I know for most, if you look in the pantry there is a superstore stack of boxed mac and cheese. Mine is no exception. LT thinks Kraft is a food group. It’s convenient and promotes no arguing at dinner time. But, it’s not my favorite. And in a nod to Mrs. B, I give you this easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy-all-the-way-to-mac-and-cheesy recipe. This is a take on the same recipe my Oma baked for my mom, and aunts and uncles growing up, and my mom baked for my brothers and me. I bake this for myself (because my kids claim they don’t like cheese, just cheese product), my siblings, and random grown-up dinner parties.
A few notes before getting started:
1) This recipe can be cut in a half in a second. It can be cut in quarters in two seconds.
2) You can opt to make this recipe as is, divide it, and freeze it.
3) You can double this recipe in three seconds for a neighborhood we-are-snowed-in party. (I was really hoping that would happen this winter, but February has really been acting like March, so who knows if it will ever happen.)
4) If you don’t like velveeta, or sharp cheddar, or mild cheddar no prob Bob because you can use just about any combo of cheese you like.
First up, boil a large pot of salted water and prepare you elbow macaroni (or pasta shape of your choice: fusilli, rotini, cavatappi, orecciette, shells) from the box instructions, deducting two minutes from the boil time. This is going in the oven, covered in cheese and milk, it tastes much better if the pasta is less than al dente prior to the bake.
While awaiting for the water to boil, get all the other ingredients together. (I say this because hot pasta plus cheese can make a big mess in no time, so it’s easier to have all the ingredients together.) I give you the cheese.
Delicious, wonderful, amazing cheese. Did I mention the cheese? This is 8 oz of velveeta, cut into smallish cubes, and 5oz each of shredded sharp and mild cheddar.
Let’s talk cheese for a minute. You can use an cheese that can easily be shredded. Cheddars, colby jack, gouda, swiss, gruyere, mozzarella. You can even add a parmesan topping, but I don’t recommend using it as a main cheese. There are many other soft cheeses, that make great béchamel cheese sauces, but that is a different mac, so I would just use a mix or just one, if you prefer, of the above.
Other ingredients include butter, milk, flour, white pepper*, red pepper flakes** and salt. You will need one very big bowl or pot for mixing. I use an 8 quart bowl. Use what you have. You may need to break it into two bowls to make it easier.
*Don’t have it, no problem, use black pepper. Don’t want that spicy kick, no problem, don’t add it.
After all this typing, your pasta is probably ready to be drained.
Put the butter in the bottom of the mixing bowl. Pour the drained pasta on top. Mix until the butter is melted and the pasta is coated. Add the flour, pepper, and pepper flakes if using. Coat the pasta in the flour mixture.
Now the fun. Add the cheese. I prefer to add the shredded cheese first, than the velveeta. You do what’s easiest for you. If you aren’t using velveeta, you can add the all the cheese at once. You will need a big spoon for this task. You want to evenly distribute the cheese. Taste this! Cheese has a lot of salt. If it is flavorful, don’t add any. I added a pinch of salt after tasting this batch.
Prepare your baking dish or dishes with butter or cooking spray. This recipe is really too big for a 9 x 13 pan. I use a stoneware roaster. I also keep ramekins on hand, and portion out individual servings. Use what you have. Roasting pan, 9×13 plus 8×8, two 8x8s, tin foil roasting pans you don’t have to clean, bread loaf pans (which if you plan to freeze parts of this recipe, this is the way to go). Decide what works for you.
Put the pasta and cheese mixture in the dish or dishes. Add the milk. There is no science here. I recommend having several cups on hand, but I have never measured it before. Look at your pan, and the mac and cheese line. That line is your max. You don’t want to drown it. I fill the pan 2/3 of the way up the mac and cheese line.
Bake at 325 degrees for an hour. You want bubbling cheese and brown crispy edges. I just realized I never typed preheat the oven. When you are getting the pot of water on the stove, turn the oven on. Whoops.
I mentioned above that this recipe can be frozen. My experience has been to bake it and freeze it and reheat it in the oven. Freezes beautifully, reheats beautifully. Reheat at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes.
This recipe can also be assembled a head of time. Prepare the recipe up thru putting it the pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and then tin foil, and put in the fridge. When you are ready to bake, remove from the fridge for 20-30 mins and pour the milk on. I don’t recommend assembling this much more than 24 hours before you are going to bake it.
Baked Mac & Cheese
1 lb macaroni, boiled just before al dente
8 oz velveeta, cut into small cubes
5 oz shredded sharp cheddar
5 oz shredded mild cheddar
8 oz butter, room temp is best, but not necessary
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp white pepper, if you are subbing black pepper, feel free to add up to 1 tsp
1/2 – 1 tsp red pepper flakes
a pinch of salt, after tasting
milk
Preheat oven at 325.
In a large bowl, combine the butter and mac. Butter should be melted and mac should be coated. Add the flour, pepper and pepper flakes. Coat the mac. Add the cheese. Combining until cheese is evenly distributed. Put into prepared baking dish. Add milk. Do not cover the mac in milk. Fill pan, until mac line is 2/3 covered.
Bake for one hour.