Everyone has their favorite recipe for homemade Mac and Cheese. Here is another one: No fail baked mac n cheese that can be dressed up or down depending on your families tastes (and budget).
You’ll need:
1 lb dried shaped pasta (elbow, corkscrew, small shells, or whatever you have on hand)
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
2 cup milk (any kind)
2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or a blend of jack, cheddar, and mozzarella, again whatever you have on hand will work) But it’s always better with cheddar!
Pinch of nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground mustard (a small squirt of yellow mustard will do in a pinch)
¼ onion (grated, or use a micro plane) can be omitted
Bread crumbs (crushed potato chips work also)
Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain and set aside
In a medium skillet melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Add spices and onion then whisk in the milk. Heats until it starts to thicken then add the cheese. Stir constantly until cheese melts and mixture is smooth.
Add drained pasta to pot and mix thoroughly.
Pour into 9″x13″ baking dish ….
and top with the breadcrumbs.
Bake for 30 min at 350 or until bubbly and slightly browned.
Variations:
Mix it up with types of noodles and cheeses. Mix in diced ham or bacon to shake things up a bit. In my opinion, most recipes are more of a guideline. Use your own cooking skills and your family’s tastes to make the recipes your own. Mac and cheese is a family staple in most households and unless you use the blue box, everyone makes it different. This is just one more recipe for you to try out. You might even make a believer of the one in your house that protests he likes baked mac and cheese. This one did that in our house!
