Who doesn't love Mac N Cheese?
And I'm not talking about the boxed Macaroni. I'm talking about the real deal. The creamy, buttery, melts in your mouth Mac. I grew up eating the boxed stuff and had no idea what I was missing out on until my mother in law made this homemade on our first Thanksgiving together. It was AMAZING!!!! As the years past and I began to enjoy homemade cooking more I decided to try my own Mac N Cheese. Of course, my mother in law was not trying to give up her recipe, and my husband loved it so much that I decided I would try to make it myself. I looked up a basic DIY recipe and over time I have tweaked it into my very own. We are a cheese family, so the cheesier a meal is, the better. Sometimes I make this extra cheesy and other times I make it simple. Who would've known that it has become a favorite in my home? SUPER SIMPLE and DELICIOUS!
Simple Homemade Macaroni And Cheese Recipe:
16 oz box of elbow noodles/small pasta shells
1 stick of unsalted butter
1/8 cup of all purpose flour
12 oz shredded cheddar cheese
2 oz cream cheese sliced
1 1/2 -2 cups milk
9 x 13 baking dish
optional (Can of Cheddar Cheese soup)
Prep time 20-30 minutes
Cook time 25 minutes
Total time 50-60 minutes
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook noodles according to package. Drain.
3. Melt butter in saucepan on medium heat and slowly add flour sprinkling it around while mixing with a spatula. This will create a roux. The mixture will thicken quickly so have the next few items ready.
4. Add 1 1/2 cups of milk and continue to mix with spatula.
5. Take pan off of heat and add 8 oz shredded cheese and mix. Next add cream cheese slices and mix.
6. Once cheeses are melted add the pasta to the sauce. Sprinkle with salt if desired.
7. Transfer cheesy pasta to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Add 3 oz shredded cheese and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle 1oz on top. Place in oven for around 10 minutes or until topping cheese is melted.
You can skip Step 7 if you prefer to serve your pasta from a pan. I like the easy storage of the baking dish because I can put it right in the fridge for leftovers. However, we rarely have leftovers.
*For a creamier pasta you can always add a can of cheddar cheese soup to step 6.
** For a cheesier pasta you can always add more cheese or use different varieties of cheese.
*** When reheating leftovers you may need to add a little milk, heavy cream or butter.
Makes approximately 10 servings and costs around $5.00.
I keep it simple so there's no added information regarding the calories, grams of fat per serving, etc.
I apologize, ain't nobody got time for that in my house.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If so drop me a comment below. I would love to hear your feedback! Thanks!
