One of my kids all time favorite foods is Macaroni & Cheese, and because I discovered a long time ago that it tastes so much better from scratch, they have never eaten boxed Mac & Cheese! This is my recipe for homemade Mac & Cheese, and once you get the hang of making a Bechamel sauce, this becomes a quick and easy supper that you can make with only a few simple ingredients!
Homemade Mac & Cheese
1 pound pasta of your choice, penne or elbow macaroni work well
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
2 - 2.5 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Before we make our cheese sauce, you will want to boil a pot of water and start cooking your pasta. This sauce doesn't take very long! If your pasta is done before your sauce, then simply drain it and set it aside until you're ready for it.
First, we will make a roux with butter and flour. Cut your butter into 3 or 4 pieces and add to a pan set over medium heat.
Once the butter has melted and has stopped foaming, add 4 tbsp of flour to the pan.
Whisk the butter and the flour together constantly until the flour is thoroughly cooked. I would say 2-3 minutes is good. What we have here is a white roux. Roux's are cooked to varying levels of darkness depending on what they are being used for.
Next, we are going to add 2 cups of milk to our roux. Now, this is where the tricky part comes in! If you have never made a bechamel sauce before, I highly recommend warming your milk up before adding it to the pan. If you do use cold milk, you will have to whisk very very quickly as you pour to ensure that no lumps form in your bechamel sauce.
Pour the milk into the roux, and while you are pouring, begin whisking as quickly as you can to incorporate the roux and the milk. Do not dump all the milk into the pan and then try to whisk it! You will definitely get lumps this way! Pour the milk slowly and whisk as you pour.
After the milk is incorporated into the roux, it must thicken. This takes between 3-5 minutes for the sauce to fully thicken, and once thickened, you have what is known as a bechamel sauce! Bechamel is a french mother sauce that is used as a base to create many other sauces, but today we will be making a cheese sauce!
Slowly add your shredded cheese to the bechamel about 1/2 cup at a time until it is all fully incorporated.
At this point the thickness of the sauce may be perfect, or it may need to be thinned down a little bit. If you look at the picture here and the one below, it should give you an idea of the thickness we're looking for. If the sauce seems too thick, go ahead and add the 1/2 cup of milk to thin it out.
Once your sauce is the right consistency, season it with salt and pepper to taste. I also like to add about 1/2 tsp of mustard powder to mine, but this is entirely optional.
Finally, pour the sauce over your cooked pasta and mix.
Homemade Mac & Cheese
1 pound pasta of your choice, penne or elbow macaroni work well
4 tbsp butter
4 tbsp flour
2 - 2.5 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Before we make our cheese sauce, you will want to boil a pot of water and start cooking your pasta. This sauce doesn't take very long! If your pasta is done before your sauce, then simply drain it and set it aside until you're ready for it.
First, we will make a roux with butter and flour. Cut your butter into 3 or 4 pieces and add to a pan set over medium heat.
Once the butter has melted and has stopped foaming, add 4 tbsp of flour to the pan.
Whisk the butter and the flour together constantly until the flour is thoroughly cooked. I would say 2-3 minutes is good. What we have here is a white roux. Roux's are cooked to varying levels of darkness depending on what they are being used for.
Pour the milk into the roux, and while you are pouring, begin whisking as quickly as you can to incorporate the roux and the milk. Do not dump all the milk into the pan and then try to whisk it! You will definitely get lumps this way! Pour the milk slowly and whisk as you pour.
After the milk is incorporated into the roux, it must thicken. This takes between 3-5 minutes for the sauce to fully thicken, and once thickened, you have what is known as a bechamel sauce! Bechamel is a french mother sauce that is used as a base to create many other sauces, but today we will be making a cheese sauce!
Slowly add your shredded cheese to the bechamel about 1/2 cup at a time until it is all fully incorporated.
At this point the thickness of the sauce may be perfect, or it may need to be thinned down a little bit. If you look at the picture here and the one below, it should give you an idea of the thickness we're looking for. If the sauce seems too thick, go ahead and add the 1/2 cup of milk to thin it out.
Once your sauce is the right consistency, season it with salt and pepper to taste. I also like to add about 1/2 tsp of mustard powder to mine, but this is entirely optional.
Finally, pour the sauce over your cooked pasta and mix.
Now eat your delicious Mac & Cheese!
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