Amber's Macaroni & Cheese

My macaroni and cheese is my most requested, pot-luck-pleasing, party-going recipe so why should it not be the star of my very first post?

This recipe has become a staple of my household, adored by my husband and all of our friends and family. You can play around with the recipe by adding different cheeses and even some spice, but I'll get to that later.

The first thing you need to do is prep all of your ingredients. I find that this recipe is easier to accomplish when things are ready at your fingertips. We don't all have sou chefs to rely on, but a friend or spouse can come in handy if you forget to prep something.

Special Tips:

• Pasta: I prefer to use Cavatappi pasta because the larger noodles and helical shape really make this dish seem like your fine dining, but you can use elbow macaroni or other kind of pasta!
• Cheese: no matter what cheese you add, always grate it yourself! Pre-shredded cheese loses some of the robust flavors and produces a clumpy, sometime gritty sauce. Always grate your cheese from a whole cheese block or package!

Ingredients:

• 12 oz Cavatappi pasta, or pasta of your choice
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1.5 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream (light cream is also fine)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional for spice)
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated (divided)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 1 can condensed cheddar soup (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta 2 minutes shy of package directions. 
• Taste pasta to be sure it's almost cooked through, but just shy of done (al dente, aka firm to the bite). 
• Pasta will cook completely in the oven, so be sure not to overcook here!
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
3. Melt butter in a sauce pan on medium-high heat
4. Whisk in flour. Continue whisking as flour incorporates and begins to brown (2-3 minutes)
5. Slowly add milk, cream, onion powder, mustard powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne (optional) to the sauce pan while you whisk
6. Whisk continuously until sauce begins to thicken (3-5 minutes or more)
7. Remove from heat and immediately added cheeses
• Add 3 cups of cheddar and 1/2 cup of Parmesan
• Add can of condensed cheddar soup (option)
8. Incorporate cheeses into sauce until smooth with a whisk or rubber spatula
9. Combine pre-cooked pasta and cheese sauce
10. Coat a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Use a paper towel to coat the entire indea of the pan and remove excess oil
11. Pour combined pasta and cheese sauce into the pan
12. Top with remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese
13. Bake for 18-24 minutes or until bubbling
14. Optional: broil on high heat for 1-2 minutes to produce a nice browning on top.
15. Serve immediately to your favorite people :)

Extra Love:

• Make it in a crock pot: complete steps 1-9, but add to a greased crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours, stirring occasionally
• Breadcrumb topping: instead of reserving cheese for the top, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan for a delicious crunch!
• Vary your cheeses: try different cheese combinations! As long as you have 4-5 cups of cheese, you should get a similar consistency and a variety of flavors!

Thanks for reading! Please feel free to comment and send along photos of your macaroni and cheese! 

As always, cook with love.