‘Mac and cheese’ – All time favourite pasta dish for kids! When I announce ‘pasta’ I love to see that lovely smile and exciting expression on my little girls’ face. Her favourite cartoon character ‘Baby Bob’ loves ‘Mac ‘n cheese’, so its her favourite dish too! When I prepare it for her I cut down on the ground pepper, and so it’s quite bland but lots of calories with all that cheese over it! So while serving it for your self you can avoid the cheese (as in pic) and add more of coarsely ground pepper and other garnishing. There are different ways of preparing the ‘Mac and cheese’ dish, this is how I prepare it.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups dried elbow macaroni
- 1/3 cup chopped onion (optional)
- 4 teaspoons butter or margarine
- 4teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1/8teaspoon pepper(freshly ground- keep aside a little for the garnish)
- 11/2 cups milk
- 1-3/4 cups shredded cheese or Swiss cheese
- 2tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs (optional)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used the cube cheese for the dressing)
- Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)
- ¼ tsp of oregano
- Salt (very little)
Method
- Cook macaroni in unsalted water according to package directions until tender, but still firm. Drain well.
- In a medium saucepan, cook the onion in the 4 teaspoons butter or margarine until tender, but not brown. Stir in the flour, salt and the pepper. Add the milk all at once. Cook and stir until the mixture is slightly thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Add the shredded cheese, stirring until melted (the mixture may appear slightly curdled). Stir in the cooked macaroni. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl.
- In a small saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Stir in the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture. (Or just sprinkle the grated cheese over the macaroni).
- Garnish the dish with fresh thyme and coarsely ground pepper.
Optional
- The macaroni can be baked in a 350 degree F oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.
Preparation Time: 35 minutes
Serve: 3-4