Best Nannys Simple Macaroni And Cheese Recipes

SIMPLE MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; stir in flour, salt, and pepper until smooth, about 5 minutes. Slowly pour milk into butter-flour mixture while continuously stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Add Cheddar cheese to milk mixture and stir until cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Fold macaroni into cheese sauce until coated.

CLASSIC BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until it's barely al dente. (It should be more al dente than your average pasta: It's going to continue to cook in the oven.) Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat butter in a medium pot over medium heat. (The pot should be large enough to hold all the pasta when cooked.) Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour is foamy and just starting to turn a light golden brown, about 4 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk to avoid clumping. Add garlic, paprika and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly and paying special attention to the edges of the pot to make sure the flour mixture is totally incorporated.
• Add grated cheese and whisk to blend until the cheese is completely melted. (The sauce will seem thick at first and thin out as the cheese melts; it will thicken while it bakes.) Season with salt and pepper and add cooked pasta, stirring to coat well.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (to catch any cheesy drips).
• Make the optional topping: Combine bread crumbs, melted butter and Parmesan, if using, in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and, using your hands, mix well to ensure the bread crumbs are evenly coated.
• Transfer the macaroni and cheese mixture to a 3-quart or 9 x 13 baking dish and scatter bread crumbs, if using, evenly over the top. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake until macaroni and cheese is bubbling, thickened and creamy, and bread crumbs are evenly golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

NANNY G'S MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to the package directions and drain.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together the hot macaroni and 2 cups of the cheese, letting the cheese melt a bit.
• Stir in the milk, eggs salt and pepper.
• Pour into a lightly greased one quart casserole dish.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese on top.
• Top with some paprika for color.
• Bake uncovered for about 1 hour at 350°F until golden, and brown on the sides (if using glass dish).

NANNY'S MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Make pasta. While pasta is cooking heat milk with the Velveeta (cut up to melt quicker). Mix until melted and smooth.
• Drain pasta, and pour into baking pan. Add most of the cheese sauce. Tuck tablespoons full of crushed tomatoes into areas around the pan. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to one hour. Use the leftover sauce for reheating if there are any leftovers.

EASIEST MAC-N-CHEESE EVER!

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
• Place a saucepan over medium-low heat. Combine the cheese food, milk, and pepper in the saucepan; cook until the cheese has melted, stirring frequently. Stir in the drained macaroni until evenly coated.

OLD SCHOOL MAC N' CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes; drain.
• Melt butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Slowly add flour to butter, whisking constantly; cook until brown and the mixture no longer smells of flour, about 5 minutes. Pour 1 cup milk into the flour mixture, whisking continually until fully incorporated, about 45 seconds; repeat twice. Add remaining 3 cups milk to the mixture, whisking to incorporate. Stir Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper into the mixture; season with salt and black pepper.
• Reduce heat to low. Cook sauce, whisking frequently, until it begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Add about half the package of shredded Cheddar cheese; stir continually until the cheese melts completely. Repeat with remaining half package of Cheddar cheese and the American cheese, about 4 ounces at a time. Once cheese is entirely incorporated, remove sauce from heat.
• Stir drained macaroni into the cheese sauce to coat. Divide macaroni between two 9x13-inch baking dishes.
• Mix crushed potato chips, 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. Top the macaroni with the potato chip mixture evenly. Spray the potato chip mixture with cooking spray.
• Bake in preheated oven until the crust is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling, 35 to 45 minutes.

SUPER SIMPLE MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Melt butter in largish, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low-medium heat.
• Add flour, stirring with whisk or spatula until it bubbles; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
• Do NOT let it brown. [If it browns, save it for brown gravy and start again.].
• Remove from heat and mix in mustard, pepper, cayenne, and Worcestershire; blend well, then add milk APPROXIMATELY ONE TABLESPOON AT A TIME until it is soupy or gloppy. This method prevents lumps.
• Return to medium heat and gradually add the rest of the milk, and the salt.
• Stir or whisk constantly until it comes to a boil (a wooden spatula is a handy tool for this); simmer one minute, always stirring.
• Remove from heat and add cheese; stir occasionally until all lumps of cheese disappear.
• This takes 5-10 minutes, but you can return it to very low heat if necessary.
• Note: Removing it from the heat is not absolutely necessary with Velveeta; but with natural cheese, it is best to melt it this way to avoid clumping and stringiness. Natural cheese will blend much better if it melts into the sauce off the heat, something about how the protein reacts to heat.
• Meanwhile, slightly undercook cook elbows in salted water in large pot and drain and return to large pot.
• Add sauce and mix gently with a lifting motion so the pasta isn't smashed.
• Place in buttered or Pammed casserole dish; I like to use an 11x15 so I get lots of surface area for the crust, but if you don't like crusty mac&cheese use a smaller, deeper pan.
• [At this point, or after mixing in large pot, you can refrigerate it for a couple of days if desired. Let it return to room temp or cook longer. You can also freeze, thaw, and spread in pan.] Top with bread crumbs if desired.
• Bake at 350F for 1 hour or until it's bubbling well and top is browned the way you like it. Mmmm.