Homemade Mac & Cheese
Homemade Mac and Cheese is a simple recipe that is creamy and delicious. Mac and Cheese is a yummy comfort food and always a favorite.
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Ingredients Needed for Homemade Mac and Cheese:
Elbow macaroni
Butter
Flour
Dry mustard
Salt
White pepper-black pepper will also work
Smoked paprika
Medium or sharp cheddar cheese
Milk
Panko crumbs, optional
Instructions for Homemade Mac and Cheese:
Boil the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
While the pasta cooks, make the cheese sauce:
In a pot over medium heat, melt the butter.
When the butter has melted, whisk in the flour to make a roux. Continue stirring and cooking the roux for two minutes.
Then, whisk in the spices: dry mustard, salt, white pepper and smoked paprika. Then, the milk. Stir and continue cooking without boiling until sauce thickens, 7-9 minutes.
Add the grated cheese and heat through without boiling.
Combine cheese sauce with pasta and serve.
Cook’s Note:
Serve with extra freshly cracked pepper, extra grated cheese or sometimes we like to serve macaroni and cheese with some French fried onions on top.
*Another option is to place this macaroni and cheese into a baking dish and sprinkle some extra cheese and Panko crumbs on top. Then, place in the oven under the broiler for just a little bit of time to melt the extra cheese and to toast the Panko crumbs. However, the kids just like it plain. 😊
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Homemade Mac and Cheese
An easy and delicious comfort food pasta recipe.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dry elbow macaroni pasta cooked according to package instructions
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese or more-freshly grated
- Panko crumbs optional
Instructions
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Cook pasta according to package directions.
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While pasta cooks, make the cheese sauce: in a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium to medium low heat.
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Whisk in flour to make a roux-stir continually for 2 minutes.
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Whisk in the dry mustard, salt, pepper and smoked paprika.
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Whisk in the milk, stirring and cooking without boiling to thicken sauce-7-9 minutes.
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Then, stir in the grated cheese. Stir to combine and melt without boiling, just heat through. Remove from heat.
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When pasta is desired tenderness, remove from heat and drain. Combine pasta and cheese sauce. Serve with extra grated cheese, extra pepper or even French fried onions.
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Optional: Place macaroni and cheese into a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with extra grated cheese and then Panko crumbs. Place under the broiler to melt the cheese and toast the Panko crumbs-watch closely, it can burn easily.
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Swedish Meatballs are such great comfort food. Serve these delicious meatballs over rice or mashed potatoes for a great meal. Add another vegetable to the side to increase your vegetable intake-which is what we are always trying to do.
Bacon Cheeseburger Lettuce Wraps is a fun and different twist on lettuce wraps. Toppings can be healthy and can include (for this or burgers in general): tomato slices, avocado slices, your choice of cheese, spinach leaves, diced onion and bell pepper, diced jalapeño, sliced olives, sliced pickles, sun-dried tomatoes, cream cheese, fried egg, red pepper flakes, French fried onions, sliced mushrooms, cilantro, ranch, Guacamole, barbecue sauce, or grilled pineapple.
More Recipes:
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Cheeseburger Stuffed French Bread is a fun recipe. Lots of yummy ingredients stuffed inside of a loaf of French bread. It is fun to make and eat. Our kids really love this recipe.
Mexican Egg Rolls are made with ground turkey-ground beef or chicken will work as well. They are delicious with this Avocado Dipping Sauce.
Korean Beef-there are two recipes here for Korean Beef. This one is made with ground beef. This recipe has the best sauce. It is spicy and flavorful and sticky-it is just perfectly delicious. Serve this over Baked Rice and add a vegetable as a side-even raw baby carrots-easy and good. The link to the other Korean Beef recipe that is made with beef strips is a few words back. 😊 It is an excellent recipe as well but not made with ground meat.
Frito Casserole is made with ground beef and is a fun and yummy meal. The Fritos make it crunchy and extra yummy. It is a kid favorite as well.
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