NO-BOIL MAC & CHEESE FORMULA

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No-Boil Mac & Cheese Formula image

This is by far the easiest way to make baked macaroni and cheese. It uses dry macaroni straight out of the box. It's an easy recipe to play with. I've done things like exchanging half the milk and half the cheese for mashed butternut squash with good results. You can add ham or vegetables or anything you like. If you add a vegetable, adjust for the water content of the vegetable by reducing the milk or adding pasta.

Provided by Heidi Hoerman @heidicookssupper

Categories     Pasta

Number Of Ingredients 11

THIS RECIPE IS GIVEN AS A BASIC FORMULA THAT CAN BE MULTIPLIED FOR LARGER BATCHES AND ADJUSTED TO INCLUDE OTHER INGREDIENTS
1 cup(s) dry (uncooked) elbow macaroni
2 tablespoon(s) butter, melted
4 ounce(s) cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1/4 teaspoon(s) black or white pepper, ground
1 teaspoon(s) worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon(s) smooth mustard, e.g. dijon
2 cup(s) milk
1/2 cup(s) optional: hard cheese, grated (e.g. parmesan, romano, asiago, etc.)
1/4 teaspoon(s) optional: nutmeg, freshly grated

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 375F
  • Determine how many cups of macaroni you wish to use and multiply all ingredients by that number. For example, a 1 pound box of macaroni is a little more than 3 cups of macaroni. Therefore, the recipe using this box of macaroni uses 6 tablespoons of butter, 12 ounces of grated cheese, and 6 cups of milk -- all "plus a little" in this case because the box had "a little more than" 3 cups. If making a large batch, use a bit less salt.
  • In a large bowl (a big salad bowl works well for this), toss the macaroni in the melted butter until coated. Add the grated cheese, salt and pepper. Toss to mix thoroughly.
  • Spread the mixture evenly in a shallow baking dish. Use a pan large enough that the mixture fills the pan less than 1/2 way. For example, a 1 pound (3+ cups) of macaroni batch, needs a 10 x 15 lasagna dish.
  • Mix together milk, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Pour over the pasta mixture. Optionally, sprinkle hard cheese and nutmeg on top of the mixture.
  • Bake, covered, in the middle of a 375F oven for 45 minutes. Remove the cover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until all the milk has been absorbed and the top is golden brown. If the top starts to get too brown, cover loosely with foil for the last part of the baking.
  • Allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.

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