© Sunshine Urbaniak
Creamy Mac and Cheese
For the longest time I used two pots for making mac and cheese; one for boiling the pasta and one for making the cheese sauce. Well not anymore! After making it one pot I can’t find a reason to ever go back to using two. Boiling the pasta in the milky liquid adds flavor depth to the noodles that you just can’t get with plain old salted water. Plus, mixing the cheese into the noodles helps get all that cheesy goodness in all the nooks and crannies.
Feel free to use whatever pasta you choose. I bounce around with different varieties but cavatappi is my favorite, not just because it looks good, but the thick cheese sauce clings nicely to its spiral shape and ridges. Every bite is full of creamy cheesy goodness. Good old fashioned elbow noodles work just as well.
This creamy mac and cheese recipe serves 6-8 people so either make it when you have a lot of mouths to feed or be prepared to store leftovers in the fridge. Reheating is simple. You can put it back on the stove over low heat and slowly let it warm up. You may need to add some milk to awaken the sauce. You can also pop it in the microwave on medium power, say power five, in 1-min. increments, stirring each time. Either way, it will taste just as creamy as the first time you made it. Enjoy!
Creamy Mac and Cheese
Servings: 6-8
AuthorSunshine UrbaniakCategoryDinner, SidesINGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour, continuing to whisk to cook through, about 2 min.
Slowly add the water, whisking continuously, until smooth. Add the milk, half-and-half, salt, pepper, garlic powder, mustard powder, dash of nutmeg, and the pasta. Bring to a low boil and stir often as pasta cooks. Follow your pasta cooking time but be sure to test towards the end. You want the pasta to be al dente.
Once pasta is cooked, remove it from heat and slowly stir in the cheese, about 1 cup at a time. Let sit for 5 min and then enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour, continuing to whisk to cook through, about 2 min.
Slowly add the water, whisking continuously, until smooth. Add the milk, half-and-half, salt, pepper, garlic powder, mustard powder, dash of nutmeg, and the pasta. Bring to a low boil and stir often as pasta cooks. Follow your pasta cooking time but be sure to test towards the end. You want the pasta to be al dente.
Once pasta is cooked, remove it from heat and slowly stir in the cheese, about 1 cup at a time. Let sit for 5 min and then enjoy!
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