"Not so Naughty" Macaroni and Cheese

It seems as though most people don't outgrow their childhood love of macaroni and cheese. Aside from cooking it, I myself have for the most part lost interest in the dish. I know, I know, I am probably one of the few who does not want to dig into the cheesy stuff. So its no surprise that I find myself making it from time to time when the weathers cold and someone has a hankering. I also recently began making it for family get together's as well. No surprise, the dish that was initially made with children in mind is now requested by adults as well.

Macaroni and cheese is somewhat of an indulgent dish, especially if it's made without any modifications to a few of the ingredients. That is what I have done for this recipe. I still don't recommend you eat a heaping scoop of this everyday; you don't wan't to ruin the quality of the dish by overly messing with key ingredients. So yes, there is some butter and it is cheesy, but there is no cream or half-and-half involved. Instead, this recipe uses fat free (yay) evaporated milk. DO NOT use regular skim milk out of your fridge. Evaporated milk offers a similar consistency to cream without the fat content because the water has been well, evaporated. If for some reason you cannot find fat free evaporated milk, the low fat will work as well.

Once you have stirred the noodles into the cheese sauce and placed in a baking dish, you have two options. I have found that it stays super creamy if it is not baked in the oven but it then lacks that brown topping you get once it's browned in a hot oven for a few minutes. It is creamy and cheesy either way, but many times I let it set a minute or so and don't bother browning it; do whichever you prefer.

Remember you can always change the sharpness of the cheddar you use but I usually use a mix of sharp and medium or mild. To make it extra special, toss in some shredded Gruyere for a cup or two of the cheddar.

"Not so Naughty" Macaroni and Cheese
Serves about 6

4 Cups dried elbow macaroni
3 TBSP Unsalted butter
3 TBSP Flour
2 1/2 Cups evaporated fat free milk
2 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 Cup shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp Salt or to taste
1/2 tsp Ground black pepper, or to taste
Couple dashes of ground mustard (optional, I strongly dislike mustard so until recently I did not even consider adding it; and I still don't)
Extra cheese for sprinkling

Cook macaroni according to package directions for "al dente" pasta. Do not cook until its tender or you could end up with mushy mac and cheese.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir for about a minute or until very well blended. Slowly whisk in the milk and continue to whisk until smooth. Allow to come to a gentle boil while whisking constantly. Continue whisk to prevent scorching; reduce heat a bit and allow to cook a few minutes until thickened.

Turn off the heat; gradually whisk in your cheese until well blended. Add your salt, pepper, and ground mustard if using, (which again I do not but put in as much as you'd  like). Hopefully by now you have drained your noodles since I did not remind you to; now is the time stir them into the cheese sauce.

Now, from here you have two options. Whichever you choose, you are going to first pour the mac into a greased baking dish but you can either let it set for a minute as is, or top with a bit more cheese and brown it in the oven. The mac and cheese that is pictured above was simply sprinkled with cheese, and covered for a bit to let it "get comfy" in the dish. When the sprinkled cheese was melted, I served it up. If you would prefer a browned topping with slightly crispy cheese then throw it in the oven until it gets that way. Keep an eye on it though!