Delicious and Easy Macaroni and Cheese

Submitted by atlantamom

"The only mac and cheese recipe you'll ever need- no funny ingredients, minimal effort and grand on taste!"

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 6
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 2 cups elbow macaroni
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 pinch cayenne
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted, for the casserole

directions

1. Boil the macaroni for 4 minutes or until half-cooked (salt the water!)
2. In a medium saucepan heat the half-and-half with cayenne, salt and pepper. Add macaroni and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and cook on medium heat until the cheese melts. Pour into a buttered casserole and top with remaining cheese.
3. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes until the cheese melts.

Reviews

[MsErinT]

Great basic recipe to get a creamy mac and cheese! For an extra "wow" factor, I'd do the following modifications:<br/><br/>- Cook the macaroni till it's mostly done, but still a little firm ("al dente")<br/><br/>- Instead of pouring the macaroni into the half/half mixture, pour it into a separate bowl and mix in half a stick of butter and a couple eggs till the pasta is coated throughout<br/><br/>- Pour the heated half/half and cheese mixture over the pasta and mix thorougly<br/><br/>- Pour into the buttered casserole dish and bake

 

[TreeSquirrel]

My boyfriend and I both loved this dish! We each had seconds! I used about 8 ounces of bow-tie pasta and boiled my pasta until still firm to the bite. This is a definite keeper and I'm making this again soon!

 

[flower7]

This was very easy and delicious! I thought the texture was a little grainy but the flavor totally made up for it. I used fat free half-and-half. I also cooked the pasta a little past half (6 min) as I was afraid of it not getting done with the small amount of additional cook time; the pasta ended up perfectly cooked. Thanks for the recipe!

 

[dgpat]

I thought this was very good and easy to make! I had it for dinner the other night and then for lunch yesterday with some chopped ham added to it. A much nicer taste than the boxed, but just as easy to make. Thanks for the recipe - I'll be making it often!

 

[barbaradraimin]

This was the first time in 55 years of cooking that I made mac and cheese. The kids said it was the best they every had. It was smooth on the inside and crunchy on the top. What an EASY recipe. I don't think there is anything you can do wrong. Thanks