Baked Mac & Cheese

[feliciakw]

For my f-listies who claim they "can't cook" . . . izhilzha? I'm lookin' at you.



Well, okay, five if you count the seasoning. And I'll even make notes so you can keep your measuring to a minimum.

3 T. butter (Unopened sticks of butter have the tablespoons marked on the wrappers.)
2 c. macaroni, uncooked
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (Kraft shredded cheese comes packaged in 2-cup measurements.)
4 c. milk (That's one quart, you know.)
Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter; add uncooked macaroni and stir well to coat macaroni.
Put into a deep 2-quart greased casserole dish.
Add cheese, salt and pepper and milk.
Stir. Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.
Uncover and continue to bake for 30 minutes more.... until desired
tenderness.

Using uncooked macaroni makes this a simple, quick, easy dish!

Cousin J and mi madre found this in the Pine Grove COB (Church of the Brethren) Cookbook. Don't know where they got the book (to my knowledge, none of my family is CoB), but church cookbooks have some of the best, easiest recipes.

My own notes on the recipe: I use whole wheat pasta, so the cooking time is a little different. I bake for the first 30 minutes and the second 30 minutes as directed, then I turn off the oven and leave the casserole in the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes. Then, after I take it out of the oven, I let it sit for a few minutes to set. My mom uses the extra-protein pasta (like Barilla Plus) and had to bake approximately 30 minutes extra.

If you're used to the creamy-cheesy mac&cheese like Kraft or Velveeta, this is very different in appearance and texture. But it is totally numlicious, and it's made from scratch, which is always a win.

Comments

[shadow-of-doubt.livejournal.com]

Mmmm. This sounds good! I think I'll fix it this weekend. Thanks!

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome! Let me know how it turns out.

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

Yum! *makes notes to buy ingredients at next shopping time*

I'm cool with the texture; my mom used to make mac 'n cheese from scratch all the time when I was growing up.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Ha. That's the one thing my mom told me, is that I need to make sure I have the ingredients before I try to make it. 'Cause a quart of milk is a lot of milk for a recipe. :-)

Let me know how this compares texture-wise to what you mom makes. The mac&cheese that shows up at potlucks is usually creamy and cheesy, and I'm not 100% sure how the cooks accomplish that. Yet.

[leelust.livejournal.com]

And you already have cooked macaroni? All the same but the time for baking is different?

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

I made this recipe last week, and it turned out well. I was pleased.

Don't pre-cook the macaroni. The macaroni gets cooked as the casserole bakes. That's why you cover with foil for the first 30 minutes--it keeps the moisture in so the macaroni cooks.

My and my mom's baking times are a little different because we're using a different kind of macaroni than the standard processed flour macaroni. My whole wheat pasta and her protein-added pasta cook a little differently than regular white flour pasta. We follow the recipe as I've written it here, we just have to let the casserole bake a little longer so the pasta cooks properly.

Does that make sense? Or am I not understanding your question?

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I will totally be trying that! Thank you. :)

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

It's very easy. Do let me know how it turns out for you. :-)