Macaroni & Cheese is one of my son’s favorite foods, so he eats it quite often. Thus, instead of buying the processed, boxed macaroni and cheese from the store, I usually make my own Mac & Cheese at home using this basic recipe and then adding my own “hidden” vegetables. I also use a variety of other pasta types and shapes, including whole wheat, brown rice, corn pasta or spelt pasta. Additionally, whenever there is a “kid’s pot-luck party” I almost always bring “mac & cheese” and I often get asked to share my recipe.
Macaroni & Cheese is really easy to make and is a great to serve as a side dish, main course, at a party or bbq, at a school pot-luck or just about any other occasion. This recipe is very simple to make and you don’t need to use exact measurements. The recipe listed below is for a party sized portion of Mac & Cheese – you can adjust the recipe accordingly for your family.
- Cheese Grated (approx 250 gms)
- 2 cups Milk
- 2 tbsp. Butter
- 1 tsp. of flour
- 1 bag of Macaroni (approx 500 gms)
- Salt (to taste)
- ¼ cup Browned Onions (optional)
- Tomatoes (garnish)
- Boil the pasta. Make sure it is only HALF cooked. Drain and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat the milk and flour on medium heat for approximately 1-2 minutes. (Do not let it boil - if it gets too hot, then just turn the stove off)
- Set aside a small portion of the cheese for the top.
- Add the remaining cheese and keep stirring until the cheese melts.
- Add the salt to taste.
- Add the pasta and mix until the pasta is fully coated in the cheese.
- Mix in the onions (optional).
- Place the mixture into a baking dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of
- Garnish with round, thin cut tomatoes (optional).
- Bake at 170 C for 15-20 mins.
Super Cooking Tips
(1) Make sure you only 1/2 boil your pasta. This way the pasta will still remain firm after it comes out of the oven.
(2) Be careful not to boil the milk/cheese mixture. If the mixture gets too hot, just remove it from the heat – the cheese will still melt.
(3) Try to use a “sharp” or “aged” cheddar cheese – this really enhances the taste of the mac & cheese.
(4) Sprinkle bread crumbs on the top of your mac & cheese before baking for a crispy top layer.
(5) You can also add vegetables to your macaroni and cheese. I usually add steamed and pureed butternut squash to my kids mac & cheese to make it healthier. Since the butternut squash is orange, it actually gives the dish a much nicer color.
(6) If you using this recipe for a party, I recommend using normal “white grain” macaroni pasta. If you are making it for your kid’s at home, then you can try using a different variety of wheat, veggie and/or different types of grain pasta.
Happy cooking and eating!
-xoxo-
SuperMommy