Homemade Mac and Cheese

Homemade Mac and Cheese! My kids go crazy over this recipe! They actually beg me to make it… and I do at least once every few weeks. I have made it with many different cheese combinations and they have all turned out great. Feel free to substitute your favorite cheese. I’ve even used the Mexican cheese blend from Costco and it was a hit. But my favorite combo is Gruyere and Cheddar, or Fontina and Cheddar. I also frequently make this a gluten-free dish by using gluten-free noodles, all purpose gluten-free flour, and Udi’s bread for the breadcrumb topping. I swear that you can’t tell the difference! But for today I’m giving you the regular recipe. Also, feel free to change up the topping! Two of my kids LOVE the tomatoes, and two don’t 🙂 Usually, I put the tomatoes over the entire thing, but sometimes I’ll only cover half of it. And if I don’t have tomatoes, I’ll just put the breadcrumb topping on. It really is a versatile recipe. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound box of elbow macaroni noodles
• 6 Tbs. butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk
• 3 cups, shredded Gruyere cheese
• 3 cups, shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg (you can use plain ground nutmeg if that’s all you have… but fresh ground nutmeg is preferred!)
• 1 Tbs. Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Optional Topping:

• 4-5 tomatoes, sliced
• 2 Tbs. butter
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook your macaroni noodles al dente according to package instructions. Make sure you put a drizzle of oil in the water so your noodles don’t stick! Drain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat your milk in a small saucepan on low. Don’t boil it!! You just want it warm to make your béchamel sauce… which is a fancy word for a simple white sauce that’s made from butter, flour and milk.
4. Melt the 6 Tbs of butter in a large pot on low heat. Add in the flour. Whisk constantly for about two minutes. Make sure you cook it for the entire two minutes to ensure that you “cook out” the flour flavor. While whisking, slowly add the heated milk. Whisk for another minute or two, until the sauce has thickened and is smooth. You have just made a fancy béchamel sauce! 🙂
5. Turn the heat off, and stir in your cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add in the cooked noodles and stir well. Adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
6. Pour into a 13 x 9 pyrex dish.
7. **optional topping** Slice the tomatoes and place on top of the mac and cheese mixture. In a small microwave safe bowl, melt 2 Tbs. butter. Add your fresh bread crumbs and stir well. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the tomatoes.
8. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the mac and cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are slightly browned. Bon Appétit!