Extra Creamy, Extra Cheesy Mac & Cheese

The other night I made Macaroni and Cheese for dinner.  I don’t usually make Mac & Cheese for our family meal (I usually just make it for the girls for lunch) so I wanted something a little more “grown up” and a little more classy.I wish I had taken a picture to share but alas  we ate it before could digitally immortalize it.

When I make my mac & cheese from scratch I start with a basic cream sauce and add cheese.  Then I just stir in the macaroni.  This time however,  I wanted to bake the cheesy pasta.

What I Used:

  • Macaroni (I wanted to use all medium shells but I ended up not quite having enough so we had a mixture of small shells and medium shells.   about 4 – 5 cups uncooked; cooked according to directions
  • 6 cups Milk  (actually I reconstituted non-fat instant milk for 4 cups and then used 2 cups of our 2% milk.  I was running low on milk)
  • 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil  
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp garlic (or to taste)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • (I didn’t measure the cheese…. all measurements for cheese are approximate)
  • 4-6 oz cream cheese (I used slightly more than 1/2 of an 8 oz package)
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

What I did:

  • I had my daughter cook the macaroni and set aside.  She made about 8 oz (1/2 of a 16 oz box) medium shells.  We realized that was NOT enough so then she made 2 cups of small shells.  About 4 cups of small shells or elbow macaronis or about 4-5 cups of medium shells would work.
  • melt butter with oil in large heavy sauce pan; when butter is melted and bubbly whisk in flour.  At this point I whisk in my seasonings.  Cook and stir for about a minute or until flour/oil mixture is bubbly.
  • gradually whisk in milk
  • over med high heat bring to a boil (it should thicken as it begins to boil) (you should stir constantly but I stir very frequently or get a daughter to stir constantly)
  • after reaching boil, reduce heat and stir in all the cheeses
  • place macaroni in bottom of baking dish (I used my 11 X 15)
  • Pour cheese sauce over macaroni (I used a spoon to kind of mix it a little and spread the sauce evenly)
  • I sprinkled a bit more parmesan and cheddar cheese over the top and baked at 375 degrees until the cheese was melted and browned.  (about 25 minutes give or take)

I intended to serve this as the main dish but I did end up serving Boca Chik”in Patties with it. (These are vegetarian patties that resemble breaded chicken patties).  I also served salad, carrots and green beans.   This was a HUGE hit with my family with one daughter going back for seconds and thirds!   We did have enough left over for daddy to take for two lunches.  So I would say this would serve 8-10 people depending on the size of the appetite.

(This blog post has been submitted to the Blog Carnival The Christian Home hosted by The Legacy of Home)

Comments

  1. This sounds very yummy! I'm going to give it a try soon.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very yummy! I have made a similar recipe but I know I didn't add cream cheese and don't think the recipe called for mozzarella, either. I will try yours! :)

    ReplyDelete

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