homemade mac and cheese?

Question

Got any good homemade baked mac and cheese recipes

Answer 1

Here’s a simple one that can be baked or not, with some notes following.

1 lb cooked elbow macaroni
½ stick butter
6 Tbsp. flour
1-2 tsp dry mustard powder
1 clove garlic, crushed and/or finely minced
5 cups milk
1 lb (4 Cups) shredded cheese – see below
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt & cracked pepper to taste
1 cup breadcrumbs stirred together with 2 tbsp. melted butter

Melt the butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over med-high heat. Whisk in the flour, mustard, garlic, cayenne, and a touch of salt and pepper (omit the salt if your butter is salted). Cook the resulting roux for a minute or so, whisking frequently, until it turns a nice, golden color. Whisk in the milk, about one cup at a time. Whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes. The mix should be like thick cream, but not like paste. Take it off the heat, whisk in the cheese until fully melted, then stir in the macaroni. Spread the pasta and cheese mixture into a casserole or baking dish and top with buttered bread crumbs. If you want to serve it immediately, simply put it under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top. Otherwise, you can keep it covered and chilled for up to a day, then bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes, or until browned and bubbly.

Notes:
-Use whatever cheeses you like. You can use all cheddar, a combo of jack & cheddar, or something more exotic. I once made a baked mac & cheese with gorgonzola and fontina cheeses. I beg you not to use processed cheese food in place of real cheese. If you want a creamier texture, you can substitute evaporated milk for regular milk.
-You can add all kinds of things to mac and cheese. Try slicing up some smoked sausage (like kielbasa) and increasing the mustard content. Ham and peas are a classic addition, very good with cheddar. Mushrooms, onions, and other veggies can also be good, but be careful. Vegetables are cry-babies, generally, and you don’t want all that extra water weeping into your mac & cheese while it’s baking. If you’re adding vegetables, make sure to sauté or steam them thoroughly before adding.

Answer 2

5 C Lrg. Elbow Macaroni
1/2 lb. Sharp Cheddar Cheese, cubed or grated
1/2 lb. Longhorn Cheddar Cheese, cubed or grated
1/2 lb. Velveeta processed cheese sliced into cubes
8 oz can evaporated milk

Bring the macaroni to a boil in large pot, cook until al dente. Do not overcook.

Drain the water from the macaroni.

Combine all the cheese with the macaroni in the large pot. Add the evaporated milk. Stir all the ingredients together until the cheese has almost totally melted.

Put the mac & cheese in a large baking pan, 13x9x2. May top with shredded cheese if desired. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Answer 3

Mac & Cheese

5 C Lrg. Elbow Macaroni
1/2 lb. Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/2 lb. Longhorn Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/2 lb. Mexican Ranchero Cheese, crumbled
1 C Milk
1 1/2 C Crumbled Cheeto’s

Cook the Mac al dente, not quite done
Combine all the Cheeses
Layer Cheese and Mac
Pour in the Milk
Top with Cheeto’s
Bake 45 min. @ 350

Answer 4

This is a great one...

1 pound elbow macaroni
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
¼ cup onion, minced fine (about ¼ medium sized onion)
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
1 pound super-sharp cheddar cheese (pick the sharpest yellow cheddar you can find)
1 cup breadcrumbs
Salt & Pepper

1) Preheat oven to 350°F
2) In a large pot, cook the pasta in salted water to al dente. Don’t cook it all the way through – it should be a little “underdone” when done cooking in the water – it will finish in the oven.
3) While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes. Add the flour and the mustard and cook together for about 5 minutes (you’re making a roux). Be sure to stir the whole time – you don’t want to let it burn.
4) Slowly stir-in the milk. Add the paprika and bay leaf to the milk mixture – simmer for 10 minutes. When the noodles are finished cooking, remove them from the pot and let them wait for you. You might want to rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process...
5) Remove bay leaf and temper-in the egg (this means to whip-up the egg in a separate bowl, add some of the hot milk mixture (just a little bit) to the egg – the goal is to heat the egg through so the shock of the hot milk won’t scramble the egg, add a little more milk mixture until the egg is totally hot, and then dump the egg mixture back into the pot with the milk mixture).
6) Add 3/4 or 4/5 of the cheese to the milk mixture – stir until melted. Pour-in the cooked macaroni and stir. Pour the entire thing into a baking dish (go with a 2 quart casserole dish).
7) Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter (you can use the microwave – low setting (20-30% power) for 2 minutes). Add the bread crumbs to the melted butter and stir. Top the casserole with the remaining cheese and the bread crumb mixture. Toss into the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, and eat. Yum!

note: The original recipe called for ½ pound of noodles – after you make this you’ll see that this makes enough cheese sauce for a load of noodles... Also, I added a little more butter – more butter makes the roux come-out a little easier. Try it with some hot sauce – I think hot sauce goes with everything...

Answer 5

BAKED MACARONI & CHEESE


1 ½ cups Macaroni
½ stick Butter
3 Tbsp. Flour
2 cups Milk
6 – 8 Slices American Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Some Season Salt as well is good.

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour, then milk and cheese (broken pieces). Cook stirring constantly till smooth. (I use a heavy whisk).

Boil macaroni per directions for 6 minutes & drain. Put in casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce over and bake at 325 degrees for about 30-35 minutes. Until bubbly and golden brown!

Sometimes I’ll put breadcrumbs on top. Sometimes I use whatever cheese I have. A lot of times I double this recipe.
=)

Answer 6

mac and cheese


INGREDIENTS
8 ounces elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
8 ounces cubed processed cheese food



DIRECTIONS
In a large pot with boiling salted water cook elbow macaroni until al dente. Drain.
In a medium saucepan, over medium heat melt butter or margarine. Whisk flour and stir vigorously. Add milk and cook until thick and bubbly, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add cheeses and stir until completely melted.
In a large bowl mix together the drained pasta and cheese sauce mixture. Toss to coat evenly.
Pour into a greased 2 quart casserole dish. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Answer 7

I know one! it is REALLY good!

1 big scoop of marg. or butter
2 cups of milk
1tsp of dry mustard(vital)
2 bags of cheddar
1 box of macaroni
5 cups of flour

Melt marg./butter in a big pot on the oven top. Then add flour and mix until all the marg is in the flour and looks like a paste. add the milk and stir until it looks like soup. Then turn the heat up and stir for ten minutes so no lumps form at the bottom and sides. Add mustard and stir. Then add cheese and stir untill melted. now you have the cheese sauce. Put the cheese sauce temp. down. Now put the macaroni in a small pot and do what you would with a box of mac and cheese. After the macaroni is done drain the macaroni and add cheese sauce. Taa-Daa! your mac and cheese is done!

Answer 8

Homemade Mac and Cheese
INGREDIENTS
8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups milk
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 pinch paprika
DIRECTIONS
Cook macaroni according to the package directions. Drain.
In a saucepan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in enough flour to make a roux. Add milk to roux slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses, and cook over low heat until cheese is melted and the sauce is a little thick. Put macaroni in large casserole dish, and pour sauce over macaroni. Stir well.
Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and brown. Spread over the macaroni and cheese to cover. Sprinkle with a little paprika.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Serve.

Answer 9

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.


***Note - I add 6 oz of monterey jack to help the cheddar melt better. I think it makes for a better consistency.

Answer 10

The other recipes gave you the cheesy sauce that's mixed with the pasta. I make mine in layers, with a white sauce (made from a roux) over the top. I make a small package of macaroni elbow pasta. Meanwhile, make a roux with about 1 stick of butter and 2 TB. of flour; whisking with a wire whisk. Then, gradually add 2 to 2-1/2 c. of milk to it and keep whisking until it's thickened. I add salt, pepper, & Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning...... Finely chop about 1/2 onion, and 1/2 each red & green bell pepper, and some fresh cilantro, basil & oregano, or parsley. Layer a greased casserole dish with 2-3 layers of the following (this order): cooked pasta; veggies; grated cheese (I like mozzarella or provolone, but you could use cheddar or American). On top of the top layer, pour the white sauce over it all and smooth over the top. Dot with butter (you could also sprinkle some cornflake crumbs or bread crumbs on top). Bake at 375 for about 35-45 min, or until it bubbles