This is my middle granddaughter's absolute favorite! She always wants to bring any leftovers home when she's at our house for dinner (she's 9).
Basic HOMEMADE Creamy MACARONI and CHEESE
about 12 oz. macaroni pasta (thrown into salted boiling water until cooked al dente ~ then drained)
1-1/2 cups milk..................................................................about 1/4 cup flour
about 1-1/2 cups shredded/grated cheese (I like orange/white blends, but use whatever your family likes best)
about 1 tsp. Kosher salt.................................................about 1/2 tsp. pepper
2-4 TB butter, cut into cubes
Optional add-ins: cooked & crumbled BACON * fresh or dried herbs * leftover cooked ham (small cubes) * leftover cooked veggies
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NOTE: I rarely "measure" my ingredients, but my rule of thumb is to consider 8 oz. of dried pasta to be 1 cup (which it isn't really) and use 1 cup milk and 1 cup cheese for each "1 cup pasta" ~ so you can adjust the quantities here to fit what you need.
Put the milk into a large pyrex/glass bowl (I use a 1 qt. measuring container) and whisk the flour, salt and pepper into the milk. Put that into the microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes; then take it out and whisk again. I usually need another 2-3 minutes to thicken it up (not really thick, just thickened).
While the milk is in the microwave, if you're going to BAKE the macaroni, preheat the oven to 375 and spray about a 3-qt. casserole dish with non-stick spray (buttery is best). Put the cooked & drained pasta into the casserole dish.
Take the thickened cream sauce out of the microwave. Stir in the butter cubes and cheese (I use a wooden spoon) until the cheese & butter is all melted. (If you using any add-ins, put them in now.) Pour the cheese sauce over the cooked pasta and stir until it's blended really well. Stick it into the oven for about 15-20 minutes (or until it's all cooked through, hot and the sauce has thickened even more). **
If you want to serve the mac & cheese right from the stovetop, you may need to add in another 1/2 cup cheese or so, to thicken up the sauce ~ and then serve it.