Everyone loves macaroni and cheese: the classic “comfort food.” There's a reason this dish has become a favorite among children, grandparents, and others – for its simplicity, filling, delicious taste and (of course) being studded with cheese. Turns out, you don't have to be a master chef, or a grandmother of 12 to cook these delicious meals at home. And that doesn't mean we're switching to instant Macaroni and Cheese from Kraft. If you want to know how to make macaroni and cheese in different ways, check out Step 1 of your preferred way of making it.
Ingredients
Macaroni and Cheese Cooked on the Stove
- 0.9 kg elbow-shaped dried macaroni
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 8 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups milk
- 6 cups grated cheddar cheese
Grilled Macaroni and Cheese
- 0.2 kg macaroni elbow
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- 3 cups milk
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 egg
- 350 grams of grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For sprinkles:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
Step
Method 1 of 3: Macaroni and Cheese Cooked on the Stove
Step 1. Gather all your ingredients
To make this delicious macaroni and cheese dish on the stove, you will need dry elbow macaroni, salt, vegetable oil, butter, flour, milk, and grated cheddar cheese.
Step 2. Bring 4-6 L (16-24 cups) of water to a boil in a large saucepan
This water should be at least 7.5 - 10.2 cm below the rim of the pot. Turn on the stove over medium to high heat for best results. Add a little salt to the water. You'll need plenty of water in the pot to give the macaroni enough room to cook and expand. If you don't have enough water, the macaroni will clump together and won't cook quickly.
Step 3. Add the macaroni after the water boils
Pour in the macaroni and stir to prevent it from sticking. Cook the pasta for about 8 minutes, or until “al dente” – that is, soft, but still chewy, and definitely not mushy. Try 1 with a fork (carefully) to see if it's ready before turning off the stove. Stir every 1-2 minutes to reach your desired taste or until smooth. Just remember to check the instructions on the box of pasta you're using, as some types of pasta take longer to cook than others.
Step 4. Place the strainer in the sink and pour the pasta with the water into the strainer
Once all the water has dried, put the macaroni back in the pot and place it on the oven mitt or counter (just to make sure the stove is completely out) to cool.
Step 5. In a different saucepan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat
When the butter has melted into oil, add the flour and mix well with a whisk (a fork or slotted spoon will do the trick, too). Continue to gently stir the mixture for 3 minutes, or until smooth and starting to brown a little. This is the base sauce you will use for cooked macaroni. You can also start making the sauce while the pasta is cooking to save time.
Step 6. Slowly add the milk to the mixture, and keep stirring
You can also use a slotted fork or spoon. Let this mixture cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until it reaches a low boiling point (bubbles reach the surface, but don't burst right away) and begins to thicken. Make sure you have thoroughly mixed all the ingredients in this mixture.
Step 7. Add the grated cheese, one and a half cups at a time
Keep stirring until all the cheese has melted.
Step 8. Season the sauce for flavour
Carefully try the sauce, put it in a spoon and wait for it to cool slightly before you try it. Then, add salt, pepper, nutmeg, or any other spices you'd like to add to make the sauce taste perfect. Stir the sauce so that all the spices seep into the spices.
Step 9. Pour the sauce over the cooked macaroni
Gently stir until the macaroni is completely covered with the sauce.
Step 10. Serve
Enjoy this delicacy just like this, or with a healthy salad, or with chunks of chicken or pancetta added to macaroni to add another layer to this delicious treat. The macaroni and cheese are warm enough, so you don't need to put more on your plate!
Method 2 of 3: Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Step 1. Preheat your oven to 176ºC
Step 2. Fill a pot with 4-6 cups of water and bring it to a boil
Add a little salt in the water before you boil it. You'll need to fill the pot with plenty of water to give the pasta enough room to cook and expand.
Step 3. Cook the pasta until al dente. Pasta al dente means it is cooked, but still chewy. Read the instructions on the macaroni box to see how long it will take for this pasta to cook. Usually pasta takes about 8 minutes, but each type of pasta will be different so it's important to read the instructions on the box.
Step 4. Combine butter, flour and mustard in a separate saucepan
First, melt the butter in a saucepan then add the flour and mustard, continuing to stir for 5 minutes. You can start making this sauce while you are cooking the pasta to save time. Make sure you keep stirring the sauce to avoid lumps.
Step 5. Add the onion, bay leaf, spices and milk
Let the mixture simmer slowly for about 10 minutes. When you're done, discard the bay leaves – this mixture should have absorbed the flavor.
Step 6. Crack the eggs into the mixture
Step 7. Add part of the cheese to the mixture
You will need the rest of this cheese later. Add salt and pepper to the mixture for flavor.
Step 8. Pour the sauce into the macaroni
Now that you've made the sauce, you'll need to carefully coat the macaroni into the mixture.
Step 9. Place the macaroni into the grill pan
Place this cheese mixture into a 2 L (8 cup) baking dish. You can put the remaining cheese on top of the macaroni. This will give it an additional delicious taste after baking.
Step 10. Make the sprinkles
Melt the butter for sprinkling in a saucepan and add the panko breadcrumbs to the mixture. Stir the mixture to combine the butter and breadcrumbs.
Step 11. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the macaroni
Now, pour the sprinkles from the pan directly over the macaroni in the grill pan. After that, it's ready to bake!
Step 12. Bake the macaroni for 30 minutes
Your oven should be ready by now. Put the macaroni in the oven and wait for your meal to finish. When it's ready, you can take it out of the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before you serve it.
Step 13. Serve
Enjoy this delicious meal just like this or with a salad or protein of your choice. And if there's food left over, the next time you want to eat it, all you have to do is take it out of the fridge, put some oil in a pan, and fry it to make fried macaroni and cheese!
Method 3 of 3: Other Variations of Macaroni and Cheese
Step 1. Make instant macaroni and cheese
If you're at home with a box of macaroni and cheese but aren't really sure what to do, check out the guide in our quick and easy version of How to Make Instant Macaroni and Cheese right out of the box.
Step 2. Make a macaroni and cheese hamburger
Add deep protein to your macaroni and cheese in a creative way by reading the article How to Make a Macaroni and Cheese Hamburger.
Step 3. Make soft macaroni and cheese
Read How to Make Macaroni and Cheese, if you want to learn how to make macaroni and cheese with extra cream.
Step 4. Make grilled macaroni and cheese with Worcestershire sauce
If you like delicious sauces as much as you like the taste of grilled macaroni, this dish is for you.
Tips
- Do not add more ingredients than recommended.
- Never use margarine.
- You can use butter instead of oil.
- Make this a perfect meal by adding vegetables or meat -- broccoli, carrots, onions, ham, or chicken will do.
- If you want more flavor, you can add onion powder.
- This recipe makes about 8 (or more) servings. Leftovers should store well in the refrigerator when you're done, but you can also make half a recipe by halving each ingredient (220 grams of pasta, 1/2 tablespoon or 1-1/2 teaspoons of oil, etc.).).
- To make it grill style with dry sprinkles, you can bake it in the oven. Preheat the oven to 176 degrees Celsius. After following the steps above, transfer the prepared macaroni into a large, oven-safe glass or metal grill pan (or two, if you don't have a pan large enough). Sprinkle cheese, or breadcrumbs mixed with butter on top, and bake for 15 minutes or until sprinkles are light brown and dry.
- Do not use anything other than cheddar cheese - which is usually orange in color. Or use white cheddar.
Warning
- If you don't stir your macaroni and cheese constantly, it will cause the pasta to stick to the surface of the pan, and scorch.
- Do not cook too much, this recipe is enough for 10 servings.
- Don't overcook food.
