MOM’S MAC AND CHEESE

MOM’S MAC AND CHEESE is made from creamy, smooth White American cheese that melts around and into the pasta shells baked until bubbly and golden brown.

I know, I know. Another MAC AND CHEESE recipe, right? I promise this one is different from the others. No Cheddar, no Gruyère, no Fontina or Swiss………just White American Cheese. I don’t have one memory that involved Yellow American Cheese or Cheddar when it came to grilled cheeses, nachos or sandwiches.

Throughout the years I’ve had many friends and family request MOM’S MAC AND CHEESE. I have one memory of being asked to make it for my neighbors’ daughters graduation party. It was such a hit. It was gone before the day was even half over so I went back home and whipped up another batch for the guests that would’ve missed out on some life changing MOM’S MAC AND CHEESE! My boys’ friends swear this is the best MOM’S MAC AND CHEESE they’ve ever had…and yes, I will absolutely believe teenage boys since they eat for a living!

LIST OF INGREDIENTS FOR MOM’S MAC

White American Cheese (Land O’Lakes or Boarshead)
Butter
Flour
Milk
Pasta shells

TIME TO MAKE THE RUE FOR MOM’S MAC AND CHEESE

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Next, melt the butter and then add in the flour. Whisk the flour and butter for about a minute so you get the raw taste of the flour out.

CHEESE SAUCE (LIQUID GOLD) FOR MOM’S MAC AND CHEESE

Once those ingredients are combined add in the lukewarm milk and bring to a low boil. I encourage you to stay put and keep whisking so that your milk doesn’t burn the bottom of your pot. All you are looking for is for the milk to become thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. In the meantime, get a large pot of water, bring it to a boil and cook the dried shells per the package directions. Drain the cooked shells and add put them in a casserole dish. Cover them with a couple damp paper towels because this will help to keep them from drying out.

Now comes the really really good part. It’s time to add the American cheese to the thickened sauce. This is where you are going to create edible, liquid gold…maybe even better. Trust me. On low heat, slowly add 2-3 slices of the cheese, whisking until the cheese has disappeared. Continue this step until all the cheese is melted in the pot. Remove from the stove and set aside.

CHEESE SAUCE MEETS PASTA

Finally, all that is left to do is to combine the cheese sauce with the cooked macaroni and let them enjoy their introduction to each other. Simply pour the cheese sauce over the cooked shells watching as the cheese sauce seeps into the opening of the shells and spread throughout. Next take a spoon and stir to make sure all the shells are coated. Once you are done doing that, place in the oven and cook for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.

Let MOM’S MAC cool before digging a great big spoon into it. It needs about 15 minutes to regroup. Here’s the reality though. The stare down between you and MOM’S MAC AND CHEESE is going to get ugly. The reasons you start coming up with to taste just one piece of the macaroni…just one, is quite comical in my opinion. Trust me, it won’t be just one BUT I won’t tell anyone. Certainly you need to make sure it’s edible, right?

And then just like that, the waiting game is over. It’s time. Time to sit down and enjoy this liquid gold. Serve with some Boneless Fried Chicken Tenders and a Ceasar Salad! Hope you enjoy this as much as my friends and family do. ~Christina

MOM’S MAC (macaroni and cheese)

Recipe by Christina Scanlon

Course: SidesCuisine: American

Servings

6

1/2 C servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

MOM’S MAC is made from creamy, smooth, White American cheese that melts around and seeps into the pasta shells, baked until bubbly and golden brown.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C dried pasta (I use shells) *SEE NOTE

• 3 TBLSP unsalted butter

• 2 TBLSP AP (All Purpose) flour

• 2 C milk (2% or whole), warmed

• 8 Oz. of sliced, White American Cheese
  My go to White American Cheese brand is Boar’s Head or Land O’ Lakes.

• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cook the 1 1/2 C dried pasta in lightly salted boiling water, until tender. I just go off the the directions on the box but take the least minute. Drain but do not rinse. I put the cooked pasta directly into the vessel that I am going to bake this in. Usually a 1 1/2 QT casserole dish.
• Put the milk in a microwave safe container and microwave for 30 seconds, then 15 seconds intervals after that until lukewarm.
• In a deep saucepan, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour. Using a whisk, incorporate the butter and flour. Cook on low, whisking constantly, for about a minute or so. This will get rid of the raw taste in the flour.
• Slowly pour in your milk and whisk until the ingredients are combined. Cook over low to medium hit and continue stirring until thick and bubbly. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon. Be careful not to leave this unattended as the milk will burn the bottom of your pan.
• Once your sauce is thick and bubbly start adding 2-3 slices of cheese, at a time, and continue to whisk until cheese is melted. Repeat this process until all of the cheese is gone. Add salt and pepper to your taste
• Pour the cheese mixture over the noodles and use a whisk or spoon to make sure the sauce covers all the noodles.
• Put in the oven, middle rack, for about 35-40 minutes or until golden, bubbly brown on top! Let sit for about 10 minutes.

Notes

• The amount of dried pasta might not seem like a lot, but that’s exactly that right amount. The smaller portion of dried pasta helps create the creaminess of this dish.
• If you want to make this ahead of time simply cook the pasta and put it into the vessel you will be cooking it in. Cover the pasta with damp paper towels. Meanwhile you can make the cheese sauce, cover and let it sit. When ready to assemble stir the cheese sauce (no need to reheat it) and remove paper towels, pour cheese sauce over the cooked pasta and bake as directed.

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