Homemade Mac and Cheese

Homemade mac and cheese doesn’t have to be complex with layers of ingredients to make it delicious. Our mac and cheese is simple enough for any night of the week and makes a perfect side dish for the holidays. It will definitely please a crowd and those picky eaters.

Ingredients for Homemade Mac and Cheese:

• Macaroni elbow
• unsalted butter
• flour
• milk
• medium cheddar cheese
• salt and black pepper
• nutmeg- This gives the dish the “homemade” taste.
• paprika- This spice will give a little color, but will not add any heat.
• mustard powder

Side note: The only thing that you might have to worry about is making the roux or the base for the cheese sauce. Honestly, the first time I made a roux it was a disaster. But here are my tips to make sure you will have success.

• First, prepare all your ingredients ahead and have them next to your pot.

•  Second, make sure you have your stovetop turned to medium-low, so you don’t burn the butter.
• Add your butter first and whisk until melted.
• Add flour to the melted butter and whisk the butter into the flour for 1 minute.
• Once the butter and flour are combined, add the milk slowly and make sure to whisk constantly so that the butter and flour do not clump up.
• Now that the milk, butter, and flour are well combined all in your seasonings.
• Keep whisking for 3 minutes until the sauce is thick and bubbly.
• Now you can turn the heat off and add your cheese. Give this a good mix with a wooden spoon and now you have your cheese sauce.

Now dump in your cooked elbow pasta into the cheese sauce and make sure they get coated with the sauce. It’s ready! Just look at all that cheesy goodness.

**Optional: Pour the mac and cheese in a 4-quart casserole dish, add about 1/2 cup of cheese on the top, and put under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes or until the top turns a golden brown. This just adds a nice cheesy crust and it’s delicious.

Print Recipe

Homemade Mac and Cheese

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading...

Side Dish

By Kalu Lor – Serves: 6 -8

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 20 minutes – Total Time: 30 minutes

Our mac and cheese is simple enough for any night of the week and makes a perfect side dish for the holidays.

Ingredients

• 12 oz. Macaroni
• 6 TBS. Butter
• 6 TBS. flour
• 2 ½ cups of Milk
• 2 ½ cups of shredded medium cheddar cheese
• 2 tsp. Salt
• ¼ tsp. Black pepper
• ¼ tsp. Mustard powder
• 1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. Paprika

Instructions

1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2

Making the roux. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in flour until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly pour milk into the butter-flour mixture while continuously stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, mustard powder, and paprika.

3

Turn off the heat. Add Cheddar cheese to the roux and stir until cheese is completely melted.

4

Add the pasta to the cheese sauce and mix until the macaroni is well coated.

5

Now it’s ready to eat! However, I sometimes take an extra step to make it just a little more special and yummy.

6

*optional- Pour the mac and cheese in a 4-quart casserole dish, add about 1/2 cup of cheese on the top, and put under the broiler for about 2-3 minutes or until the top turns a golden brown. This just adds a nice cheese crust and it's delicious.