a good recipe for homemade mac and cheese

#A GOOD RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE MAC AND CHEESE HOW TO#

Sprinkle cooked bacon on top of finished mac and cheese. Broccoli: Add small florets to the pasta water during the last two minutes before draining.Cauliflower: Add small florets into the boiling water along with the dry pasta.Add a pinch of Cajun spice for a twist, then stir into finished pasta. Bell peppers: Saute separately in a pan until tender.Mushrooms: Saute separately in a pan until tender, then stir into finished pasta.Carrots: Add small diced carrots to the boiling water along with the dry pasta.Frozen peas: Pour frozen peas into the pasta cooking water just before you drain it.Spinach: Stir raw baby spinach into the pasta immediately after draining, until wilted.(Most of the time, you don’t need an extra pan.

#A GOOD RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE MAC AND CHEESE HOW TO#

Here’s just a partial list of add-ins, and how to get them into your dish without a fuss. You can use this base recipe as the starting point for so many different healthy and delicious variations. Don’t be afraid to add a generous pinch of salt. If you’re used to eating boxed mac and cheese, you might be surprised at how very UN-salty your cheese sauce tastes. Keep your heat on low to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot. The best time! Sprinkle your cheeses into the sauce one handful at a time, whisking gently to melt as you go. But it adds a nice extra dimension to the flavor of your sauce (and since you’re using powdered spice, you don’t have to worry about texture-sensitive kids reacting negatively to chunks of onion or garlic.) You may also add a half teaspoon of a good dijon mustard here to develop the flavor even more. But before you know it, the thickening power of your roux is going to create a smooth, creamy-looking sauce.Īt this stage, add a pinch of garlic powder and onion powder. For one hot second, it’s going to look like a mess. Next, add your milk to the pan, and use that whisk to mix it in with the roux really well. You’ll notice small bubbles forming, and the paste starting to thicken. Then sprinkle the flour over the butter, and use a whisk to turn the butter-flour mixture into a paste. With a little practice, you can get everything ready at the same time.Īdd the butter to the bottom of your sauce pan and let it melt gently. Go ahead and start heating your pasta water while you work on the sauce. So we’re going to focus on the sauce pan. One pot is for boiling your pasta, plain and simple. We’re going to give you the step-by step version of how to do this because trust us: once you get the basic technique down, you can add “homemade mac and cheese maker” to your list of life skills, and it will never let you down again. The Basics: How to Make Homemade Stove Top Mac and Cheese Serve roasted or steamed veggies, or simple green salad, or cut fruit for balance. Mac and cheese provides plenty of complex carbs and protein for kids (really!), so you can focus on fresh produce sides instead. Here’s another mac and cheese nutrition tip: think of this recipe as a main course, not a side dish. We’ll talk about some of our favorite add-ins further along in this post. Adding tiny, tender vegetables to homemade mac and cheese brings the nutrition in this dinner to the next level. Flour thickens the creamy cheese sauce in this dish, and white whole wheat flour works perfectly. Even some homemade mac and cheese recipes call for highly-processed cheese-type foods (Velveeta, we’re looking at you.) We prefer to stick with minimally-processed, whole milk cheeses. Dellalo makes an excellent whole wheat macaroni noodle you can buy at Walmart. Whole wheat pasta is more accessible now than ever, and kids tend to accept this high-fiber swap in place of regular white flour noodles. Here are the ingredients we trust for making nourishing mac and cheese we feel good about serving our kids: Homemade mac and cheese is healthy because you make it healthy! And the key to a healthy mac and cheese is to use simple, whole-food ingredients. Can I Make Mac and Cheese without Flour?.The Basics: How to Make Homemade Stove Top Mac and Cheese.

A good recipe for homemade mac and cheese