Mac and cheese is our favourite consolation meals. And whereas we love the nostalgia of that orange mac n cheese in a blue field, generally you need the actual deal. Our recipe is made with actual cheese, and it doesn’t that rather more work than making it from a field! We promise, it’s price it!
Make it a meal and serve with these scrumptious Crockpot Ribs and a few Coleslaw.
Why My Recipe
- Takes just some extra minutes than the boxed stuff—and tastes 100 instances higher.
- Made with actual cheese for a brilliant creamy, flavorful sauce.
- Persist with sharp cheddar or combine it up together with your favourite cheeses.
This recipe is ideal for busy weeknights, choosy eaters, or anybody who simply needs a bowl of traditional mac and cheese made proper. Sharp cheddar provides you that traditional taste, however you may as well mess around with different cheeses relying on what’s in your fridge. It’s quick, straightforward, and far more scrumptious than something that comes from a field.
Ingredient Notes
- Elbow Macaroni: Basic and dependable, however you possibly can swap in shells, cavatappi, penne, or some other related small pasta form.
- Salted Butter: If utilizing unsalted butter, simply add an additional pinch of salt to the sauce.
- All-Function Flour: This helps thicken the cheese sauce. You should definitely whisk it effectively with the butter to keep away from any lumps.
- Onion Powder: Provides taste with out precise onions. Don’t skip it. It makes a distinction.
- Floor Mustard: This enhances the cheese taste. You need to use 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard as an alternative.
- Salt: Begin with 1 teaspoon and modify to style after including the cheese.
- White Pepper: Retains the sauce wanting clean with out black flecks, however you need to use black pepper whether it is what you might have.
- Milk: Entire milk provides the creamiest end result, however 2% or 1% nonetheless works nice.
- Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese: Freshly shredded melts greatest. See our cheese swap notice for extra concepts.
Utilizing Pre-Shredded Cheese
We get it, generally grabbing a bag of pre-shredded cheese is simply simpler. And sure, it would work on this recipe! Simply know that pre-shredded cheeses are coated with anti-clumping brokers like potato starch, cellulose, or natamycin. These components can mess a bit with how easily the cheese melts, so your sauce won’t prove fairly as silky.
For the creamiest, dreamiest mac and cheese, freshly shredded cheese is the best way to go. But when pre-shredded is what you’ve obtained, go forward and use it. Your mac and cheese will nonetheless be scrumptious.
Different Cheese Choices
Sharp cheddar is a traditional for a cause, however you don’t must cease there. This recipe works with all kinds of cheese, so be happy to get artistic together with your cheese selections. Simply stick to ones that soften effectively. Nobody needs a bizarre, clumpy sauce.
Gouda, gruyère, fontina, provolone, and mozzarella are all nice choices. Even brie or goat cheese can work if you wish to be fancy. Need to stick to cheddar however change it up? Attempt a pointy white cheddar for one thing just a bit completely different. Combine and match to seek out your favourite combo!
After I need to get actually fancy, one in every of my favourite mixtures is cheddar, goat cheese, brie, and smoked provolone, which I take advantage of in my gourmet mac and cheese.
Chef’s Secret: Sizzling Sauce
Right here’s a trick straight from professional cooks. Add a touch of scorching sauce to your cheese sauce. It doesn’t make it spicy, we promise! We’ve served it this method to actually a whole lot of youngsters and we’ve by no means had a grievance about it being spicy. It simply bumps up the cheese taste and makes all the things style slightly higher.
For this recipe, you possibly can add about 4 dashes of Tabasco or 2 tablespoons of Frank’s Purple Sizzling while you pour within the milk. It’s a small step that makes an enormous distinction, particularly in the event you’re utilizing milder cheeses. Give it a try to you would possibly by no means skip it once more. My youngsters can all the time inform if I do!
Storage & Reheating Directions
Retailer leftovers within the fridge in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days. Ensure that it’s absolutely cooled earlier than sealing it up.
Reheat in a saucepan on the range over low warmth till heated by way of. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk to a serving to convey again some creaminess.
Reheat within the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between to assist it warmth evenly. You possibly can add 1 tablespoon of milk to a serving to assist convey again a few of the creaminess.
Extra mac and cheese goodness…
Watch the video beneath the place Rachel will stroll you thru each step of this recipe. Typically it helps to have a visible, and we’ve all the time obtained you coated with our cooking present. You’ll find the entire assortment of recipes on YouTube, our Facebook Page, or proper right here on our web site with their corresponding recipes.
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