Thursday 20 June 2013

Homemade Mac and Cheese

To me, the ultimate comfort food is mac and cheese.  So, when I had some of my favourite lovely ladies over for a dinner and movie evening, I knew the menu had to include homemade mac and cheese.  My favourite mac and cheese recipe comes from the Earthbound Farms Organic Cookbook, but I've included my version of it below:

Ingredients
  • 1.5 cups dried macaroni
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 500mL 2% milk
  • 3 cups, lightly packed, grated cheddar cheese
  • 2 pieces of bread, cut up to make bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Preheat the oven to 375F.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  While waiting for the water to boil, shred all of the cheese and cut up the bread.  Add the macaroni to the boiling water and cook until done.  Drain and set aside.  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Once melted, add the flour and whisk until smooth and thick.  Slowly add 1.5 cups of the milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming.  Cook, stirring frequently until the white sauce begins to simmer and thicken.  Add 2 cups of the cheddar cheese and cook, stirring frequently, until melted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce and mix to combine.  Pour the macaroni mixture into a 1.5-2 quarter shallow baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese over the top and drizzle the remaining 1/2 cup of milk over top of the mac and cheese.  (The mac and cheese can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days)  Combine the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a bowl and sprinkle the mixture on top of the mac and cheese.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes (15 minutes longer if refrigerated) or until the top is golden brown.  Serve hot.  Serves 3 adults or a family of 4.

My favourite is to serve this dish with a big bowl of Greek salad.

Homemade Mac and Cheese.

Dinner!  Greek salad and homemade mac and cheese.
 

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