A few weeks ago, my five year old asked to make Macaroni & Cheese from scratch. Now...I'm NOT a chef and I have to admit I wondered...how are we going to turn cheddar cheese into the fine powder that comes out of a bag (the mac and cheese I grew up on and love!)??
But determined not to disappoint the little man, I sought out the perfect homemade Macaroni & Cheese recipe - warm, cheesy, crunchy buttery top - and healthy! Well...healthy-ish! (Oh...and I even learned how to 'temper' an egg! If you don't know how, contact Kinsley Meetings - we can teach you!)
Check out this lighter version of a homemade classic that is kid tested and mother approved!
Baked Macaroni & Cheese (recipe from "Food Network")
1/2 lb Elbow Macaroni (we opted for Cappelini Noodles to keep it fun!)
3 Tbs Butter
3 Tbs Flour
1 tsp Dry Mustard
3 Cups Milk
1/2 Cup Yellow Onion, finely diced
1 Bay Leaf
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 large Egg
12 oz Cheddar Cheese (we went sharp!)
1 tsp Kosher Salt
Fresh Black Pepper
Topping
3 Tbs Butter
1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.
Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Melt the butter in a sauté pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.
The recipe says for Step 7 to "remember to save leftovers for fried Macaroni and Cheese." This was so delicious -- we didn't have any!
Enjoy and happy "tempering!"