My kids, like all other American kids, love mac & cheese. They are usually not very discriminating, they’ll eat the Kraft stuff, the Safeway stuff, the Annie stuff, whatever we put in front of them. What they haven’t been willing to eat – until now – was homemade mac & cheese. Well, this is no longer the case. Mika, my 7-yo, has been begging me to make it again. Camila, my 4-yo, wasn’t as enthusiastic, but she really liked it as well. Alas, I’m not sure that nutritionally this recipe is any better than the regular mac & cheese (which now comes with whole-grain pasta). It’s definitely much less friendly to my pocket book. But I’m sure I’ll make it again.
The original recipe called for sharp cheddar but I used a mixture of pre-shredded Mexican mixture and home-shredded muenster, as that’s what I had at home.
Mac & Cheese
- 12 oz small elbow macaroni
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 2 slices bread, crumbled
- 4 tbsp. flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3 cups (packed) grated cheese
- salt & pepper to taste
Cook the pasta on salted boiling water until tender but firm. Drain and put in a 9″ x 13″ baking pan.
Meanwhile, pre-heat broiler.
Also meanwhile melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan. Put the breadcrumbs in a small bowl and mix in 1 Tbsp. butter. Set aside.
Add the flour to the butter in the saucepan and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Gradually add the milk and broth, continuing whisking. Bring to a boil and add the green onions. Continue cooking and whisking for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and mix in the grated cheese. Stir until it’s completely incorporated.
Pour the cheese sauce onto the macaroni and mix well. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of it. Broil until the crumbs brown, about 2 minutes. Serve.
Marga’s Best Recipes
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