Foodstuff: Easy Homemade Mac and Cheese Recipe

Time to dig in.
Katherine Roberts/ Photo Courtesy

You know that joke that floats around the internet every year during the holidays, saying something along the lines of “Everyone wanders around during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, confused about what day it is, and full of cheese”? Besides being hilarious, it makes me feel extremely, um, seen.

After hosting both my family pre-Christmas and a casual Christmas Day après for friends this year, I had a lot of bits and bobs in the fridge and the desire to cook something easy and comforting during the cold, gray last days of 2022.

Enter macaroni and cheese.

I consider myself something of a mac and cheese connoisseur, having eaten approximately 17 million pounds of it throughout the course of my life. I like it any which way — from elaborately homemade with gourmet cheeses to that blue box, which is perpetually in my cupboard.

This allows for you to enjoy both the creamy, decadent pasta and sauce, and throw in any leftovers you might have from hosting (great for me, as I have a well-documented hatred of waste).

Combine flour and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat to make a roux, whisking until the flour is lightly golden and cooked through. Add milk slowly in small batches, making a bechamel. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg, if using.

While the bechamel sauce comes together, cook pasta according to package directions for al dente, or subtract about two minutes from the suggested time.

Turn heat off, add cheese** and cooked pasta to saucepan, and toss to coat.*** Pour pasta into a 9×9 glass baking dish, top with reserved cheese, and bake in the oven until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 10-12 minutes. Let cool at least five minutes before serving.

Cook’s Notes

*I use any combination of cheeses here but suggest at least two different types for the most flavorful sauce. This year, I had chunks of sharp cheddar, Manchego,…

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