My 16 year old son Mark taught me something tonight. How to (correctly) make macaroni and cheese! I’ve been making mac and cheese my whole life – but I learned a lot of great tips from Mark on what makes a good mac and cheese!
He’s taking a food and nutrition class in high school – they have complete kitchens and everything! (Wish I would have known about that when I was in school!). They’ve made many things so far this year. Cookies, pumpkin muffins, and macaroni and cheese and smoothies.
He authorized me to share his tips – hope this helps you too!
*Mark is a vegetarian, so his was without meat – if you leave out the ham though, this would be a great meatless Monday meal!
Print Mark’s Mac & CheeseRating: 51
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings
Super creamy and delicious macaroni and cheese, made by my wonderful son Mark!
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1.5 cups skim milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 oz. extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 box (16 oz.) of elbow macaroni
- cubed ham (or deli ham) optional*
- diced green onions
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring water to a boil and book the pasta for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in another medium pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir consistently for a few minutes with a whisk. Gradually add the skim milk - a little at a time - and continue whisking for 7-8 minutes. You don't have to vigorously stir - but just keep stirring until the sauce starts to boil.
- One it is boiling, stir for exactly 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and add all the cheese.
- Once the pasta is done cooking, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Combine the sauce with the cheese and stir until well combined.
- At this point you can add the cooked ham
- Serve immediately with diced green onions on top.
Some tips from Mark:
Cook the flour and butter for a few minutes before adding the milk to get rid of the flour taste.
Add the milk a little at a time, not all at once.
Stir constantly for 6-8 minutes. Then once it boils – stir for another 2 minutes. This thickens the sauce and prevents it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Rinse the pasta so it stops cooking, a firmer noodle will hold the sauce better.
Shred the cheese – it melts faster in the sauce when the cheese is shredded.
Turns out I did NONE of that making my mac & cheese!
Thanks Mark for teaching your Momma new kitchen tricks – keep the tips coming!
*****
Do your teens cook dinner any night of the week? What’s their specialty?
