Molly Yeh's Lazy B Mac & Cheese
58
- Makes1 servings
Molly Yeh's Lazy B Mac n Cheese. Photo, Lauren V. Allen.
Meet my version of Easy Mac! This lazy mac and cheese is what I whip up in the event that I’ve allowed myself to get ravenously carb hungry and am all out of bread. I turn to Israeli couscous, which cooks up quickly and has the most satisfying texture, and my accoutrements of choice are yogurt, cheese and butter. I learned by way of Greek cookbook author Diane Kochilas’s genius yogurt pasta that plain Greek yogurt can be the base for a pretty badass easy-peasy mac and cheese sauce. This is a mac and cheese that requires one measuring cup (yes, math whiz, the 1⁄4 cup!), and one pot (which you can totally eat out of—I won’t tell), but no straining and no roux, and it makes one good serving that will ll you right up. And if you’re really nailing life and have a stray hot dog in your refrigerator, go ahead, cut that up, add it and pat yourself on the back.
Ingredients
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 shallots, or 1/2 small onion finely chopped
Kosher salt
1/2 cup Israeli couscous, white or whole wheat
1/4 cup shredded cheese, I typically use white cheddar or parmesan
1/4 cup plain, whole-milk Greek yogurt
freshly ground black pepper
A few squirts hot sauce, optional
A handful toasted bread crumbs, panko or regular
Instructions
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter.
Add the shallot or onion (if using) with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the couscous and another pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until the couscous is lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add 3⁄4 cup of water, increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until the couscous absorbs all of the liquid, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the cheese, yogurt, a few turns of pepper and a shake or two of hot sauce. Remove the pan from the heat and stir until the cheese melts. Add the hot dog (if using). Top with breadcrumbs, a healthy squiggle of ketchup and eat immediately.