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Macaroni and cheese is a popular, easy-to-make dish that can be customized with healthier ingredients and variations like smoked salmon. Different pasta shapes and cheeses can be used, and the dish can be seasoned in a variety of ways. To make it, boil noodles, make a roux with butter and flour, whisk in milk and seasonings, toss with noodles, layer with cheese and breadcrumbs, and bake for 30 minutes.
Macaroni and cheese is a very popular food and it’s quite easy to make at home. By making this dish at home, cooks can control the quality of the ingredients, choosing ingredients that are healthier than those included in packaged mixes. Home cooks can also create variations on the recipe by adding their own supplements, ranging from exotic cheeses to smoked salmon.
Classic macaroni and cheese is a hearty baked dish that can be seasoned in a variety of ways. You can use this basic baked recipe to build casseroles with ingredients like tuna, broccoli, and mushrooms, or you can eat it plain. While it may seem complex, it’s actually very easy to assemble this dish, and you may find the distinctive flavor preferable to boxed mixes.
Cooks aren’t limited to macaroni when making this classic dish. A variety of pasta shapes are acceptable, although bold, bulky shapes are best as they hold the creamy sauce well. A variety of cheeses can also be used; While cheddar and Swiss are common and popular, cooks may want to play with Gouda, Gruyere, or other rich, flavorful cheeses. A blend of cheeses is also a great idea.
To make macaroni and cheese, start by boiling water for the noodles and preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius). Use your baking sheet to measure out the amount of dough you’ll need; remember that noodles puff up as they cook; and different shapes occupy different amounts of volume. The sauce that follows is designed for a quarter-and-a-half pan, making servings of four to six entrees of macaroni and cheese. Scale it as needed to cook different sized dishes.
While the noodles are cooking, melt two tablespoons of the butter in a heavy saucepan and whisk in two tablespoons of the flour to make a roux. Stir until the roux starts to turn creamy and golden brown and then slowly whisk in two cups of milk. Add ingredients such as pepper, paprika, nutmeg, bay leaves, cloves, garlic or onions for extra flavor and simmer until the sauce thickens. Strain into a pot and add salt and pepper to taste. If you time things correctly, you can strain the cream sauce back into the pot while the pasta is draining.
When the pasta is cooked, toss it with the cream sauce to coat it and then pour half of the pasta into a greased baking pan. Sprinkle the pasta with about a cup of grated cheese, then pour the rest of the pasta on top, topping that pasta with another cup of cheese. Toast half a cup of breadcrumbs in a skillet with some butter and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the macaroni and cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until the top of the dish browns, and serve after letting the baked macaroni and cheese sit for about five minutes.
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