homemade mac 'n cheese... (m)

[northy]

i keep seeing people mention homemade mac 'n cheese... any fave recipes to share? i can't imagine my kids would go for it... too much like "real" food... but, hey, hope springs eternal!

[kec]

I just google it and use one that is easy or the one off of the elbow macaroni box!! My 8 year old loves it and my 6 year old(who loves Kraft mac and cheese) won't touch it!!
Kari

[danellsar]

I always make my mac and cheese homemade, and rarely use a recipe. The macaroni is the easy part... about a pound of any dry pasta shape you have/like (not spaghetti). Elbows and spirals work well. Cook and drain.

While the noodles are cooking....

For the cheese sause, it's a basic white sauce with cheese added. So you start by making a roux. That's about 3Tbs. butter and 3 Tbs. flour. Melt the butter and then add the flour, and cook for a few minutes. The slowly add about 2-2.5 cups of milk, 1/4 cup at a time, whisking well after each addition to get rid of lumps. Once all the milk has been added, you need to cook this mixture for about 10 minutes until it slightly thickens, and then season it with salt, some pepper, and a small shake of nutmeg. I also add dry mustard and sometimes worstershire sauce to this for flavor.

It should starting to thicken, but still be runny at this point. Finally add 1-2 cups of grated cheese. The stronger flavored cheese will make a more "cheese" tasting sauce. For my kids, I often use 1 cup of mild cheddar and 1 cup of sharp. Whisk until smoothe. The only kind of cheese I do not use is mozzerella, because it doesn't combine as well and it doesn't have a lot of cheesy flavor.

Combine noodles and cheese sauce. It should be very saucy at this point, and can be served just like this. What I usually do, though, is put it in a baking dish and bake it for another 20-30 minutes with either more cheese on top, or cracker crumbs on top.

Baked mac and cheese.... heavenly!!
Ellen

[SaraV]

What Ellen just said!!

Nearly exactly, except that I add a dash of cayenne to my white sauce, and always some mustard powder, and lots of fresh ground pepper.

I usually top with breadcrumbs, bake awhile and then if the crumbs aren't brown enough turn on the broiler for a minute.

Made this for DD's 2nd grade "Traditions Lunch" (we have a lot of international students at our school and the teacher asked kids to bring 'a traditional food of your culture.'!) The pan came home licked clean. For a 9x12 casserole, I cooked 4 cups of dry macaroni and made my white sauce with 4 tbs butter, 4 tbs flour, and 4 cups milk, and those proportions seemed to work pretty well.

[SusanW]

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/t...eese-mini-macsI went to a holiday party where the hostess made mac and cheese in little muffin tins. they were a big hit!

[Shazadio]

I'm making truffled lobster mac & cheese for the holidays. Basically the same recipe as above but with chunks of lobster and some truffle oil drizzled on top. I also top with panko bread crumbs for a little crunch on top.

[northy]

ok - i'm gonna have to try this... (m)

not for christmas - but some time during the holidays... wonder if i can halve or quarter the recipe as i doubt we could get thru all of them in one sitting and i'm not sure how well they'd keep... but if they could be frozen, i bet one of my kids would eat them for brekkie!

tx!n

[Allegro]

I don't have a recipe. I boil an appropriate amount of Macaroni (2 cups maybe) and then toss it with about two cups grated cheddar cheese, a chopped onion, a can of diced tomatoes and two cans of Campbell's soup (whatever creamed soup I have on hand but generally one celery and one mushroom). Much loved by all in the family.

[SoniaO]

Hey Augie- can you post yours? That has become a favorite in our house!

[mrd]

I use the one from Joy of Cooking and

don't add the onions. My kids love it.

[Cathy25]

I use heavy cream instead of milk to make it more rich. I also use hot sauce in mine.

[JillC LI]

Mine is so easy:
Boil a box of macaroni. In the meantime, mix 6 oz evaporated milk, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp dry mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper. Drain pasta and return to pot. Over low heat, add milk mixture. Then add 4 tblsp butter and stir. Then add 8 oz shredded or thinly sliced cheddar. Stir until melted and combined. It's about as easy as the Kraft box, but homemade, and it doesn't have a fancy crusted top that my kids won't eat if I make a baked mac n cheese in the oven.

[MelanieOH]

Another option - for the crockpot

Sometimes you just know that a day will be crazy and that you won't want to take the time to make a roux. That's when I use this recipe.

All Day Macaroni and Cheese

8 oz. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
4 cups (16 oz) shredded shart Cheddar Cheese
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Place the cooked mac. in CP that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Add the other ingredients, reserving 1 cup of cheese. Mix well. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 c. of cheese and cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until the mixture is firm and golden around the edges. Do not remove the cover or stir until it has finished cooking.

Not quite as good, but pretty close.

Melanie