Last Night's Dinner - Easy Homemade Mac & Cheese

I tweeted that we had homemade mac and cheese last night for dinner, and darling Jodie asked for the recipe. Here you go:

I adapted this from Family Circle: 1 box (16 oz.) pasta (I use elbow macaroni) 3 T unsalted butter 3 T all-purpose flour 2 1/2 C milk 1/4 C chopped onion (or 1 tsp. onion powder) 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. nutmeg pepper to taste 1/4 C grated parmesan cheese 1 C grated cheddar cheese 1/4 C grated monterey jack cheese 1/4 C bread crumbs Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil pasta and drain. Set aside.

Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, whisking to blend. Add milk gradually, whisk until smooth. Bring to simmer over medium/medium-high heat, stirring. Then add onion (or onion powder), salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Simmer to thicken for a few minutes.

Stir in cheese until melted and sauce is smooth.

Put pasta in large, greased casserole dish and pour cheese sauce on top, mixing it in. Sprinkle approx. 1/4 C breadcrumbs on top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes; remove foil and place under broiler until top browns.

YUM. :)

You could easily add cooked meat to this (sausage or browned ground beef, or ham) or veggies. We like it straight up. :)

Comments

[Christyne]

This sounds delish!!! I may just have to try it tonight...I'm in the mood for comfort food...which would probably explain why I ate Sugar Crisp cereal for breakfast and carrot cake for lunch - YIKES!

[Ann]

YUM!! Man how I wish my dd wasn't allergic to milk products!!

[Michelle Moore]

Ooohh, yum! That sounds great! I'll have to try this during the next cold snap. (It's 81 degrees right now at 6:00 pm. Too hot for too much!)

[Carmel Keane]

Sometimes we add in a treaspoon or two of a really grainy mustard - Yum.

Sometimes just before serving I stir in some chopped up tomatoes too. could go in at any stage but I don't like them too soggy

[wendy smedley]

nutmeg- I have never tried that in my homemade mac and cheese- must try this!