Looking for a Simple Homemade Mac and Cheese

My mom makes the BEST home made Mac & Cheese and it is EASY!

Boil & drain elbow macaroni (or ANY shape pasta!)

Grate sharp cheddar (about 2 cups for a lb. of elbows).

Layer elbows with cheese in a casserole dish.

Bake at 350 for about 45 min. last 15 minutes add browned in butter, crushed Ritz crackers as topping.

My so LOVES this and calls it "Mac-an"

We use what ever pasta shapes we have (whole grain). While the pasta is cooking, I use a separate saucepan and melt 1 tablespoon of butter or 1 1/2 tablespoons of margarine. Then I add 1 tablespoon of flour and stir together well. Then I add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk to the flour/butter and cook for about a minute or two, stirring constantly. Next, I add any of the cheeses I want, a little garlic salt (or garlic powder and low sodium salt in your case) and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce has a nice consistency.

Then I combine the pasta and sauce and either serve immediately or I put it in a casserole dish and add croutons or crackers on the top and bake for 20 minutes.

Bacon can also be added to the mix if that suits you...but not low in sodium!!!!

It takes approxiamately 15 minutes to make pasta and cheese sauce....and makes a quick and much healthier version than Mac 'n cheese in the box.

I make this all the time:

Boil whatever pasta you choose to al dente (follow times on box).

While the water is coming to a boil and your pasta is cooking, melt two tablespoons of butter in a pan, add two tablespoons of flour, stir until well combined and let it cook on medium - low for a minute or two.
Slowly add about two cups of milk (more or less, let it bubble up in between, until you have your desired consistency for the sauce). You can sub some of the milk with chicken stock, tomato juice, V8 to change things up. If I have some on hand I will also add pureed veggies like squash or carrots.
When the sauce has a nice silky consistency add grated cheese over low heat/simmer. You can add as much or as little as you like. I go with one cup of grated cheddar and a 1/4 cup of parmesan, but in a pinch I have even used Kraft Singles or just sliced deli cheese. Let the cheese melt and combine with the cooked and drained pasta. Season to taste with salt, pepper and (optional) nutmeg.
This takes about 15 minutes to prep/cook.

I use velvetta & noodles in a crockpost but I'm pretty sure that Velvetta is loaded with sodium. I'm sure you could just get a low sodium cheese and melt it with the noodles. I do add some milk to make it more creamy =)

The easiest mac n cheese I make is just to cook your pasta and while you are doing that, in a separate pan warm milk and cheese (I use KRAFT American Slices, buy my used to use velveta) All I do is tear the cheese into smaller pieces and add to the milk until melted. You can control the consistency by adding more or less milk. that's it. voila! My daughter loves it and it's easy. I add salt and/or pepper to mine, but not her's... my mom also used to add some butter, but I don't think it's necessary. GOOD LUCK

I have a very easy mac and cheese recipe--it is actually a Wegmans recipe. Just cook elbow macaroni and in another pot melt an 8 ounce bag of shredded cheddar cheese with about 1/4 cup of milk and 1 can of cream of celery soup (you can use low sodium soup) Mix together and add to macaroni and you are set! A little treat for adults is to add some fresh bruschetta from the olive bar right before serving.

I just grate cheese (maybe like 3 cups) and add condensed milk. That makes the sauce and I pour in the noodles. It takes no extra time and no added chemicals. My kids love it...nice and creamy. It is really good if you have a couple kids of cheese, but I use cheddar all the time.

:-) S.

My kids LOVE the kind where you just grate in the cheese, but I find it gets a better consistency if you drain the noodles, and using the same pot dump in some grated cheese and a tbsp of butter. Cook over low heat until forms a big lump and consistency changes, then add the noodles back in and stir until all the noodles are coated. My kids especially love it when I use wagon wheel pasta fyi!
You can also try making a cheese sauce by combining an equal amount of butter and flour in a saucepan (like 3 T each) and stirring until butter is melted. Then add about a cup of milk (adjust to suit amount of flour mixture) a little at a time until the sauce thickens. Add a bunch of grated cheese (I like to add a few cheese slices too for a smoother texture) and blend until melted then combine with cooked noodles. Very creamy this one. You can then put it into a casserole and bake with more cheese on top or breadcrumbs for a nice baked cheese dish.
Mmmm- I think I know what is for lunch tomorrow!!

All my friend does is cook the macaroni... and then while it is still piping hot, she just grates in some cheese and mixes it together. Any kind of cheese that your child likes.
It tastes real great. Her kids love it too.
Super easy.

Jerry Seinfeld's wife wrote a cookbook for kids that has a great recipe for mac and cheese. My kids love it. It even has healthy twists that you add that kids don't know about it. The book is called Deceptively Delicious. You can get it at any bookstore. Has TONS of great and very healthy recipes in it.

www.deceptivelydelicious.com/

My husband cooks the pasta and then just lays on a couple of kraft cheese slices on it. He'll pour a little milk on but it is sooo good and the kids love it. I am not sure about sodium content though.

Cook elbow macaroni and drain. Add in grated cheese of your choice. I use some sort of sharp cheddar, usually a little cream cheese and whatever I have around (a little low-sodium velveeta type cheese always helps). Add in about a quarter cup of milk and stir it up. Top with breadcrumbs and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. Delish!