Creamy No-Roux Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 4 to 6
What You Need
Ingredients
1 pound pasta, any shape
1 1/2 cups whole or 2% milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2-3 cups shredded cheese, like cheddar, monterey jack, or colby
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon powdered mustard
Optional extras (cook before adding): Ham, bacon, onions, peas,
mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower
Equipment
Pasta pot
Sauce pan
Whisk
Spatula
Instructions
1. Boil the Pasta: Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil over high
heat in the pasta pot. Add the pasta and a tablespoon of salt. Cook
until the pasta is al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Warm the Milk: When the pasta has finished cooking, prepare the
cheese sauce. Begin warming 1 cup of the milk in the saucepan over
medium heat. Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and the flour
until there are no lumps. When you just start to see tendrils of steam
rising from the warming milk, whisk in the milk-and-flour mixture.
Continue whisking gently until the milk thickens slightly to the
consistency of heavy cream, 3-4 minutes.
3. Make the Cheese Sauce: Turn the heat to low and begin mixing
handfuls of cheese into the milk. Stir in the salt and mustard. Stir
until all the cheese has melted and the sauce is creamy. Taste and
adjust the seasonings as desired. Remove the sauce from heat.
4. Combine the Pasta and Cheese Sauce: In a large serving bowl, combine
the pasta and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Stir to coat the pasta evenly.
Add the second half of the sauce and any extra add-ins.
5. Serving and Storing Leftovers: Serve the mac and cheese immediately
while still warm. Leftovers will keep for up to a week and can be
reheated in the microwave. If the sauce is a little dry after
re-heating, mix in a splash of milk to make it creamy again.
Additional Notes:
• Baked Mac and Cheese: If you have a little extra time, you can bake
the macaroni and cheese to give it a golden crust. Pour the prepared
mac and cheese into a casserole dish, cover with a lid or foil, and
bake at 350°F for 1/2 hour. Remove the covering, sprinkle with
breadcrumbs and a few pats of butter, and bake uncovered for another
15-20 minutes until the top is golden and the interior is bubbly.
_______________________________________________
Cookinginthedark mailing list
[email protected]
http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
