comfort food! What could be better than Mom's mac and cheese. Super simple, super cheesy, and no boxy powdery preservatives, just the way I LIKE IT!!
So, homemade mac and cheese is simply cooked pasta topped with cheese dropped in a white (bechamel) sauce. Yeah, I just said that... bechamel...ooo la la. OK, so, here's where I part ways with many, fat filled mac and cheese recipes...
I use low fat (1%) milk. You can use whole, or even skim, but I never use half and half or cream in mac and cheese. You can, and it will be supremely rich and yummy. I use low fat milk every time, and it completely satisfies our comfort cravings! For real... now this, is by no means, fat free...
Cook your pasta a few minutes less than the package directs. Our pasta said cook for 11 minutes, so I cooked for 9. Park your pasta in the strainer until the cheese sauce is ready. I NEVER rinse my pasta, but in this case, my cheese sauce wasn't ready, and I didn't want it to stick and turn into a blob of goo, so I rinsed. In a big sauce pan start melting about 2-3 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat.
When the butter melts a bit, add 1/4 cup of flour. I season the flour with hefty pinch of salt and pepper, garlic powder (1/2 teaspoon-ish) and a dash of cayenne pepper. Cook the flour for a few minutes while whisking away any lumps.
After cooking the flour, time for the milk. I measured 3 cups of milk, and zapped it in the microwave for 3 minutes to take the chill off. This way, it incorporates with the flour faster and easier (warm milk meets warm pan... happy... cold milk meets warm pan... "chilly").
After about 5 minutes of whisking that warm milk into the flour and butter (roux), you have... white sauce! Ahhhhh! Watch for the slow simmer (little bubbles) and take off the heat. If you overcook it, you'll "break" the sauce. Keep everything on a med to med-high heat and don't rush this part. It will be thin when you add the milk, but, before you know it, it will thicken up and you'll see those little bubbles everywhere. That's when you're sauce is DONE! So... sauce is ready for some cheesy love! I always use 2 kinds of cheese. One with a lot of flavor, and one that is nice and "melty"! Tonight, it's fontina and sharp chedder (yum... you had me at cheese...). You can use any cheese you like, but you have to grate it before adding it to the sauce.
Now, I don't know if I'm just a little competitive, or if I have a kitchen gadget addiction, but here are your grating options. Old school hand grater (perhaps a 10 minute investment of your life, with some upper body work out benefits), or new school, fancy-pants kitchen aid grater (about 2 minutes). Let's see who wins...
Fancy-pants... Let's give a silent cheer for old school cheese grater... for showing up, and for not needing a plug! Way to represent, old school grater-girl!
So the sauce is ready for the cheese, and in goes the cheese! Along with a big tablespoon of one of my favorite flavors...
Some whole grain dijon mustard! Love this stuff! If you do not, you can leave it out. Your mac and cheese will be just as yummy, yet slightly less mustardy. If you're not sure, I say try a little and see what you think!
Behold, your mouthwatering cheesy sauce! Taste and make sure it's the way you like it. If it needs salt add it now. If you love it, add the pasta and toss to coat all the pasta with the cheesy love.
After you mix and coat all the pasta, get her ready for the oven. 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Now, to finish! I have literally tons of "add-ons" that I love with my cheesy mac... broccoli, seafood, meatballs, poppy seeds, sausage... you name it! If you like to eat it, you can add it to mac and cheese... make your own rules. One of my favorite add-ons lately is...
Sliced tomato. I just love what happens to the tomato in the oven after baking with the pasta... so good and so simple. Not fancy, but seriously yummy!
After 40 minutes (but, really only 10- 15 "preparation" minutes) you have this! Some mac and cheesy comfort food... fit for a KID! Just the way Stevie likes it! I dare you to use some real cheese in your next bowl of this iconic American comfort food. There may be literally one million ways to make mac and cheese, this one is quick and easy and one you'll make again!
Talk about "meatless Monday" comfort food! What could be better than Mom's mac and cheese. Super simple, super cheesy, and no boxy powdery preservatives, just the way I LIKE IT!!
So, homemade mac and cheese is simply cooked pasta topped with cheese dropped in a white (bechamel) sauce. Yeah, I just said that... bechamel...ooo la la. OK, so, here's where I part ways with many, fat filled mac and cheese recipes...
I use low fat (1%) milk. You can use whole, or even skim, but I never use half and half or cream in mac and cheese. You can, and it will be supremely rich and yummy. I use low fat milk every time, and it completely satisfies our comfort cravings! For real... now this, is by no means, fat free...
Cook your pasta a few minutes less than the package directs. Our pasta said cook for 11 minutes, so I cooked for 9. Park your pasta in the strainer until the cheese sauce is ready. I NEVER rinse my pasta, but in this case, my cheese sauce wasn't ready, and I didn't want it to stick and turn into a blob of goo, so I rinsed. In a big sauce pan start melting about 2-3 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat.
When the butter melts a bit, add 1/4 cup of flour. I season the flour with hefty pinch of salt and pepper, garlic powder (1/2 teaspoon-ish) and a dash of cayenne pepper. Cook the flour for a few minutes while whisking away any lumps.
After cooking the flour, time for the milk. I measured 3 cups of milk, and zapped it in the microwave for 3 minutes to take the chill off. This way, it incorporates with the flour faster and easier (warm milk meets warm pan... happy... cold milk meets warm pan... "chilly").
After about 5 minutes of whisking that warm milk into the flour and butter (roux), you have... white sauce! Ahhhhh! Watch for the slow simmer (little bubbles) and take off the heat. If you overcook it, you'll "break" the sauce. Keep everything on a med to med-high heat and don't rush this part. It will be thin when you add the milk, but, before you know it, it will thicken up and you'll see those little bubbles everywhere. That's when you're sauce is DONE! So... sauce is ready for some cheesy love! I always use 2 kinds of cheese. One with a lot of flavor, and one that is nice and "melty"! Tonight, it's fontina and sharp chedder (yum... you had me at cheese...). You can use any cheese you like, but you have to grate it before adding it to the sauce.
Now, I don't know if I'm just a little competitive, or if I have a kitchen gadget addiction, but here are your grating options. Old school hand grater (perhaps a 10 minute investment of your life, with some upper body work out benefits), or new school, fancy-pants kitchen aid grater (about 2 minutes). Let's see who wins...
Fancy-pants... Let's give a silent cheer for old school cheese grater... for showing up, and for not needing a plug! Way to represent, old school grater-girl!
So the sauce is ready for the cheese, and in goes the cheese! Along with a big tablespoon of one of my favorite flavors...
Some whole grain dijon mustard! Love this stuff! If you do not, you can leave it out. Your mac and cheese will be just as yummy, yet slightly less mustardy. If you're not sure, I say try a little and see what you think!
Behold, your mouthwatering cheesy sauce! Taste and make sure it's the way you like it. If it needs salt add it now. If you love it, add the pasta and toss to coat all the pasta with the cheesy love.
After you mix and coat all the pasta, get her ready for the oven. 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Now, to finish! I have literally tons of "add-ons" that I love with my cheesy mac... broccoli, seafood, meatballs, poppy seeds, sausage... you name it! If you like to eat it, you can add it to mac and cheese... make your own rules. One of my favorite add-ons lately is...
Sliced tomato. I just love what happens to the tomato in the oven after baking with the pasta... so good and so simple. Not fancy, but seriously yummy!
After 40 minutes (but, really only 10- 15 "preparation" minutes) you have this! Some mac and cheesy comfort food... fit for a KID! Just the way Stevie likes it! I dare you to use some real cheese in your next bowl of this iconic American comfort food. There may be literally one million ways to make mac and cheese, this one is quick and easy and one you'll make again!
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