Grandma’s Baked Macaroni
Has anyone else noticed the unnaturally bright orange color you get when you prepare a box of macaroni and cheese? I know it’s made from real cheese, but the powdery orange stuff just doesn’t seem right.
Whether it’s on the stove or in the oven, I prefer to make my Mac & Cheese from scratch.
Truly homemade macaroni and cheese should have a golden yellow color, something crunchy on top, and gooey chunks of cheese inside. Since you only need a few basic ingredients, this is a good dinner to have on the eve of grocery-shopping day. Look for milk, some kind of cheese - preferably cheddar, velveeta, butter, macaroni, and stale bread.
Scroll down for my recipe for my mother’s Oven-Baked Mac & Cheese…
Baked Macaroni & Cheese
serves 6 / prep. time 30 minutes / bake time: 45 minutes
2 1/2 c. dry macaroni
3 T. butter
8 oz. American (Velveeta) cheese
12 oz. cheddar cheese
1 c. milk
salt and pepper to taste
Topping:
stale bread crumbs
3 T. additional butter
Cook the macaroni according to the package directions - leave it slightly undone (al dente). Next melt the Velveeta and butter in the milk, either on the stove or in a glass bowl in the microwave. Heat your oven to 350. Grease a large casserole or 9 x 13 pan. Toss the cheese sauce with the macaroni and spread it in the pan. Now for the cheddar - if it’s shredded, sprinkle on top of the macaroni and stir it up a bit. If it’s not shredded, cut into chunks and do the same. Sprinkle salt and pepper over all.
For the topping, combine the bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle on top of your casserole. Good alternatives are crushed cheese crackers (cheezits or goldfish) or wheat germ.
Signing off for now… happy eating!
1 comment May 9th, 2007