Cooking for Students Mac and Cheese

Mac and Cheese

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Cooking for Students

Making a quick stovetop mac and cheese is super simple. This mac is buttery, comforting, salty, and smooth. You do not need to make a complex béchamel sauce, no seasoned bread crumbs are required and there is no bake time. This recipe is focused on achieving a cheesy and rich mac and cheese without all the work. That’s it! In fact the total time required is a mere 15 minutes. Imagine having freshly made mac and cheese in such a short time? You probably though it was not possible but it is and you are going to love every spoonful.

What’s in it?

  • 1 ½ cups uncooked elbow macaroni
  • 1-1 ¼ cup milk
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded or diced finely
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • Salt, to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste

*Makes 4 servings

How’s it made?

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat.
  2. Add salt to the water once it is boiling. This will give the pasta more flavor.
  3. Add the pasta and cook according to the packaging instructions.
  4. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
  5. Keep the heat on high and add the butter as well as the flour, milk and cheese.
  6. Season with a little salt and a generous amount of black pepper.
  7. Continually stir until the cheese starts to melt and a nice, thick sauce begins to form. If the sauce becomes too thick add more milk.
  8. Remove the mac and cheese from the heat and cover.
  9. Allow it to sit for a few minutes. During this time everything will firm up.
  10. Taste and adjust seasonings.
  11. Serve.

You are going to really like this mac and cheese. It tastes really great and certainly beats the microwavable macaroni that you have probably grown accustomed to. This recipe has that down home feel that tastes like mom made it. For a more complex flavor consider using another type of cheese. Fontina works really well along with Monterey jack and goat cheese for some tang. All of these cheeses make a super creamy sauce that is decadent and quite addictive. Along with cheese selections consider adding other elements like crumbled bacon and/or chives to the mac and cheese.