Macaroni and Cheese

I grew up on Mac-N-Chz (not even Kraft, the grocery store brand) with the occasional splurge on Velveeta shells and cheese.  This to me was the good stuff.  As I grew up, I finally ventured outside my comfort zone and tried homemade macaroni and cheese.  I never knew what goodness I was missing!   So I have adapted this recipe from a few others passed along to me.  It is SUPER cheesy and probably not that great for you but it tastes so dang good, who cares.

 

What you will need:

• 1 Pound Elbow pasta (I love using the Barilla with the Omega-3 or whole wheat pasta)
• 4 Tbs Butter
• 1 Onion finely chopped
• 1/4 All Purpose Flour
• 4 Cups Milk
• 2 C shredded Cheddar
• 2 C shredded Colby Jack mix
• 2 slices white sandwich bread

Preheat your oven to 375

 

Tear up the bread into small pieces.  Throw that along with 1/4 cup of each cheese into a food processor.  Set that aside, that will be your bread crumb topping

 

 

Start cooking your pasta in lightly salted water.   In a separate pot melt the butter over medium heat.  Add your chopped onion, stirring occasionally, and cook for about three minutes or until the onion is soft. 

 

 

Whisk in the flour to coat the onion, it will turn into a "dough ball".

 

 

You will then add the milk in a slow, steady stream and whisk until there are no lumps. Cook that stirring often until it is thick and bubbly and coats the back of a wooden spoon (6 - 8 minutes).  

 

 

Stir in remaining cheese until all melted, do not be afraid of the cheese, I honestly feel like you can't add enough.  Add 1tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper (I usually just do it to my taste but I put in measurements for those who go by the book)  *Make sure to taste here!  You can add more cheese, more salt, whatever it needs while the cheese mix is easy to stir*

 

Toss the pasta and cheese together and transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish and sprinkle on the bread crumb topping.

 

 

Bake in the oven until golden brown (about 30 minutes).

 

 

Look at that crunchy top and cheesy sides, YUMMY!  This has become one of my favorite dishes to make and very popular among our friends.  You can also make this in a smaller 8x8 baking dish (which is what I did.)  Simply half the recipe, the pasta turns out to be 2 1/2 C of dry pasta, everything else halves easily.

 

I also take this frequently to new moms, friends who are grieving, potlucks, etc.  It is super easy to transport, refrigerate, etc.  Make everything the same just do not add the bread crumb topping.  Leave a little note to bake at 350 or until top is brown and it is warm throughout.  ENJOY!