Stovetop Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni & cheese is one of those foods that takes me back to my childhood.  I love that it hasn’t lost its charm after all of these years.  There is something incredibly comforting about a bowl of mac & cheese, laughing at dinner, and talking about our days.

A few months ago, however, I had a huge mac & cheese mess up.  I bought cheap shredded cheese, because I thought it would work.  It didn’t, and it was quite possibly the most disgusting dinner I’ve made.  We ended up throwing it out and eating sandwiches.  I thought Nathan would ban me from ever putting mac & cheese on the table again {lest it be from a certain iconic blue box}, but I convinced him to let me take another swing at it.  Armed with a new recipe and better cheese, I just knew I could pull it off.

I did.

We all know that I aspire to be Martha Stewart {minus the jail time}, so it is only natural I would turn to her website to find the recipe that would make my prior mac & cheese sins forgiven.  This recipe is awesome.

Stovetop Macaroni & Cheese {from MarthaStewart.com}

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• Coarse salt
• 4 cups whole milk {don’t skimp on this…go for the whole.  It is going to make a difference}
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 pound small shell pasta or elbow macaroni
• 4 cups coarsely grated sharp yellow cheddar (3/4 pound)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium.
2. Chop the onion and add it to the butter.  Cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
3. Add flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is pale golden, has a slightly nutty aroma, and is the texture of cooked oatmeal, about 5 minutes.
4. Whisking constantly, pour in 2 cups milk; add 2 more cups milk and cayenne and whisk until smooth.
5. Cook mixture, stirring constantly along bottom of pan, until boiling, 6 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and does not feel grainy when a small amount is rubbed between two fingers, about 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain thoroughly and put in a bowl.
7. Remove sauce from heat and let cool 10 minutes. Quickly whisk in cheese, mustard, and Worcestershire. Pour cheese sauce over pasta and stir to coat.
   

Grade: A

Comments: At first I was worried that I had screwed up my cheese sauce, because the consistency didn’t seem right.  However, it was perfect!  This was SO good.  The recipe says it is for 6 servings, but it made almost 10 {at least for us}.  This would be so good with hot dogs or at a picnic.  The cheese flavor isn’t too super strong, but it is just enough to be absolutely delicious.  I definitely recommend not skimping on the milk and cheese to go for lower fat – just accept that this recipe isn’t healthy and move on.