Old-Fashioned Macaroni and Cheese

Submitted by All-Natural-Nut

"This recipe tastes great whether you use milk or kefir; you can even use a very sharp kefir if you have it; it will add a nice cheesey flavor and a bit of tang. WARNING: on the Food.Com APP, it looks like it calls for kefir AND milk, but it's OR. Also, for the 16 oz of cheese, it's one or the other, not both. Same for the 2 oz of cheese."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 5mins
• Ingredients: 12
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 16 ounces pasta elbows
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 cups kefir or 2 cups milk
• 16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese or 16 ounces smoked cheddar cheese, cubed
• 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese or 2 ounces smoked cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1⁄2 cup breadcrumbs, plain
• 1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese

directions

1. cook pasta according to package directions.
2. saute onion in butter until tender.
3. stir in flour, salt & pepper.
4. add milk or kefir all at once.
5. cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, then continue for 1-2 minutes more.
6. Add cubed cheese, and stir til melted, OR throw onion mixture and cheese into blender and blend til smooth.
7. In a 2.5 quart casserole, mix the pasta and cheese sauce together.
8. sprinkle with EITHER shredded cheese, OR a mixture of the butter/bread crumbs/parmesan cheese.
9. bake in 350 degree oven 30-35 minutes.
10. broil at the end to brown the topping to a crisp.

Reviews

[Sydney Mike]

There's this neighbor couple who absolutely love mac & cheese, & I've been making various recipes of it for them! I made this one in 2 casseroles, a 1 quart one for the 2 of us & a 2.5 quart one for the 2 of them! GREAT TASTING MAC & CHEESE, this, & I'm making note to make this recipe again & using kefir, which I think will be a nice change! Thanks for a great recipe keeper! [Tagged, made & reviewed for one of my adoptees in the current Pick A Chef]