Macaroni and Cheese, considered the ultimate comfort food and loved by all young and old.
Homemade Mac and Cheese a la Happy Haute Home
The mac and cheese I had growing up was very different from the one I am sharing today. Dad, being a french chef made his Mac and Cheese with creme fraiche, gruyere cheese and topped with fresh breadcrumbs. While I loved this rich and delicious dish, I also craved a more traditional version that my friends had at their homes. As a child, I came to love Kraft boxed mac and cheese! And not with the powdered cheese, I mean the real one…with cheese in a can! 😉
I loved it so much, that during high school, I came home every day and ate an entire box while watching my favorite soap opera on TV! Ah…those were the days…
Wanting something in between a very creamy french version and the boxed version, I came up with this delicious mac and cheese recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does! You can Pin the recipe down below, let me know what you think!
Ingredients
- 1 Box of Pasta (16 oz)
- 1 stick of salted butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 cups milk
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 3 cups shredded cheese from a block (not a bag) such as cheddar, mozzarella, gouda, gruyere or any other favorites
Instructions
- Add 1 tsp salt to large pot and cook pasta until al dente.
- While the noodles are cooking, make the roux (sauce).
- Melt butter in deep sauce pan over medium heat then add 1/4 cup flour and mix with a wire whisk. If the roux is too thin, add another 1/4 cup of flour. The mixture should be the consistency of a thick paste.
- Slowly add the milk, stirring with wire whisk the whole time so you don’t get lumps. Once smooth, add salt and pepper to taste. I use skim milk to cut down on fat and the dish is still delicious.
- When the sauce thickens, shred the cheese and add 1 cup to your roux and stir until melted.Tip:If your sauce gets too thick, you can add more milk to thin it down.
- Once the noodles are cooked, drain and pour the roux over the noodles and stir well.
- If you like, add additions like bacon or lobster for a real treat!
- Poor 1/2 mixture into a 9×13 baking dish and top with 1 cup shredded cheese.
- Add the other 1/2 of the mixture on top of the cheese and top with last cup of shredded cheese.
- Top with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Tip: You can also add crushed butter crackers or even potato chips.
- Cover and bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25 min.
- Turn your oven on broil and bake another 5 min to get that delicious crunch to your cheese.
- Serve hot, gooey and delicious!
Pin IT!
Denise
XO
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