Baked Macaroni and Cheese
I just love a good mac and cheese! I think macaroni and cheese is one of those dishes that can be really personal. Some people like it really cheesy and moist, some like it with a little less cheese but still creamy, some like it with cream of mushroom, crispy cheese on the top, soft cheese on the top. There are so many different variations of mac and cheese and I think many people have their own little tricks and details to their ‘favorite’ mac and cheese.
Growing up, my nana’s mac and cheese was the absolute best! If I had a choice, I would still choose hers over many other variations I’ve tried over the years. Of course she did the old fashion roux sauce and the canned stewed tomatoes. Sometimes she would do what we called in our house ‘pot’ macaroni. That’s when its all mixed but not baked. Most time she would bake it and get the cheese on the top nice and crispy.
As I started to cook for myself and travel more, I would try other renditions of Mac and cheese and paying really close attention to the things I liked and the things I thought were very odd (to put it nicely). Over time, I was able to combine the elements I love about macaroni and cheese to create my favorite mac and cheese.
In my macaroni and cheese I prefer to use fresh vegetables. As appose to a canned stewed tomato , I dice fresh green pepper, tomato, and onion. Then because I love different cheeses, I like to mix a mild yellow cheddar and white cheddar together. I don’t like it too cheesy, but I do want to taste the cheese and I like a creamy texture as well. I like the cheese on the top of my macaroni to be more soft melted as appose to a crispy top layer.
- 2 cups of elbow macaroni
- ½ cup green peppers diced
- ½ cup onion diced
- 1 medium tomato diced
- 1½ cup of milk
- 1 cup of white cheddar cheese
- 2 cups of mild yellow cheddar cheese (keep an additional cup for the top if the macaroni)
- ½ stick of butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 350 degreese
- Boil macaroni until tender but not mushy
- Turn the burner down to a low setting
- Drain water off of macaroni and return to a warm pot (do not rinse and do not let cool)
- Add butter, milk and cheese together and mix well
- Add onion, green pepper and tomato and mix well
- add in salt and pepper to taste
- Pour mixture into baking pan and cover with cheese
- Baked for 15 min or until the cheese on top is to your liking
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