26 Jan, 2016
I think I found the perfect macaroni and cheese recipe
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Recipes and Food
The other night I tweeted a plea for a new macaroni and cheese recipe. Our usual from Joy of Cooking is a household staple around here but I was in the mood for something a little different. Not TOO different, of course. The family wouldn’t tolerate the sudden inclusion of pureed squash or lentils. But I have been feeling restless lately so why not take it out on dinner?
I got some good feedback, which was awesome (and made me very hungry). I wanted to share a bunch of the recipes here for reference:
- @Jvanderschee recommended a mac and cheese recipe at Serious Eats. There are a bunch listed there, including ones for a 15-minute stovetop mac and cheese and mac and cheese waffles. (Yes, you read that right.)
- @scarbiedoll wrote that she likes @emmawaverman and @eshun‘s recipe from Whining and Dining: Mealtime Survival for Picky Eaters and the Families Who Love Them
but sometimes just makes a bechamel with 2 cups of cheddar.
- @AnatheaT shot me a link to this Mac n’ Chili recipe posted on the Today’s Parent website
- @Farfbaz recommended Alton Brown’s baked and stovetop versions
- Local cheese expert @savvyvanessa tweeted a link to this Alpler Macaroni and Cheese
- @Mariedouville shared a vegan macaroni and cheese recipe (!)
- @MichaelSuddard sent along this link with the caveat that I should look at the recipes at the bottom of the page. Smarty pants!
- @bitofmomsense shared a favourite from her own kitchen as did @scatteredmom. Her recipe included leeks and bacon! (Yum.)
- @offhandremarks and @atomicnoggin cast their votes for a recipe from Canadian Living. They recommended using old cheddar and adding cauliflower if we could afford it. :)
I ultimately used this recipe for a classic baked macaroni and cheese that @Tarahcm shared. At first glance, I assumed it was a little too close to my Joy of Cooking version, but I was wrong. Not that mac and cheese is an overly complicated dish, but this version was easy to pull together overall, and in the end, it was delicious. It was just the thing my tummy needed! I added a dash of paprika to the cheese mixture and topped the whole kit n’ kaboodle with a layer of panko (panko has pretty much changed my life) I had tossed with a bit of melted butter and one clove of minced garlic. The recipe is a keeper for sure, although the recipes listed above may still come into play later on. Woot! There will never be a shortage of great mac & cheese recipes in my life from now on! :)
