• Macaroni and Cheese

    Prep time: 30 Minutes Cook time: 50 Minutes Servings: 12

    Macaroni and Cheese is the ultimate recipe for versatility. We love to serve it as a side dish at gatherings or parties - for the adults- it acts as a side dish. For the kids it works as the main dish for even the trickiest of eaters. 

     

    This recipe is a great make ahead dish. You can assemble the recipe up to the point of baking in advance. From that point you can freeze it, refrigerate it or serve immediately. We love to double this recipe and serve half and freeze the other half for another day. If preparing for a party, it allows you do reduce the amount of dishes and allows you not to spend the entire gathering in the kitchen cooking.

     

    Ingredients:

    Instructions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. (If you are preparing this dish in advance you can skip this step.)

    2. Bring a pot of water to boiling.

    3. Cook the elbow macaroni noodles according to the minimum amount on the package instructions. They will cook again in the oven so they don't need to be fully cooked.

    4. While the noodles are cooking, you can grate the cheese. The freshly grated cheese allows the cheese to melt easier and gives it more of a homemade cheese pull to the dish.

    5. Melt 5TBSP of butter in a separate pan on the stovetop on medium high.

    6. Add the flour to the melted butter and stir to incorporate. Let brown for roughly three minutes. Stir often to prevent burning.

    7. Whisk in the milk slowly to incorporate into a smooth sauce with the flour and butter. Reserve 1/2c of each of the cheeses. Add the remaining cheese to the sauce. Stir the sauce until all of the cheese has melted.

    8. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

    9. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce.

    10. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour the noodles and sauce into the pan.

    11. Top the pan with reserved shredded cheese. (Stop at this point if you are choosing to freeze or prep ahead of time.)

    12. Put the pan in the oven to bake uncovered for 50 minutes or until the top is lightly brown and the middle has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

    13. Enjoy!