When the weather pretends to be cool in South Florida or when I end up with a bunch of leftover cheese in the fridge, I make mac & cheese. This recipe is pretty basic. But, it is always everyone’s favorite. That is, now that the boys will finally eat something besides the stuff from the box… Nothing like being able to make mac and cheese from scratch and being snubbed by your kids for powdered cheese. Oh well.
Real Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- About 6 cups grated sharp cheddar or whatever you have (I’ve used Mexican blend before…)
- ½ to 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 box small pasta (Rigatoni is my favorite)
- 4 cups milk
- ½ stick butter
- 4 T flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 (for baked mac and cheese)
- Boil pasta to al dente in salted water and set aside
- Melt butter in a medium pot over medium/low heat
- Stir in flour and let cook 3-4 minutes
- Add in milk and whisk over medium/low heat until the milk thickens. Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot
- Take the pot off the heat and put in handfuls of cheese at a time stirring until combined
- Stop here if you prefer creamy mac and cheese without a baked crust. Just throw in all the cheese, mix with the pasta, and grab a fork
- If you want a baked top, reserve about 1 cup cheese for the top, stir in the pasta, and pour mixture into a low baking dish
- Sprinkle on the remaining cheese and bake until a nice crust forms on top-about 10 minutes
- Try to practice self-control and wait for it to cool a bit before you dive in
- If you take this to a party, be prepared to snag some for yourself or there won’t be any left