Macaroni and Cheese Like My Mother Used to Make
Traditional favorite, nutritious and easy to make. This is as close to the taste I remember from my youth as I can create. Some liberty was taken. There was no Non-Fat Half and Half in her day. Still, it beats the best packaged product you can buy in every respect.
Traditional favorite, nutritious and easy to make. This is as close to the taste I remember from my youth as I can create. Some liberty was taken. There was no Non-Fat Half and Half in her day. Still, it beats the best packaged product you can buy in every respect.
- Carbohydrate 73.9354814583333 g
- Cholesterol 75.53625 mg
- Fat 29.3249169791667 g
- Fiber 2.62151462817192 g
- Protein 27.2252679166667 g
- Saturated Fat 17.8220847083333 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (253g)
- Sodium 1331.18360416667 mg
- Sugar 71.3139668301614 g
- Trans Fat 2.01398437499999 g
- Calories 671 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook elbow macaroni noodles according to package directions. Drain.
- Meanwhile pour half and half into sauce pan. Cut cheese spread into chunks and add to sauce pan. Cook over low heat, stirring until cheese has melted. Add butter and melt into cheese sauce. Add salt & pepper to taste. Place cooked elbow macaroni in a 12 cup capacity oven proof baking dish. (Corning ware or Pyrex) Stir in cheese sauce and mix well. Top with shredded cheddar cheese if desired.
- Cut bread slices into small "crouton" size pieces. Scatter on top of mixture. (I am not sure why my mother put bread pieces on top, just that she did)
- Bake covered in preheated oven at 350 until bubbly, about one hour. Remove and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled with paprika if desired.
Processed cheese spread anchors this dish, providing emulsifying agents like sodium citrate that prevent traditional dairy fats and proteins from breaking apart under sustained heat. Many cooks ruin casseroles of this style by using dry, aged cheddars straight into the sauce without realizing that high-protein, low-moisture cheeses will inevitably separate into a greasy oil slick when exposed to oven temperatures. Using a smooth, highly processed melting cheese guarantees a stable emulsion, yielding a velvety sauce coat for every piece of pasta rather than a grainy disappointment. Cooking the elbow macaroni slightly shy of al dente prevents the noodles from turning waterlogged as they absorb excess liquid inside the baking dish. Maintaining low heat while melting the cheese prevents scorching at the bottom of the saucepan, a common error that imparts a bitter burnt flavor to the entire batch. Covering the baking dish with foil during the first portion of the one-hour bake time traps steam, ensuring the pasta cooks evenly without drying out the surface. Removing that cover for the final minutes allows the optional bread croutons to crisp properly under the 350-degree Fahrenheit environment, adding a necessary textural contrast to the soft interior. Resting the casserole for exactly five minutes after extraction permits the starches to set, making portioning cleaner and preventing the piping-hot sauce from immediately running apart on the plate.
