Sharp Cheddar Mac and Cheese
Mac and Cheese is arguably the very embodiment of “comfort food.” Few things can beat that creamy, cheesy goodness coating those tender morsels of macaroni pasta. It’s also a favorite of children across the globe — a win-win for those with young kids.
This was one of those meals I saw in restaurants or on TV, and always thought to myself: “oh that must be way too hard to execute properly at home. But like bolognese, or carnitas — or in fact most of the dishes on Eats to Love — once you practice it a couple of times and understand what’s going on, it’s really not a difficult to get right at all!
In a nutshell, just make a roux, add some milk, cheese, and spices, and you’re on your way! Ok, it’s a little more complex than that, but honestly not that much…
Over time, you’ll be as shocked at how simple it is to make and will never look at those boxed mac and cheeses the same! Your whole family will thank you 🙂
Let’s get cooking…
Add Butter and chill flakes to pan, cook until butter is golden brown. Add flour, stirring well to incorporate, and cook until mixture forms consistency of wet sand. The mixture of flour and butter is known as the roux.
Milk should be added in increments – no more than half a cup at a time. Dumping it all in at once will make it difficult to fully incorporate to reach desired thickness (and will also likely result in a lumpy sauce). Whole process can take anywhere from 30-60minutes depending on a) how well it comes together, and b) how much time you have on your hands!
This is the béchamel, a classic white sauce, and one of the “mother” sauces of French cuisine. Sounds fancy, but it’s essentially a thickened milk sauce — a medium to bind with that cheesy goodness you’re gonna dump in shortly…
Once Béchamel is made, you can breathe a sigh of relief, the hard part is done. The rest of it is a piece of cake from here on in.
Now you’re ready for last – and best – part……adding the cheese and stirring in macaroni. This is often the part that I have my kids help with too, as they love seeing the creamy, gooey goodness coming together!
Once the sauce is done, pasta added, and collard’s braised…..the meal is ready! Creamy, delicious, home-made mac and cheese with a tasty side of greens that will blow the socks off any you can find in a store.
Sharp Cheddar Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups Milk
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 tsp Chilli flakes
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 2 tbsp All purpose flour
- 1 tsp Onion powder
- 1 tbsp Dried garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Dried mustard powder
- 1 tsp Nutmeg (ground)
- 4 oz Sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 2 oz Percorino grated. Parmesan works great as well
- 4 oz Ham for collard greens and garnish for mac and cheese
- Parsley/Chives for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Add Butter to pan, cook until golden brown. Add flour, stirring well to incorporate, and cook until mixture forms consistency of wet sand.
- Milk should be added in increments – no more than half a cup at a time. Dumping it all in at once will make it difficult to fully incorporate to reach desired thickness (and will also likely result in a lumpy sauce). Whole process can take anywhere from 30-60minutes depending on a) how well it comes together, and b) how much time you have on your hands!
- Once Béchamel is made, you can breathe a sigh of relief, the hard part is done. The rest of it is a piece of cake from here on in.
- Add cheese and stir in macaroni. This is often the best part — the part that my kids help with too, as they love seeing the creamy, gooey goodness coming together!
- For collard greens just chop them up into relatively thin strips, saute in some olive oil with some ham and garlic, add some salt and pepper, and then braise for about half an hour (longer if possible) with some chicken stock. Delicious!