Everyone loves macaroni and cheese, right? This is my homemade version. It's a variation on what my mom did, which was a variation on what my grandma did, which is an extension of what my great-grandma made. It's requested for family gatherings, and our family gives it a special place on our Thanksgiving dinner table. Seriously. It is pure and simple comfort food. Nothing else really needs to be said.
However, I will say that my kids love it when I make this for dinner, but if given the choice, they would choose the boxed "mac & cheese" (think that infamous blue box) any other time. What kid wouldn't? We differentiate at our house by calling it "yellow macaroni" (boxed mix) and "white macaroni."
Also, when Gramma brings this to Thanksgiving dinner, she mixes in up to a cup (yikes!) of mayonnaise, spreads it in a casserole dish, tops it with extra shredded cheddar and maybe some bread crumbs or crushed butter crackers. Heart attack in a pan, but oh-so-delightful. When I serve it to my kids, I tend to do mean things like stir in spinach or broccoli.
Lastly, you can alter this however you like. We once made a version that cost us $20 (yes, for macaroni and cheese) by using specialized cheeses. It was lovely. For the adults. Kids, not so much in love with the gourmet mac & cheese.
Let's make it. Start by adding three cups of dry macaroni noodles and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to 4 quarts of boiling water.
Stir it every now and then so it doesn't stick together; cook it for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain. Mix in 2 tablespoons butter to keep it from sticking together while you make the sauce.
The "cheese" part of homemade macaroni and cheese comes from a roux. If you know how to make a basic white sauce, that's all we're doing here.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Turn heat down to low. Stir in 1/4 cup flour and whisk quickly to keep from scorching.
If you're using constituted milk, pour in 2 cups right now and whisk until smooth. We use dry milk at our house, so I mixed in the powder with the flour and butter first, enough for 2 cups milk.
Then I added 2 cups water, some salt and pepper.
Turn up the heat (med-high) and bring it to a boil. Boil until consistency of a thick soup or light gravy.
Remove from heat. Allow to cool for a few minutes--this will keep your cheese from getting stringy. You can mix it into the macaroni before adding the cheese if you want, but I like to make a smooth cheese sauce, so I add the grated cheese (2 cups+) to the roux. Little note on that--I like freshly shredded, that I just grated myself. It's a little more work, but it melts much more nicely.
Yummy cheese sauce...I wanted to show you how thick it is. Whisk it smooth.
Pour it into the cooked macaroni and give it a stir.
Done. Unless, of course, you're adding in crazy things like mayonnaise or broccoli.
Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
3 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
1/4 cup + 2 T butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
Bring 4 quarts water to boil. Add noodles and pinch of salt. Cook 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain. Stir in 2 T butter. Set aside. Melt 1/4 cup butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Turn down heat and mix in 1/4 cup flour. Stir in milk, salt and pepper and return heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil and allow to thicken slightly. Remove from heat. Add cheese and stir until smooth. Pour into cooked macaroni noodles and serve.
*Can spread into casserole dish and refrigerate or freeze for later use.
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