best kids homemade macaroni and cheese recipe

This cheesy pasta is to die for!Įveryone has there own taste preferences and my family is no different. When you try it, I think you’ll agree that it should be called Cajun Cheese and Mac because there is so much cheese in it. I cooked curries most days, as I had to while writing my cookbooks but this Cajun mac and cheese is what they really wanted. When my kids were growing up, Cajun Mac and Cheese was the meal they requested for every birthday or other special occasions. I realise I’ve completely contradicted myself here because this is a one pot version which isn’t traditional! But the end result is absolutely bang on traditional.Jump to Recipe Cajun mac and cheese is amazing! Give this easy recipe a try. And I’m definitely partial to playing around with Mac and Cheese myself.īut a real classic Macaroni and Cheese is something that everyone should know. I know there are many fancy schamcny Macaroni and Cheese version “out there” in this big wide world. Truffled, Lobster (yes, really!), multiple types of cheeses, loaded with cream. So take it off the stove earlier, and if it’s still too thin for your taste, pop it back on later. The sauce continues to thicken as you stir it and serve it. If there is one tip I’d give for Mac and Cheese – any Mac and Cheese, even baked ones – it’s this: take the sauce off the stove BEFORE it’s the consistency you want.

I thought a cooking video would be especially useful for this recipe so you can see the thickness of the sauce when you take it off the stove.

Now that’s a nice vision of preparing dinner, isn’t it? (Just to be clear, that’s not what it’s like for me most nights….I wish it was!!) A leisurely stir every now and then, taking a sip of wine in between and flicking through a magazine. Add seasonings, milk, cheese, then add the pasta.Īnd it all cooks together at the same time! Because the sauce thickens as it cooks, it needs to be stirred frequently. It starts with a traditional roux made with melted butter and flour which is the thickener for the sauce. Silky and glossy, and it clings to every macaroni. (See all my pasta recipes here!)Īnd by applying this same technique to Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese, the sauce comes out really luscious. I chatter on about this technique in every single pasta recipe I share. Every single pasta recipe on my blog is finished off by tossing the almost-cooked pasta in the sauce with a splash of pasta water. Doing this thickens the pasta sauce and it clings to every strand of pasta so you don’t end up with a pool of pasta sauce at the bottom of the bowl. The way Italians have been making it ever since the dawn of time. This isn’t just a theory of mine, it’s the proper way to make Italian pastas. The reason I make this in one pot is because the starch released from the pasta mixes in with the sauce and emulsifies it, creating a cheese sauce that is silkier and clings better to the pasta than making it the traditional way (i.e. But I swear to you, that’s not the reason why. It would be easy to assume that I make this in one pot for convenience. Of all the versions of Mac and Cheese I have, this Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese is the one that I use most frequently because the effort vs output is off the richter scale. Butter, flour, pasta, milk, cheese and a few seasonings is all you need to make this epic classic that’s on the table super quick! This stovetop Macaroni and Cheese is a perfect classic – and it just happens to be made in one pot. A silky, glossy cheese sauce with tender, never mushy macaroni in just 20 minutes!

Best kids homemade macaroni and cheese recipe