Really Great Macaroni & Cheese

"I can't remember who puts out that famous red & white checkered cookbook, but this mac & cheese recipe is theirs. This is what my mom made us since we were kids and any mac & cheese that doesn't contain sauteed onions and real cheese is crapola, in my opinion. And although I have a fondness for the traditional elbows, a rotini pasta grabs the sauce much better. Remember NEVER to add oil or butter to the water you boil the pasta in or the sauce will not cling as well. This goes for all pasta. If you love your children you will NEVER feed them any mac & cheese from a box or made with Velveeta, no matter how easy it is to whip up. Show you care, cube some real cheddar and make a white sauce. Use a good pasta, too. I prefer Barilla, but Ronzoni is a close second."
 
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photo by Nimz_ photo by Nimz_
photo by Nimz_
photo by Nimz_ photo by Nimz_
Ready In:
55mins
Ingredients:
8
Serves:
8
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ingredients

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directions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees and get a large pot of water boiling.
  • Cube the cheese.
  • Start cooking the pasta while preparing the cheese sauce.
  • Saute onion in butter until soft and transparent.
  • Add flour, salt and pepper, cooking for one minute.
  • Add milk slowly, continuously stirring.
  • Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens.
  • Add cheese gradually until all the cheese is melted.
  • When pasta is al dente, drain pasta and pour cheese sauce into the pot and stir well.
  • Pour into a 13 x 9 (or slightly larger) baking pan that's been sprayed with Pam.
  • Bake for 30 (minimum) to 40 minutes.

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Reviews

  1. Excellent Mac & Cheese. Loved the flavor of the onions with the sharp cheddar. Easy to put together to have homemade. Will make this again. Thanks for sharing. :) Made for Bargain Basement Tag Game
     
  2. This is good,I had a taste as I just put it in the oven with no changes.I have a red/white check cookbook and it is Better Homes & Gardens.Thanks for the recipe.
     
  3. Thanks for this recipe. I added 1/2 pound of ground sausage and my family absolutely loved this. I also used cabot 50% light cheddar cheese. A tasty treat that I am sure will be requested again soon!
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Being a born and bred New Yorker with lots of varied ethnic food influences growing up, you can find me enjoying anything from Bloodwurst to Chicken Jahlfrezi to PBJs with fresh-ground honey roasted peanut butter and yummy homemade strawberry jam, and don't forget my friend Anna's mother's Pomodoro Sauce (via Bari, Italy). When it comes to eating and cooking, many native New Yorkers seem to be of whatever background that is on their plate at the moment. <br> <br>I notice that a good number of Zaarites list "pet peeves" here. Many list whiny people as their peeve. Hey...I live in NYC where almost EVERYONE whines and complains, so I don't notice anymore. What burns my biscuits is seeing recipes that call for some really funky ingredients like Kraft (cough cough) Parmesan cheese in the green can and chicken from a can. I had never even heard of chicken in CAN(???) until last year. Get the best quality ingredients you purse will allow. That includes spices. Those jars of spices that sell for 99 cents are no bargain if you can afford something better. Do yourself a favor and if possible, go and explore any ethnic food markets in your area. They have the most wonderful spices and herbs and they are usually priced well. And you'll find so many other goodies you'd never have even known about. (I know this isn't possible for everyone, but then there's always the internet) <br> <br>Sorry, I am the product of an "ingredient snob" father and I just can't help having inherited that gene to a certain extent. And again, I'm a New Yawka...we are SLIGHTLY opinionated. You're reading about the person who drives (I kid you not) 3 hours upstate and 3 hours back just to get THE sausage I need for my Thanksgiving stuffing. So call me fanatical. <br> <br>I am a rather good baker and for a short time I had my own dessert biz...until I found out how hard it can be to work for yourself. So I went back to working as an Art Editor in publishing.
 
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