This stovetop mac and cheese recipe has been in my family forever. This is the mac and cheese I grew up with as a kid. Not the blue box, but homemade from scratch mac and cheese. Yes! I still remember the first time I had the boxed stuff at my friends house and I couldn’t understand how people ate and liked this. I mean it was fine but it was not the wonderful cheesy deliciousness I was used to. I believed that it did not deserve to be called macaroni and cheese.
This recipe was handed down to me from my mother and her mother taught her before that. This was one of the first things I learned how to cook, and now I want to share it with you! It is the perfect recipe to master as it covers basic skills such as a roux, and I personally think it is the best starting point for any kind of mac and cheese. Once you know how to make this you can go on to add vegetables, meats or change the cheeses to create any delicious combination your imagination can dream up all because you know the method. And it all starts with rather simple ingredients.
I highly recommend you use a very sharp cheddar cheese for this, I like to use the Cabot Seriously Sharp and either dijon or spicy brown mustard. Also be sure to keep the heat low. Low and slow is your friend. If it gets too hot the butter will separate out of the sauce. Trust me, your patience will be rewarded. You are going to want to have seconds of this because it is so cheesy it hits the comfort food spot.
If you do have leftovers, I recommend storing them in an oven-safe container, mixing 2 tablespoons melted butter with 1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and topping the leftovers. Once ready to eat heat them in the over at 350 for 20 mins or until heated through. Trust me…if you want to microwave the leftovers, be very careful and go slow…but just heat it in the oven, it’s worth it.
And now, here are even more photos that will make you hungry. Take a look and then go make mac and cheese!
- 1 box of elbow macaroni
- 2 Tablespoons of butter
- 2 Tablespoons of flour
- 1 cup of milk
- 16 oz of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded of cut up
- ½ Tablespoon of mustard
- Dash or two of hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- Boil water in a large pot and add pasta once boiling, cook according to the instructions and drain
- Over low heat in a skillet melt the butter then add the flour to create a roux and cook for two to three minutes to cook out all the flour
- Add ¾ of the milk to the roux and stir till combined, reserve the rest for the end
- Add a handful of the cheese and stir till it is melted and then in small additions melt all the cheese while continually stirring
- Before adding the last batch of cheese add the mustard, hot sauce, and pepper and the rest of the milk if the consistency is too thick.
- Once all the cheese is completely melted add the pasta and serve
In the mood for something a bit healthier? Try this Turkey Breakfast Sausage.
I now want this macaroni and cheese for dinner!