29 March 2019
Welcome friends. Today I want to share my recipe for macaroni and cheese. Every time that I make this, I think about the you tube video by Kalen Allen. He is watching a food show make macaroni and cheese and making comments. This recipe uses a roux (his comment was that a roux sounds "boujee"), so I guess you can call this "boujee" mac and cheese. Watch his video, if you haven't, it is good for a laugh.
The origin of this recipe came from a fitness magazine. They claimed that white cheeses have less fat. I don't know if that is true or not, I never see the macros for cheeses when I buy them. They also claimed that making it yourself is healthier than buying it at a restaurant. I can see some truth there, because you are more likely to get a large serving size when you dine at a restaurant. I looked at a few recipes while I was experimenting. One of the suggestions that I saw was to try other types of macaroni. I know elbow macaroni is the standard, but I have become a big fan of small shells (from DeCecco). I use them when I make this dish because it just seems like a better pasta to cheese ratio.
The idea with the cheese is to use an inexpensive base cheese and add a couple of more expensive cheeses to enrich the flavor. I played around with Irish cheddar and Emmenthal, but they didn't have enough flavor for the price. I finally settled on a basic sharp cheddar. I love Gruyere, but a little is better than a lot. The flavors of cheeses usually intensify when they are baked.
Yes, you have to bake it in the oven. It is just better. The yogurt adds some clumps to the sauce, but I like the tanginess it adds.
Mac and Cheese
40 min. prep time | 30 min bake time
Ingredients
serves 8
- 2 cups uncooked macaroni
- 2 cups milk, 2%
- 1 cup extra-sharp cheddar, grated
- 1/2 cup gruyere, grated
- 1/4 cup peccorino romano, grated
- 2 Tbl all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbl butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt, 2%
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Directions
measure the pasta and set aside. Measure the milk and set aside. Fill a medium saucepan ¾ full with water and heat to boil over medium-high heat.
preheat the oven to 350° F.
grate the cheeses while the water heats. The course side of a box grater is fine enough.
add the pasta to the boiling water and give it a couple of stirs to keep any from sticking to the bottom of the pan. I usually add about 2 minutes to the time provided by the manufacturer. I want the pasta to be soft when I put it in the oven. Set a timer to the desired time.
place the butter in a small saucepan and heat it over medium heat. When the butter has melted, sprinkle the flour over the top and then stir constantly, with a wooden spoon and cook for 2 minutes. The mixture will change from foamy and fragrant, to thick and pasty.
add about ¼ cup of the milk to the butter mixture and stir it. It should begin to thicken after a few seconds. Continue to add the milk, about ¼ cup at a time, stirring several times after each addition. Once all the milk has been added, reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the mixture for about 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the cheeses to this and cook for another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the yogurt and salt and whisk until combined.
drain the pasta and return it to the saucepan. If you like to rinse your pasta (I do not), you can also do that now. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir a few times. The mixture will be kind of soupy, but it will thicken as it bakes. Carefully pour the mixture into an 8 by 8 baking dish.
place the dish in the center of the oven, and bake for about 30 minutes. The top will be lightly golden and the sides will be bubbly. Allow the macaroni to cool for 5 minutes before serving.