Easy Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

What is as comforting on a cool evening as a big steaming bowl of cheesy macaroni and cheese?

I have tried and tested out many versions of macaroni and cheese.   Non of them came out to that ooey gooey cheesy deliciousness that we all love.  Now, what all these homemade recipes had in common was flour.  The result was a slightly gluey texture that I just didn’t like.

Then one day I thought to myself, Alfredo Sauce doesn’t have flour; why should the cheese sauce from Macaroni and Cheese have flour?  So, as a result, I came up with this recipe.

This recipe has exactly the texture that you want in a cheese sauce.  It’s smooth, creamy and rich.  It’s exactly the kind of mac and cheese that you want to curl up on the sofa with.

Fresh is better than Boxed Macaroni and Cheese

Why make boxed macaroni with dehydrated cheese when you can make homemade macaroni with fresh cheese in just about the same amount of time?

Steps to cheesy goodness:

First, bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add the Olive Oil and one tablespoon of the salt to the water.

Next, add the Elbow Pasta (also known as Macaroni) to the boiling water and cook it to the lower end of the box’s directions.

Drain the pasta, and set aside.  I use this colander when I make pasta.

In the same pot, melt the butter on medium heat.

Add the cream.  Or, if saving on the calories, use half and half or whole milk.  Cook until the mixture begins to thicken.

Add the remaining salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, and mustard seed powder.

While stirring, slowly incorporate the shredded Cheddar cheese into the sauce.  Stir until smooth.  I love cheese, so I used 3 cups of shredded Cheddar cheese for my sauce.  You can get away with 2-1/2.  I won’t get mad.

Add the macaroni to the cheese sauce.  Gently stir until the all of the macaroni is covered in delicious cheese sauce.

You are ready to enjoy a generous helping of deliciously, cheesy Homemade Macaroni and Cheese.