Ever since I was young, I’ve always loved macaroni and cheese. Growing up, my mom always made the Kraft Macaroni n Cheese, the one in the blue box, and it was always one of my favorite side meals. In recent years, having become more conscious and cautious about all the prefab things we call food in this country, I’ve strayed away from buying things in the supermarket that can sit in my cupboard or refrigerator for months and months before I consume them. The word “chemicals” always come to my mind when I think of them and it scares me a little.
With the help of some forays into the Food Network’s Rachel Ray show the past couple of years, I’ve gained an appreciation for using fresh ingredients in my cooking. To me the food tastes better when I make something from scratch that I can find in a microwavable box (with a packet of flavored powder…blech!). I also feel that I’m eating just a bit healthier by doing so. The process for making things yourself is often easy, like in this recipe for making macaroni and cheese.
What you’ll need:
– 1 lb. boxed pasta (I find that the thicker pastas, like Rotini, Fusili, or Rigatoni.)
– Start a rue by melting the butter, or butter substitute, and adding equal parts flour. Let the mixture cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.
– Add milk to the rue, as well as a dash of nutmeg, and simmer until just beginning to boil, stir.
– Once the milk has begun to simmer, add the cheese to the sauce and stir constantly to melt the cheese.
– When the cheese has melted, pour over the macaroni in the baking pan and mix in with a spoon.
The topper:
– Sprinkle a handful of breadcrumbs into a small dish.
– Add dashes of any dry, leafy spice you’ve got in your cupboard. (I often add rosemary, oregano, chives, thyme, parsley, and basil.)
– Pour in some olive oil to coat the bread crumb/spice mixture.
– Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the macaroni and cheese and put in a 350-degree oven for twenty minutes or so.
(This bread crumb topping is the bomb! It makes the dish, so don’t cut this step short.)
What’s great about this recipe is that it is versatile. That is, you control the ingredients to your liking. Any type of milk or butter (substitute) allows you to control the calorie, fat and cholesterol intake in the meal, and the cheese can be whatever kind of cheese you like. In fact, the type of cheese can be changed every time you cook it for a whole new taste every time. So what are you waiting for? Put that box down!
