Macaroni and cheese is one of my top comfort foods. I like it saucy, too. The more cheese, the better! Jim and Joe pack this for lunch sometimes. You can dress mac and cheese up in so many ways–scallions, bacon, avocado, salsa, chicken, broccoli, meatballs, or anything else you can think of! Best of all, you can have it plain and still love it in its cheesy simplicity.
Oh, cheese! Can I have some more, please?
I was a picky eater growing up. Mac and cheese with sliced up hot dogs was all I’d agree to eat. Thankfully, my tastebuds evolved! But I am still a total snob when it comes to my macaroni and cheese. If it’s dry or not salty or not creamy enough, I’ll be grumpy, guaranteed. So this recipe, like many, takes my frustrations from restaurant macaroni and cheeses and addresses them! This is a) cheesy b) saucy c) firm noodle-d. And it reheats well! I hope you enjoy it.
Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Nutrition: 590 calories (when making 6 servings)
29.3 g Fat
61.3 g Carbs
22.5 g Protein
Ingredients
1 lb medium or large shell pasta
3 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup 1% milk
2 tbsp reserved pasta water
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
1. Boil salted water with a bit of vegetable oil in a medium pot on medium heat. Add pasta. Boil for 10 minutes, or until noodles are al dente. Drain, reserving 2 tbsp of the water the pasta boiled in for the sauce.
2. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter. When bubbling, add minced garlic. Sautee garlic until golden.
3. Add paprika to garlic and continue stirring.
4. Add pasta water, sour cream, cream, and milk to the butter-garlic mixture, stirring quickly with a whisk to break up the sour cream clumps.
5. When hot, but not boiling, add the Parmesan and cheddar, continuing whisking until the cheese dissolves and melts. Add nutmeg if desired. It will be done when the sauce has an elasticity when you pull the whisk up from the sauce. Do not boil!
6. Pour the sauce over the noodles in the pot and stir to spread the sauce evenly over the noodles.
7. Enjoy! Garnish with green onions, buffalo chicken, salsa and avocado, meatballs, or plain!