Really Good Mac and Cheese

This is my favourite macaroni and cheese recipe, made with homemade whole wheat pasta.

2 cups uncooked macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

Heat oven to 350F. Cook macaroni in boiling water as directed. While macaroni is cooking, melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and worcestershire sauce. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cheese, and pour the rest into the sauce, stirring until melted. Drain macaroni. Gently stir macaroni into cheese sauce. Pour into an ungreased baking dish. Sprinkle the reserved 1/2 cup of cheese onto the pasta and then sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Sometimes I make a lighter version of this, with only 2 tablespoons of butter and low-fat cheese, but sometime I like to go all out. I like to substitute some of the cheddar with an herbed havarti sometimes too, just to mix things up. This time I made my own macaroni, with my new shiny Christmas gift:

A new stand mixer with a pasta-maker attachment! I’ve been having lots of fun with it.
Here comes the macaroni!

Cole helped throw pieces of dough into the machine while I cut off the macaroni. It was a real team effort.
That’s a lot of macaroni! This is obviously far more labour-intensive than opening a package of dry macaroni, but it sure was fun, and the pasta was delicious. It’s not something I’d do all the time, but it’s great as a treat. Here’s the pasta dough recipe I used, right from my pasta-maker manual:
Whole Wheat Pasta
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
4 large eggs
Mix together flours and salt in mixing bowl. Crack eggs into measuring cup and pour them into the bowl one at a time while mixing them into the flour. Mix for about 3 minutes until mixture comes together. Knead dough for several minutes until a smooth dough ball forms. Remove dough and wrap in plastic. Allow to rest at least 15 minutes.  Feed tiny pieces into the pasta machine, making sure to separate strands once cut and lightly toss them in cornmeal to prevent from sticking. Cook in boiling water until tender, about 3-8 minutes.
That’s a pretty wide range in cooking time. I cooked them for probably 6 minutes, then used them for the macaroni and cheese recipe.
Mmm, so good!
I’ve also made this with ham and broccoli, which is also really good. This time we just had mixed veggies on the side. For some reason Cole wasn’t too interested in actually eating the macaroni and cheese, he just liked making them more than anything. Bennett liked the eating part though, and so did I. Tony was working but he enjoyed some in his lunch the following day. The leftovers are good, but there’s nothing like eating it fresh out of the oven when the sauce is the creamiest.
Pasta recipe from Cuisinart Stand Mixer Pasta Maker Accessory Instruction and recipe booklet.
Made with my new favourite kitchen item: Cuisinart Stand Mixer

Please check out Quit Eating Out’s Saturday Swap for some more great recipes!

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Welcome! I’m Megan.

My kids like to whine, especially when it comes to the food they eat, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to make tasty and healthy meals for them. Follow along as I share family-friendly recipes and reviews from my picky family members, who I lovingly call “The Whine Critics.” Read More…

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