Food You Can Eat: Macaroni and Cheese

26/3/20 MegMegMcGee 18

Difficult times call for carbs, lots of carbs. And cheese.

The only pastas left at my store were either macaroni or $7 whole wheat organic spaghetti. I went with the macaroni.

First things first: Cook and drain the pasta according to the package.
I trust you can handle this and do not need me to show you pictures of boiling water.
However, here’s a pro-tip: do not, like me, set it to drain under your automatic soap dispenser in your sink. (Don’t worry, I rinsed it all off!)

While your pasta is draining, soap free, go ahead and grate some cheese.
I used 3 year cheddar from Cabot. I actually thought it was a little too sharp for my taste, but it was what I had on hand and it worked out fine.
I arbitrarily chose 4 cups of cheese, because that is when my arm got tired of shredding. A food processor would be helpful here if you wanted to drag it out and clean it after. I did not.
The original recipe I adapted this from called for 5 cups of cheese, which seemed excessive. (It also used 2 cups of whipping cream, so what do I know.)
You can modify depending on how cheesy you like it. And you can use whatever dairy you have on hand. The fattier the better; we are in a pandemic after all, but no need to go crazy. The 2 cups of whipping cream in the original recipe seemed crazy even to me!

‘mise en place’ Flour, Spices and Cheese
This was a lot of work, you cheddar believe it!
About 4 cups shredded cheese

Now make your cheesy sauce. Melt your 3 TBSP of butter in a large pan (I used the same one I cooked my pasta in, because I am efficient like that).
Add flour to make your roux.
Once it bubbles and smells nutty (in a good way), whisk in your half and half and milk and cook bring back to a low boil, whisking the entire time.
It should thicken up and be careful not to over do it.
(This will work better for you because you won’t be trying to take pictures the whole time, you better brie-lieve it)
Add your grated cheese one cup at a time. Allow to melt in between additions. You should have a nice creamy cheese sauce.
Add your (now soap free) macaroni back to the pan. Looking gouda!
Feel free to eat some now. I did.

  • Melt Butter
  • Add Flour and stir til bubbly
  • Add Milk/Cream/ Whisk over medium heat until thickened
  • Add Cheese 1 cup at a time
  • Toss in your salt and peppers
  • Stir in your macaroni

If you didn’t eat it all out of the pan, you can add it to a greased Pyrex pan, cover with buttered bread crumbs and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.
I threw mine under the broiler for a few minutes at the end.

I baked at 375 for about 20 minutes and threw under the broiler to brown.

Ingredients:

1 LB Macaroni
3 TBSP Butter
3 TBSP Flour
1 Cup Half and Half
1 Cup Milk
4 Cups Shredded Cheese (I used white cheddar)
1 TSP Salt
2 TSP Pepper
1-2 TSP Smoked Spanish Pepper

Cheesy Peasy!

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18 Comments

  3. If I learned I had like 2 weeks to live I’d only eat mac n cheese.

    I make a slightly healthier version than the norm using butternut squash to thicken up the sauce — which allows you to use skim milk and less cheese. Basically, I boil a cubed butternut squash in half broth/half water, pureee it, add salt and a bit of Greek yogurt. Stir in a couple cups of shredded cheese. Blammo. You can taste the squash but it is not overpowering.

  4. This is the only correct way to make mac n’ cheese. I salute you.

    For a completely unnecessary indulgence — the fat content of this is already off the freaking charts — drizzle in some truffle oil.

  5. Hey… where’s the packet of dayglo orange “cheese” substitute powder?

    I hate Kraft Dinner (a byproduct of being a real shit ‘cook’ in my university days who made that crud way too often.)

    I enjoy home made mac and cheese though.

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