I always think of mac and cheese as a side, though many people do eat it as a main dish! Here are some of my favorite dishes: My favorites are rotini, pipe rigate, and classic elbow, because they have nook and crannies that hold all that cheesy goodness. The best kind of macaroni is the kind that holds a lot of cheese sauce. Shred it with a box grater or use a shredding tool on your food processor. Not only do you get more cheese for your buck, but it ensures you have thin, easily melted strips of cheese for your sauce. Grating a block of cheese is the best way to go. Grate your own cheese. Pre shredded cheese is coated with cellulose, which makes the cheese hard to melt into a silky sauce. Add any spices and herbs you love, but those are the ones I just can't live without. A bit of smoked paprika adds an amazing flavor that I just can't get enough of. I also love how mustard and dill weed amplify the tangy 'cheesy' flavor that we know and love in boxed mac. We love garlic around these parts so we use a lot of garlic powder. Pasta, much like potatoes and avocadoes, needs a good amount of seasoning. But any well-melting cheeses with great flavor like smoked gouda, gruyere, brie, and Havarti are so good when you want a more grown-up mac, so mix and match and play with your food as much as you like. My favorites are classic sharp cheddar, mozzarella, and American if we're going 100% classic.Īmerican cheese has emulsifying properties that help keep the cheeses from separating, especially if you're using cheese with less moisture content like an extra sharp cheddar. Because we aren't using a bechamel we need to ensure that our sauce is creamy, smooth and glossy while also being nice and flavorful.
After it's seasoned to your liking go nuts! Bits of bacon, tiny chopped florets of broccoli, mix in baby spinach, caramelized onions, shaved truffles (if you got it, go ahead with your bad self) whatever you love in your mac, add it!įlavorful Cheeses + Emulsifying Cheese = Win. If you have harder cheeses like aged cheddars, parmesan, etc, these are harder to melt so make sure you read my tips for the best mac and cheese!
Pour the milk, evaporated milk, and chicken broth into a large pot with the uncooked macaroni pasta.
How to Make Homemade Stove Top Mac and Cheese
Throw away the box and make this creamy, cheesy, easy one-pot stove-top mac and cheese from scratch! Made just as fast as storebought but tastes a million times better, is easily customizable, and is loved by kids and adults alike.