Desperately Seeking the Ultimate Mac & Cheese!

 Ahh....Mac & Cheese, good Mac & Cheese is hard to find.

It's one of those American dishes that you see on everyone’s personal menus. However, there's a lot of sub-par Mac & Cheese out there and there are those that are just too fancy for their own good!

I’ve been making Mac & Cheese since I was in junior high.  You see, my mom and dad did not like Mac & Cheese, so I took on the role of Mac & Cheese chef for me and my brother. Of course like most, I started out with the boxed version that you could get three for a dollar on sale. It was very orange and easy to make. It appealed to my Jr. High taste-buds.   

However, as an adult.  I found that I wanted – no, I needed to make a good home-made mac & cheese that did not look like  1) something not born in nature and 2) taste like plastic. Thus began my search for the ultimate Mac & Cheese.

I started out searching through my mom’s cookbooks and found a basic recipe, which called for a  white sauce used as a base – interesting!  Then there’s a whole world of choices for cheese, noodles, and add-ins.

 My first trials were OK, but they were not creamy enough or cheesy enough for me!

As I experimented I think I’ve come up with something that satisfies not only my childhood wishes for a creamy and cheesy dish but also balances my adult need for veggies and a few more nuanced flavors (not too many because after all it is Mac & Cheese!).

So I now share with you my favorite Mac & Cheese recipe.  The ingredients are easily found in your pantry and refrigerator and it passes the “husband” test.  I do hope you enjoy! 

 Mac & Cheese with Broccoli and Ham 

Yield: 4 - 6 servings, depending on who’s eating!

8 oz. macaroni or other tubular or medium shell pasta.  This is about 1 ¾ cups*

3 TBSP butter

1/4 cup flour (spoon flour lightly into measuring cup, do not dip and pack it in)

1/3 cup finely diced onion or shallot

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

2 ½ cups of milk (2% or whole milk), warm it a bit don’t use cold out of fridge

3 cups grated medium cheese (I like a mix of cheddar and Gruyere), do not use more ‘cause weird things will happen to the cheese sauce

1 10oz box of Green Giant Steamers Broccoli with Cheese Sauce (just defrosted in microwave - not cooked.)

1 cup chopped fresh broccoli (opt)

1 cup diced ham (opt)

1/4 cup finely crumbled garlic croutons or flavored bread crumbs

Directions:

Cook macaroni as directed on package minus 2 minutes.  Drain and top with a pat of butter so it doesn’t stick.  In same water cook chopped fresh broccoli for 2-3 minutes.  Remove and set asside.

·        Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

·        On medium heat melt butter and add onions.  Cook until onions are translucent about 3-4 minutes. Add flour and all spices into butter and onions mixture and cook for about three minutes.

     

      Still on medium heat, add in milk to the flour butter mixture and stir/whisk constantly for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and thickens a bit.  Add in Green Giant broccoli and cheese sauce, stir until all incorporated. 

Remove from heat and add shredded cheese, cooked broccoli and ham bits. Stir pasta into sauce and pour into a buttered 1 ½ quart casserole dish.   Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and bake for 25-30 minutes

*I encourage you to weigh your pasta if you have a kitchen scale.  8 oz.’s seems to be just right for the amount of sauce in this recipe.  Any more than that and the dish does turns out dry and not creamy.  Pasta really soaks up the sauce!

 

Enjoy!

Janet J.