Macaroni and Cheese

Believe it or not, I inadvertently spent years coming up with our perfect little family mac & cheese recipe.  No, you read that right...years.  The great Mac & Cheese debate started when Rob and I got married.

You see, I grew up with The Blue Box (didn't everyone grow up with The Blue Box?).  After we got married and I picked up a few of the Blue Boxes to have in the pantry, Rob shared with me the shocking news: there was more than just the one kind of Blue Box.  What??  I grew up with elbow macaroni, he grew with spirals.  And so the battle was on.  Which one of us was going to win this one?

Being the nice person that I am (don't laugh Rob), I thought I'd just do away with the Blue Box altogether and try making my own.  I mean, women have been making mac & cheese for centuries right?  How hard can it be?  After trying a few different kinds, Rob gently told me that it wasn't personal, but he just preferred his Blue Box to homemade.  Ouch.

Well with that blow I laid off the experiments for a long time.  Then one night out with friends, someone ordered this mac & cheese at a restaurant, which is now sadly out of business, and let me try a bite.  Oh. My.  GOODNESS GRACIOUSNESS!!  I knew then and there I had to try and duplicate that recipe.  It took a couple years to do and I'm not totally sure it's an exact copy.  However we love it and it's become a great compromise for us with my love of The Homemade Mac & Cheese and Rob's love for The Spiral Mac.

Macaroni & Cheese
No adaptation; 100% from Jeanna's head.

NOTE: all of these measurements below are approximations.  I have never measured the ingredients for this recipe.

Mmmmm...goat cheese...

1 lb whole wheat rotini
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Nutmeg
Paprika
1 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
4 oz goat cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 350.  Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Salt and pour in pasta.  Cook according to package directions; drain and set aside.

2.  While the pasta cooks, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.  Whisk in flour and add seasonings (to taste).  Let this cook a minute or two.

When mixture is thickened, you should be able to do this

3.  Slowly whisk milk into the flour mixture.  Bring the heat up slightly and stir frequently until milk has
thickened (do NOT let the milk boil; I know it's hard when you're hungry and in a hurry but if you rush this step, you'll end up with grainy cheese sauce.  Trust me).  Slowly add 2 cups of shredded cheddar, stirring until it's melted.

Yes, we like cheese.

4.  Pour cheese sauce over the rotini and stir to combine.  Pour this into a greased 8x8 pan.  Top with remaining cheddar.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until top layer of cheese and melted and browned in spots and the dish is bubbly.

5.  Top hot mac & cheese with crumbled goat cheese and serve.

TIP: Want to make this a one-dish meal?  Add some cooked shredded chicken and broccoli florets to the pasta before you bake it.  I'd suggest making some extra cheese sauce though to make sure everything is well coated.

 BONUS TIP: Make this a smidge healthier by adding a #2-sized baby food container of an orange vegetable when you add the cheese to the thickened milk.  I promise you will not taste it.

Yup, we like our mac & cheese topped with goat cheese.  In fact, this is my son's FAVORITE meal and one of the few he will ask for seconds.  We're actually now at a point where we're all trying to scoop up sections that have the most goat cheese crumbles on it. ;)  Not a fan of goat cheese?  Try feta.  It's got a similar tang but isn't quite as creamy.  Or try crumbled blue cheese (and bacon...mmmm, bacon).  Or just leave the extra cheese off altogether.  Do whatever it is YOU and YOUR FAMILY like.  That's the beauty of cooking. :)