“Bless this highly nutritious microwaveable macaroni and cheese dinner and the people who sold it on sale. Amen.” –Kevin McCallister (Home Alone)
This prayer comes to mind every time I smell, see, or hear about mac and cheese. And…This morning, these came out of my oven. Kevin’s voice is louder than ever.
Amen!
This is what went down in the kitchen (note that this is a preposterous amount of mac…cut it in half for a small/normal-sized crowd, please)…
Preheat oven to 400*F
Cook 2 lbs macaroni (I used shells) for 10 minutes in boiling water and strain out water.
Melt 6 T butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add 6 T flour and stir with whisk to make roux. Slowly stir in 6 cups milk until thickened and smooth. Add in 8 cups mixed shredded cheeses (I used half gouda, half sharp cheddar). Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked pasta and fold to mix.
Pour mixture into two 3-quart baking dishes. Sprinkle shredded cheese on tops (about 2 cups total)…I skipped this last cheese step–Oops!
Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly.
On my mac and cheese bucket list:
Bacon Mac (make the roux with bacon grease, and sprinkle cooked bacon into casserole before baking)
Butternut Squash Mac
Fried Macaroni and Cheese balls (inspired be the Cheesecake Factory)