Macaroni and Cheese

Making homemade macaroni and cheese takes the same amount of time as a box of mac and cheese and there is no comparison between the taste and healthier option without all those added chemicals and unnatural orange coloring found in the box. It’s a great 10 minute filling and kid friendly dinner.  Knowing how to make a white sauce or bechamel should be on your to-do list if you don’t already know how.  You can make so many other sauces with this basic sauce like mushroom sauce (for green bean casserole), tomato cheese sauce, creamed spinach, lasagne filling, cauliflower and cheese sauce, and the list goes on for all the wonderful comfort foods it can make.  The basic recipe is equal parts of butter and flour, melted down and cooked over medium high heat until it bubbles and then you pour milk or half and half and with a whisk, stir until it comes to a boil, lower heat and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat.  Then you add your cheese off the heat and stir until it melts into the sauce.  Using a whisk is key to making sure the sauce doesn’t have lumps.  Sometimes, instead of grating the cheese, I just cut thin slices and roughly chop it before I put it into the mixture to save time and washing a grater.  You can add a combination of cheeses like Gruyère, Gorgonzola, fontina, robiola, pepper jack, Parmesan, and I like to use sharp cheddar to make macaroni and cheese just like my mom still makes it.  To really put it over the top and get that wonderful baked cheesy topping, just pour the mac and cheese into a greased baking dish, get a small bowl and mix grated cheese and panko bread crumbs together and drizzle some melted butter and mix well. Sprinkle over the top and bake for 20 minutes at 375 or until the top is lightly golden brown.  Click here for the recipe….