Mama's Best Macaroni and Cheese

Mama's Kitchen (Hope)'s Note:

My kids say this is better than 'the blues' and gobble it up, even when I toss in a handful of cooked veggies like broccoli, peas, carrots, etc.... Make it a one dish meal with some tuna, cooked ham, etc... It is just as easy as the 'blue box' at least I think so and it is much healthier!

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 dash pepper
• ½ teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cheddar cheese , shredded
• 2 cups macaroni , cooked
• 1 pinch cayenne (optional)

Directions:

1. Make a roux by melting butter in pan and adding flour. Stir constantly and cook until it is the color of caramel candy. It burns easily so stir stir stir!
2. Slowly and carefully add milk while stirring.
3. When milk starts to steam add cheese and seasonings and stir until melted and well combined.
4. Pour over cooked macaroni noodles and serve.

Reviews

[SugarHATER]

I just want to comment because I am upset with some of the reviewers complaining that it's "not creamy or cheese-y" enough for them, or they didn't like it because it doesn't taste like the kind that comes out of a box. THIS recipe has: Calories 276.5 Calories from Fat 109 for 1 serving. Not so bad considering a sample of other similar recipes will cost your body between: Calories 570.9 Calories from Fat 230 - to - Calories 899.6 Calories from Fat 481, Total Fat 53.5 g and 32 grams of Saturated Fat!!!! So if you all want to commit suicide by eating high food that's "cheesier", "creamier" and taste like it's "fresh from the box" go right a head. In fact, you can think about that "creamy mac and cheese" as the anthesiologist tells you to count backwards from 10 while you lay on the surgeon's table about to have your breastbone sawed open for a quadruple by-pass because your arteries are all clogged with "creamy" and "cheesy". Or you can thank people like Mama's Kitchen for posting a HEALTHER VERSION so you can have your Mac & Cheese and not end up DEAD for it. And you all should be doing what she does: Tossing in veggies to up the nutrional content. Good work Mama's Kitchen on slimming down this recipe. I commend you for trying to keep your kids both happy and healthy. It's a shame more people weren't like you.

[Chef shapeweaver ©]

I made this recipe on 7/20/09 as part of our dinner. And other than cutting this in half,it was made as written.Perfect amount of everything in this recipe.. This was what mac & cheese should be, " cheesy goodness " . This knocks the " Blue Box " stuff out of the park. I'll make this again. Thanks for posting and, " Keep Smiling :) "

[Michelle S.]

This was very easy to make, just not cheesy enough and we used a sharp cheddar. We would definitely do this again, but with more cheese. I added a generous dash of onion powder and cayenne pepper for a little "kick". It made a good hearty lunch while we were doing some holiday baking.