Mac 'n' cheese
14
- Prep Time15 mins
- Total Time30 mins
- Makes6 servings
© Royalty-Free/Masterfile
This is a fabulous cheesy version just like your mom used to make. But to lighten it up, we used light cheese and skipped the cream in favour of 2 per cent milk. It was such a hit with staffers that one of our testers ate it every day at lunch for a week.
Ingredients
2 cups dry macaroni or baby shell pasta
2 1/2 cups milk, preferably 2%
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper
2 cups grated light cheddar, preferably old
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions, until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, position rack on top shelf in oven and preheat broiler to high. In a medium-size bowl, whisk milk with Dijon, salt and cayenne. Grate cheese. Melt butter in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Mixture will be dry and very lumpy. Gradually add milk mixture, a little at a time, whisking constantly between additions to beat out any lumps. Stir often until mixture comes to a boil, 3 to 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and gradually stir in 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) cheese. Continue stirring until melted.
When macaroni is cooked, drain well. Do not rinse. Stir into cheese sauce. Mixture will be very creamy and saucy. It's great as is or turn into an 8-inch (2-L) baking dish. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) cheese. Broil on top rack of preheated oven until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories 349, Protein 19.7g, Carbohydrates 35.9g, Fat 13.8g, Fibre 1.6g, Sodium 881mg.