Classic Macaroni & Cheese

People love to eat food that evokes memories (good ones) and I loved Macaroni & Cheese as a child. We’ve all opened a box of Kraft Dinner (KD) and some still do. During the first Covid wave, one of the items to vanish from supermarket shelves was boxed mac n’ cheese.

Fast forward to “adult Peter” and I still love mac n’ cheese. Oh sure, one can make KD or one of the best mac n’ cheeses with a Velveeta and milk base but both are short-cut versions with not the healthiest of ingredients.

Even a wholesome, homemade version is going to be rich – we’re talking lots of cheeses, butter. It’s a rich dish but at least I know what I am eating.

My favourite mac n’ cheeses are velvety, cheezy, flavourful and I think this recipe meets all my prerequisites.

Classic Macaroni and Cheese

(serves 4)

2 cups elbow macaroni

4 Tbsp. butter

4 Tbsp. grated onion

4 Tbsp. all purpose flour

4 cups hot whole milk

1 1/2 cups grated cheese (sharp cheddar or asiago, sharp orange cheddar, )

1/2 cup grated supermarket mozzarella ( or fontina, gouda)

salt

pepper

1/2 tsp. sweet paprika

Topping

1/2 cup grated combo of same cheeses

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1. Place a medium to large pot of water on your stovetop, bring to a boil. Add salt to water. Add pasta, stir and cook for 4 minutes. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
2. To make cheese sauce, add butter over medium heat and cook for about 3-4 minutes to soften onions. 
3. Now add flour, stir in with a whisk and cook for a minute. While stirring, add hot milk and continue stirring until sauce has thickened to a loose bechamel. Take off the heat. Add the cheeses, stir in. Add salt and pepper to taste and paprika, stir in.
4. Pre-heat your oven to 350F. Transfer your boiled pasta to a casserole dish, add the cheese sauce and stir in. Top with more grated cheese, bread crumbs and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, allow 5-10 minutes to rest before serving.

Note about cheeses: You can use whatever combo you like but it is important to use high quality, rich and flavourful cheeses. If you stick to my ratio of butter, flour, milk and cheeses, you should still get very good creamy results.