The Ultimate Comfort Food Series is back today for its third installment! Catch up with the series by checking out the other three posts: Taco Pizza as a Comfort Food?, Lasagna – Warm, Comforting, and Delicious!, and Easy Chicken Pot Pie. Now onto the drool worthy recipe for creamy homemade mac and cheese!
I love macaroni and cheese! Yeah, sometimes the stuff in the blue box with the powdered cheese is great. But sometimes I just want something less fake. Ya know? So when my mom discovered a mac and cheese recipe similar to the one below, on the side of the Creamette pasta box, we absolutely loved it!
She and I both adjusted the recipe over the years. Now it’s morphed into this pan of creamy, cheesy deliciousness.
Don’t get me wrong, this may be a bit time consuming, especially considering its “competition.” But this creamy, dreamy, homemade mac and cheese is mouthwateringly good so it’s worth the extra effort for this delicious comfort food meal.
Homemade mac and cheese is a perfect dish to take to a pot luck as well! This recipe makes enough to feed a group. Plus, who doesn’t like mac and cheese? It’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
Originally, the recipe said to bake the mac and cheese in a 2qt casserole dish. When I made this for Eric after we got married, he declared that there needed to be more surface area for the breadcrumb mixture because that just made the whole thing more delicious.
So now when I make the entire recipe and don’t halve it, I use a 9×13 pan.
I’m really excited that Judah seems to love this mac and cheese as much as his dad and I do. I guess that means I need to make it more often…
Creamy, Dreamy Homemade Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 8 oz elbow macaroni
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 3/4 cups milk
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
For the Topping
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (or Ritz cracker crumbs or cornflakes or some combo)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Cook macaroni as package directs, to al dente or a bit before. Drain and set aside.
- In a medium sauce pan, melt 3 tbsp butter on medium low heat. Stir in flour and seasonings. (Using a whisk is easiest). Gradually add milk; cook and stir until mixture thickens slightly and bubbles. Remove from heat and add 1 cup cheese. Stir until melted.
- Add macaroni. Pour into a greased baking dish . (We use a 9×13 because my husband likes extra topping. The original recipe called for an 8 or 9” square baking dish. I’ve also used a fancy 2qt baking dish which worked perfectly well.) Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.
- Melt 3 tbsp butter in a microwave safe bowl. Mix in the bread crumbs and seasonings. Sprinkle on top of mac and cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Step By Step
5 Comments
[…] Welcome to the 2nd installment of the Ultimate Comfort Food Series here at The Simple Life of a Complex Pastor’s Wife! (Want to see the first and third installments? Check out Taco Pizza As a Comfort Food? and Creamy Homemade Mac and Cheese) […]
[…] in The Ultimate Comfort Food Series? Check out Lasagna – Warm, Comforting, and Delicious!, Creamy Homemade Mac and Cheese and Easy Chicken Pot […]
[…] in The Ultimate Comfort Food Series? Check out Lasagna – Warm, Comforting, and Delicious!, Creamy Homemade Mac and Cheese and Easy Chicken Pot […]
[…] The Ultimate Comfort Food Series is gaining a new recipe today! Check out my easy chicken pot pie recipe below. And in case you missed them, here are the previous comfort food series entries: Taco Pizza, Lasagna, and Homemade Mac and Cheese. […]
[…] found it! (Want to see the other three installments? Check out Taco Pizza As a Comfort Food?, Creamy Homemade Mac and Cheese and Easy Chicken Pot […]