The one guaranteed food to bring all my house comfort is macaroni & cheese. There is a time and place for the boxed stuff but for true comfort it has to be from scratch with a real white sauce. I think I’m the only one that finds the scratch version vastly superior in taste and worth the extra time. But all of my family and friends know that I am taking extra care to think of them when I prepare it. I learned how to make a good white sauce from my mom and my husband is always willing to shred the cheese. It is a team effort to prepare it with genuine love.
But also the dish is full of umami and that gives the comfort in the belly. It is an indulgence of taste and that can’t be missed for true comfort food. Yes, plenty of other things give nourishment, but even though the dish is simple, it has a taste of extravagance. When I eat it, I know that we have chosen to spend a little extra on cheese for that meal. It isn’t just enough for a taste of cheese, it is enough for a bath of cheese (apologies to those that are lactose intolerant). We get to have noodles literally swimming in cheese.
There is no greater feeling than swimming in the love of family, friends, church, and God. You can’t have just the love and you can’t have just people. It is the combination that makes it great.
Macaroni & Cheese
Ingredients:
- 16 ounces of pasta, elbows are the traditional shape, but works for nearly every shape (can be gluten free)
- 3 tablespoons butter (or vegan butter)
- 3 tablespoons flour (or another starch if gluten free)
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder (can substitute prepared mustard if that’s what you have)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (can substitute fresh garlic if that’s what you have)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (the cheese usually has enough salt to add to this, but some people like more salt than this)
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (can use black pepper, I like the white pepper “disappearing” into the sauce)
- 3 cups milk (dairy free works, just don’t get vanilla flavor)
- 12-18 ounces shredded cheese, a variety of cheeses works well, but make sure you get at least half of this that melts well. I keep colby jack in the fridge and use that as the only cheese most of the time, but when I go the extra mile I add in some of the flavor cheeses
- good at melting: colby jack, monterrey jack, mozzarella (low moisture), provolone, gruyere, fontina
- good for flavor: sharp cheddar, white cheddar, asiago, parmesan, gouda, leftover cheeses from a cheese board
- if you are vegan: check for some good combo of vegan cheeses or use a mixture of soaked cashews, cooked carrots, and potato flakes
Instructions:
Step 1: Cooking the pasta
Boil about 6 cups of water (not a giant pot, just enough to cover your pasta). Add the pasta and cook for the time listed on the box for al dente pasta. If you have a water kettle, use that to boil your water and then pour it over your pasta in the pot. You can start your timer before the water returns to a boil since the pasta cooks below the boiling point of water. When the pasta is done cooking, drain the pasta, but not all the way and do not rinse it. You want to keep just a bit of the starchy water to bring the sauce and pasta all together. If you are big on measuring things, you can reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water to add back in after you drain it.
Step 2: Making the cheese sauce
Heat a sauce pan over medium heat to melt the butter. Once the butter starts melting, add in the flour, mustard powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix together with a spatula or a whisk until you end up with a glob. Slowly add the milk using a whisk to incorporate the milk after each addition (1/4 cup at a time for the first cup and then 1/2 a cup at a time for the last 2 cups). Once all the milk has been added, let the sauce warm until it just barely steams (you don’t want to curdle the milk but you do want it to be warm enough to melt the cheese). Add in the cheeses and mix to melt all the way.
Step 3: Combine and serve
Add the cheese sauce to the pasta (and reserved pasta water) and stir well. Let sit for 5 minutes. Best served with a vegetable that people enjoy eating. My family all loves petite peas, but some of our friends prefer corn, other friends prefer roasted broccoli.
Jennifer Helbley enjoys cooking and baking without exact measurements, being outdoors, and quietly sitting with others.