Kim’s Mac-n-Cheese

by Kimberly Hickok

This past week has been rainy and unusually cool. Perfect weather for one of my favorite comfort foods, mac-n-cheese. YAY!

The secret to good mac-n-cheese is to:

  1. Use two cheeses – one soft and one firm. I use mozzarella and a sharp aged Cheddar.
  2. Add some tang – I use a good quality coarse ground country dijon mustard.
  3. Add a little spice – a pinch of cayenne.
  4. Do NOT, I repeat do NOT overcook your macaroni, and finally . . .
  5. Make sure your cheese sauce isn’t too thick

Don’t dirty another dish. Put the drained macaroni back into the pot you cooked it in and add the cheese sauce.

 

 

The macaroni will soak up the cheese sauce. It might look like it’s too much sauce but by the time it bakes, it will be perfect!

Hot, bubbly and brown. This is what you’re looking for.

See how the macaroni soaked up the sauce? Creamy and cheesy!

Kim's Mac-n-Cheese
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
My very own Mac-n-Cheese recipe - perfect for those clod winter days!
Author:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1½ Cups Elbow Macaroni, uncooked
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. flour
  • 2 tsp. dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp. ground cayenne
  • 2½ Cups Milk
  • 1 Cup Mozzarella
  • 2½ Cups Cheddar, reserve ½ cup (I prefer Cabot's seriously sharp cheddar)
Instructions
  1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook elbow macaroni, until it is just done. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. While your water is coming to a boil, grate your cheeses and set aside ½ cup of the cheddar.
  3. For the cheese sauce, combine the butter, flour, mustard and cayenne.
  4. Let the flavors of the mustard and cayenne melt into the butter and flour, stirring so that the flour doesn't burn for a few minutes. Gradually stir in the milk and gradually add in the cheese.
  5. After all the cheese has melted into the sauce, give it a taste and add some salt and/or black pepper if you need to.
  6. Combine the cooked, drained macaroni with the cheese sauce.
  7. Pour into a casserole, top with the reserved cheddar and bake for about 25 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

 

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9 comments

Janice Doty June 13, 2010 - 11:19 pm

Kim–we absolutely LOVE Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar– makes a great contrast to mellower cheese. Your version sounds really good and will have to persuade my daughters to try it.

This is the first year we have made homemade– I grew up a “Kraft mac ‘n cheese” kid and never knew how easy it was to make from scratch.

(Our version has Velveeta as the soft cheese to balance and is the best version we have attempted so far.)

Reply
Kim June 14, 2010 - 1:13 am

There are so many cheese combinations you can try. I can’t wait to hear what you and the girls come up with. Feel free to post what you came up with.

Reply
Jacquelyn June 21, 2010 - 5:37 pm

Oh, goodness- it is taking all my willpower not to run to the kitchen right now and make this mac and cheese! It looks unbelievable! Thanks for the Cabot love!
~Jacquelyn

Reply
Kim June 21, 2010 - 6:05 pm

Hi Jacquelyn – I hope you try it and if you make any modifications or use a different Cabot cheese combo – feel free to post! We love our Cabot cheese!
~Kim

Reply
Jacquelyn June 21, 2010 - 5:40 pm

We shared this recipe on our FB fan page- check it out : http://www.facebook.com/cabot

Reply
Kim June 21, 2010 - 9:10 pm

Be sure to check out the Cabot FB fan page folks –
http://www.facebook.com/cabot
Thanks Cabot cheese!
~ Kim

Reply
Candace Karu June 23, 2010 - 11:45 am

Love your blog and this Mac n Cheese recipe, which I plan to make tonight, adding lobster to make it special. As Cabot’s Lifestyle Commentator & Favorite Foodie, I’m always looking for passionate cooks who make it easy and fun. That’s you, Kim!
~Candace Karu

Reply
Kim June 23, 2010 - 1:01 pm

Hi Candace,
I’m glad you like the blog. Adding lobster sounds like a good idea to me! If you make any modifications and/or adjustments feel free to adjust the recipe to make it your own. I’m looking forward to seeing how your Lobster Mac turns out.
~Kim
PS – I checked out your blog – nice! I am adding it as a link on my blog. I recently did a post about garlic scapes and am going to share that link on my Kimversations FB page.

Reply
Bacon-Topped Meatloaf February 14, 2017 - 3:13 pm

[…] Serve with a potato gratin or if you really want to indulge, with mac-n-cheese. […]

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