Macaroni And Cheese Is The Ultimate Blank Slate And Delicious As Is Sometimes Though You Want To Gussy It Up A Bit Mac And Cheese Is Happy To Oblige
There are some comfort foods that just never get old and that make both kids and adults ridiculously happy. On the top of the list is macaroni and cheese.
I have a very sophisticated friend who, upon arriving at my house for dinner, will say, Is that mac and cheese I smell? Oh, please tell me thats mac and cheese. I really hope its mac and cheese. And for her, it usually is.
The Best Types Of Cheese
1. Sharp Cheddar
The king of all cheeses when it comes to coating your noodles. With a fairly low melting point, cheddar keeps things smooth. Its also got the classic taste youre looking for and expecting with mac and cheese. Sharp cheddar is ideal because its flavor is strongest, but the most important to thing to remember is to always buy cheddar in a block and grate your own! Pre-shredded simply doesnt work, which we will explain more in a bit.
2. Gouda
Gouda is a seriously underrated cheese when it comes to cooking! It melts beautifully and gives your mac a sophisticated taste without being too pretentious .
3. Gruyère
Despite it being a hard cheese, Gruyère still melts nicely. Its saltiness helps cut through all the heavy fats, and the nutty flavor is so special.
4. Cream Cheese
Were no strangers to cream cheese here in the Delish test kitchen, so it wasnt a huge surprise when we confirmed that its perfect in mac & cheese. It melts down easily and helps keep the sauce smooth with just the right amount of salt and tang. It works exceptionally well in a slow-cooker mac & cheese!
5. Brie
We use brie in our mac when we are feeling extra fancy. The creaminess is excellent for coating your noodles, and it creates the most decadent mac and cheese. Just be sure to remove the rind first!
You can even go crazy and make brie mac & cheese right inside your wheel of brie!
6. Goat Cheese
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Want To Lighten Up This Mac And Cheese
This mac and cheese is made with real cheese and real cream. Its insanely delicious and worth it. That said, here are a few ideas on how to make it more nutritionally redeeming:
Substitute half and half for the heavy cream.Half and half is equal parts heavy cream and whole milk. Your mac and cheese wont be quite as creamy or rich, but its still very good.
Add veggies! Reduce the amount of pasta to 6 ounces. Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped broccoli florets or 1 cup fresh or frozen peas to the pasta pot when just 2 to 3 minutes of pasta cooking time remain. Drain and stir into the cheese sauce as directed. Or, stir 1 to 2 cups roasted or cooked vegetables in at the end. Roasted Brussels sprouts are great.
Use high-quality ingredients. Grass-fed dairy tends to be higher in healthy Omega-3s. Buy organic cheese and cream to avoid added growth hormones.
Use whole grain pasta. This wont reduce the calories or fat, but it will add whole grains and increase the fiber content. That will make the mac and cheese more filling. My favorite brands of whole wheat pasta are DeLallo and Bionaturae.
Use a more voluminous noodle shape. This wont reduce the calories or fat, either, but it makes it seem like youre eating more pasta because it fills more of your bowl. If you swap other noodle shapes for the macaroni, measure them in ounces instead of cups .
OTHER OPTIONS
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Easy Homemade Mac And Cheese
This Easy Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe is made with 8 ingredients in 15 minutes on the stovetop ! Time to ditch the boxed mac and cheese for this irresistibly creamy, smooth & cheesy homemade recipe!
I have six kids and a husband with a taste palate of a 12-year-old-boy, which means we eat a lot of mac and cheese in our house. A lot of mac and cheese.
So naturally I created this easy homemade mac and cheese recipe so that we could consume less of the boxed varieties. Because I really care about feeding my family healthy meals that they actually enjoy! And did I mention that they love mac and cheese?!
Once you taste this homemade mac and cheese you and your family will say “goodbye” to powdered cheese forever, and say “hello” to this creamy dreamy real-cheese version again and again!
This homemade mac and cheese recipe is made with only 8 ingredients in 15 minutes! That’s the same amount of time it takes to make the boxed varieties, but with no preservatives or artificial ingredients!
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Mac and cheese is an all-American classic. And what would make this dish even better? Crushed red pepper flakes!
Crushed red pepper flakes are known for their ability to turn up the heat, so its no surprise that they go well with a warm bowl of mac and cheese.
In fact, most recipes for mac and cheese include some type of paprika or chili powder, so crushed red pepper flakes are in good company.
This spice also has other uses for making your mac and cheese even more delicious.
Try sprinkling some on top of your finished product to add some extra zest to the dish.
Or consider using it as a substitute for paprika or chili powder when youre already using those ingredients in your recipe.
If youre looking for great recipes to try out, we suggest looking at these:
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Faqs About Homemade Mac And Cheese
This mac and cheese recipe is one of my most popular, so here are some of the commonly asked questions.
How do you store mac and cheese?
Store the leftovers of this homemade mac and cheese recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Since it thickens as it cools, you may need to add 1-2 TBS of milk when it’s reheated it to restore its original creaminess.
Can homemade mac and cheese be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze this homemade mac and cheese, however I don’t recommend it. Since this mac and cheese recipe is so easy to make, there’s really no need to freeze it. If you’re looking for a freezer-friendly mac and cheese recipe check out my baked mac and cheese!
What main dish goes well with mac and cheese?
If you’re looking to serve this mac and cheese recipe as a side dish instead of the main event, here are some suggestions for other dishes that pair well with it: meatloaf
Variations Of Mac And Cheese
- Bacon if you love bacon, feel free to add some crispy, crumbled bacon to the topping, or even inside the mac and cheese as well!
- Stovetop if youd prefer not to bake this mac and cheese, you dont have to! Make sure you boil your pasta until al dente , and youll only need about 3 3 1/2 cups of cheese total. No need to layer the pasta and cheese, just add all the cheese to the sauce, then combine with the pasta.
- Different Toppings Im a huge fan of the cheese layer on top, since it gets nice and crispy, but we also love tossing 1 cup of panko with 2 Tbsp of melted butter and using that as a topping. 1 cup of crushed Ritz crackers with 2 Tbsp of butter work amazingly well too!
- Different Baking Times the recipe calls for a lower baking temperature and time, but most of the time I find myself adjusting that based on my familys tastes. I like to bake this mac and cheese at 350 F degrees for 30 minutes, then broil for 2-3 minutes to get that glorious cheesy crust.
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How Do I Fix Curdled Mac And Cheese
Part of the way to fix your curdled mac and cheese is to add more milk to the pot. Warm a cup in the microwave until it is steaming, then add it, 1/4-cup at a time to the mixture in the pot. Fold in the remaining cheese gradually instead of dumping it all in at once. Add more warm milk as needed.
Stir well to coat the macaroni in the cheese-milk mixture.
First Things First: Think Outside The Box
It goes without saying that youll want to ditch packaged products, with their refined grains and ultra-processed cheese powder or sauce. While boxed mac and cheese requires very little brainpower or culinary savvy, the combo of refined flour macaroni, ultra-processed cheese sauce, and surprising amounts of sodium more than 700 milligrams in a cup serving that go into popular brands wont leave you with much nutrition on your plate. Making your own mac and cheese allows you to control what ingredients go into it or not, says Andrews. In the end, she says, this leaves with you a more nutrient-dense and balanced meal. Our recipe below using better-for-you ingredients shows just how easy it can be to serve delicious and nutritious DIY mac and cheese in under 30 minutes.
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What Is The Best Homemade Mac And Cheese Recipe
AssembleMake macaroni and cheese. Spray your baking pan. Add poblano to macaroni. Put the drained macaroni into the pan. Mix cheese sauce and macaroni. Toast slices of tuscan bread cubes in oven until lightly toasted. Add on top of macaroni and cheese. Bake until bubbly about 30 minutes. Check at 15 minutes. This will make 13 x 9.
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Real Stovetop Mac And Cheese
Meet my all-time favorite mac and cheese recipe! This recipe has been in the works for over one year, no exaggeration. It has taken me that long to find my go-to mac and cheese method.
I wanted a classic stovetop recipe, like the blue box mac and cheese I grew up enjoying. But, I wanted to make my stovetop mac and cheese with real ingredients. I wanted it to be creamy and deliciously cheesybut not oozing with so much cheese that I had to take a nap afterward.
Here is my ultimate mac and cheese recipe, which meets all of the above requirements. I purposefully used yellow cheddar and noodles that remind me of the boxed variety. Its made simply with cheddar cheese and cream, and a few subtle dried spices to ramp up the flavor.
The best part? This mac and cheese could not be easier to make. Homemade mac and cheese for the win!
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Sneak In Even More Protein
Just as mac and cheese works well with many types of vegetables, it also welcomes a variety of lean proteins to make it more of a balanced meal. Protein is important for repairing and building bodily tissues, including muscle, and we should make sure to get enough at each of our meals, according to the USDA. Eating it with carbohydrates like pasta can help blunt the blood sugar spike of a meal because protein is more slowly digested than carbs. For this reason, protein can be particularly important for people with type 2 diabetes. According to a July 2021 study published in Nutrients, however, more than half of adults with diabetes failed to get the protein they need in a day, and that doing so is associated with overall lower diet quality and higher carbohydrate intake. Easy and healthy protein additions include canned tuna, smoked salmon, sliced grilled pork tenderloin, roasted chicken, canned beans, tinned smoked mussels, crumbled and sautéed tempeh, cooked ground turkey, and lentils.
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The Best Stovetop Mac And Cheese
Four reasons to love this mac and cheese recipe:
I owe Melissa Clark credit for this technique. I stumbled across her stovetop mac and cheese recipe in her new book, Dinner: Changing the Game. Its also available online at Food52.
My changes? Her recipe calls for freshly grated nutmeg, but I found that mac and cheese needs a few other spices to be utterly irresistible: mustard powder, garlic powder and onion powder, and the tiniest pinch of cayenne pepper. That combination is subtle but makes a world of difference. Trust me.
I also adjusted the method, since it was a little unreliable for me. This mac and cheese turns out perfectly every time as written below.
NOTES ON OTHER METHODS
Before I stumbled on this technique, I tried mac and cheese recipes with béchamel sauce, both stovetop versions and baked. No matter the recipe, the béchamel versions turned out somewhat grainy and floury-tasting.
I also tried mac and cheese with evaporated milk, which seemed more like Velveeta than real cheese and left me with a stomachache. I tried mac and cheese with Monterey Jack, too, which offers less flavor than cheddar and produces an excessively gooey texture .
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Turn It Into A Casserole
Turning the leftover into a casserole is always helpful.
This allows you to serve it for lunch or dinner, give out some to family members, or freeze it for later.
To do this, place the leftover in a baking dish, add some breadcrumbs to the top, and bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
You can also top it with bacon crumbles or shredded cheese before you bake it.
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How To Make Mac And Cheese Sauce
Step 1: Make Roux by this point, you already know the ins and outs of a roux and how to make it , so were going to skip to step 2.
Step 2: Whisk in Milk slowly add milk to the roux, whisking constantly so it doesnt burn. Continue to whisk for around 4-6 minutes, or until things begin to thicken.
Dont rush this process. we PROMISE things will thicken!
Step 3: Remove from Heat once things are thick, turn the heat off.
Step 4: Whisk in Shredded Cheese then, add shredded cheese, garlic, hot sauce, salt, and pepper and whisk until the cheese melts.
Give your cheese sauce a taste and add more hot sauce, as desired.
Step 5: Enjoy! mix mac and cheese sauce with macaroni noodles and serve immediately.
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How To Make The Creamiest Mac And Cheese
You only have to do a few things differently than normal when youre trying to make box mac and cheese better! Heres how you do it.
Havarti Creates Heavenly Mac And Cheese
Havarti and cream havarti are cheeses that, like fontina, are also prized for their versatility as a slicing cheese and a cooking cheese. The semi-soft cows milk cheese, cream havarti, was developed in the 19th century in Denmark and can often be found blended with herbs and spices like dill, caraway, or even jalapeno peppers.
Aged for three months, havartis flavor can range from mild to strong and is often seen on dessert cheese plates. Its buttery meltiness makes havarti a welcome addition to a delicious homemade macaroni and cheese.
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How To Keep Mac And Cheese Warm
You might have a party where many guests will attend. At American household parties, mac & cheese is a common side dish. Keeping the dish warm is important because when it gets cold, it becomes hard and dry. And once you reheat mac and cheese, it loses its taste and becomes gluey. Your mac and cheese should not stick too much.
Here are a few ways you can keep mac and cheese warm to keep it creamy and tasty:
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Heat the oven and cook the pasta
Make the sauce
Bake!
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