Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

By kimbriggsdotcom | kimbriggsdotcom | 26 Feb 2021

This is a recipe for making baked macaroni and cheese from scratch. The only difficulty can come in melting the cheese in milk without it separating or coagulating. Follow the procedure given, cooking it slowly over medium heat and this can be an easy recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb Elbow Macaroni (0.45kg)
4 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese (960ml)
2 cups shredded Manchego Cheese OR Swiss Cheese (480ml)
1 can of diced tomatoes Approx 14.5oz (400g +/-), (optional)
2.5 cups whole milk
2.5 tblsp Butter (38ml)
2.5 tblsp FLour (38ml)
1 tsp Black Pepper (5ml)
1 tsp Ground Corriander Seed (5ml), (optional)

Procedure

Total volume: About 3qts / 12 cups =~ 2.8L
Approximate prep time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins

Special Tools: Board Grater

Shred the cheese and let come to room temperature before melting into the milk. To make your life easier, always grate the cheese ON AN EDGE, not on a flat side. As the edge begins to flatten out, it will become more difficult. Rotate the cheese to another edge and continue. Follow the instructions on the box to cook your favorite pasta. I think this works well with small elbow macaroni.

Make the Cheese Sauce

This is the part you have to be careful about. The trick is to make a roux (melted butter + flour) mixture and use a medium-low heat. Dissolve the butter over low heat and slowly stir in the flour. It will be thick. Add the milk and whisk the mixture until it is uniform. When the milk mixture is starting to steam, but not boil, slowly add the cheese. Stir it around to make sure it is dissolving before adding more. When you have the right temperature, you can start to ad the cheese more quickly, stirring constantly. Here is an example of how thick it will be near the end. Add the pepper and coriander and remove from the heat.

Cheese sauce and boiled pasta

Assemble and Bake

Add the pasta to a baking casserole dish, pour the cheese sauce over it and mix until uniform. Extra cheesiness can be obtained by layering cheese slices on top of the mix prior to baking. Bake at 350 degF for 40 mins.