Macaroni and Cheese X Four
Mac N’ 4 Cheeses
Yesterday I threw together a batch of scratch mac with four cheeses for Ben to get in some good carbs before his baseball game. A half hour later he and I were eating some fresh hot mac and cheese. Ate some more for lunch today and dinner tonight too. Only a little bit left. So I Twittered this on Foodbuzz last night and I got a few comments and a request to post the recipe from Frieda aka Lovin’ from the Oven… and more!
| Ingredients | ||
| 1 | Lb | Elbow macaroni |
| 3 | Quarts | Water |
| 1 | Tbsp | Olive oil |
| 3 | Cups | Milk |
| 2 | Tbsp | Cornstarch |
| ¼ | Cup | Cool water |
| 1 | Lb | Sharp cheddar cheese, grated |
| ¼ | Lb. | Swiss cheese, grated or cubed |
| ¼ | Lb. | American cheese slices, cut into ½ pieces |
| ¼ | Tsp | Nutmeg |
| 2 | Tsp | Salt (divided) |
| ½ | Tsp | White pepper |
| 1 | Cup | Parmesan cheese, shredded |
| Procedure Steps | |
| 1. | Set a large pot over high heat on the stove with 3 quarts of water, 1 Tsp salt and 1 Tbsp olive oil and bring to a boil. When the water comes to a boil add the elbow macaroni and cook until al dente then drain in a colander. |
| 2. | While the water is getting ready to boil take a 2 quart or larger sauce pot and add the milk and whisk occasionally over medium high heat. Mix the 2 Tbsp cornstarch with the ¼ cup cool water and dissolve well to form a slurry then whisk the slurry into the warm milk. |
| 3. | Continue to warm the milk over medium-high heat and fold in all the cheeses one at a time and gently whisk until melted and incorporated into the thickened milk. Then turn down the heat to medium-low. |
| 4. | Whisk in the nutmeg, salt and white pepper until incorporated. |
| 5. | Continue to heat the cheese sauce over a very low heat a few more minutes or until a sauce consistency. |
| 6. | Drain the cooked pasta into a colander and shake the excess water then return the pasta to the pot. Gently pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni and stir well. |
| 7. | Serve immediately with the shredded parmesan cheese on top. |
| 8. | Optional: If you want a baked macaroni transfer the pasta and sauce to a baking dish then evenly top it with a mixture of 2 cups Italian bread crumbs and ½ cup melted butter. Then bake in a 350° F oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. |
14 responses so far ↓
1 Frieda // Jun 12, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Whoo hoo! I’m so excited! I’m gonna make this for lunch tomorrow! Thanks SO much!
2 curiousdomestic // Jun 12, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Sounds so GOOD! Somebody hand me a fork!
3 Ryan Boudreaux // Jun 12, 2009 at 11:36 pm
You are quite welcome! Enjoy, and let me know how it comes out for you!
Regards,
CCR =:~)
4 Frieda // Jun 13, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I did it! It was awesome and my boys loved it!
http://friedalovesbread.blogspot.com/2009/06/white-cheddar-mac-n-cheese.html
Thank you so much!!!
5 Cajun Chef Ryan // Jun 13, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Hi Frieda,
Really love your adaptation of the recipe! Glad to hear it came out well!
Cheers,
CCR =:~)
6 Gera @ SweetsFoods // Jun 13, 2009 at 9:08 pm
I tasty guess that should be absolutely delicious!
Cheddar, Swiss, American and Parmesan cheeses, what a winner team 🙂
Cheers!
Gera
7 Heidi / Savory Tv // Jun 14, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Thanks for sharing! I love mac and cheese when it’s homemade! Did he win his game?
8 Cajun Chef Ryan // Jun 14, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Hi Heidi,
Lost the Thursday night game, but won the Friday night one!
CCR =:~)
9 The Hungry Mouse // Jun 15, 2009 at 10:07 pm
Sigh. A meal made in heaven. Sounds wonderful!
+Jessie
10 Ivy // Jun 21, 2009 at 2:56 pm
This sounds delicious. I might make this tomorrow for lunch as I will be out all morning and need to cook something not very fuzzy but still delicious.
11 Beth // Nov 19, 2010 at 6:36 pm
I love mac and cheese and all the grandchildren know they get the homemade stuff at grandma’s house….no KD here! This looks awesome and I am sure they will agree.
12 zerrin // Nov 19, 2010 at 6:38 pm
I love the bread crumbs on it. Looks yummy!
13 Shelby // Nov 19, 2010 at 9:40 pm
a really great photo ryan! looks delicious!
14 Rachel // Nov 23, 2010 at 4:03 pm
The photo is gorgeous! You don’t even have to read the recipe to want it!
yum!