Thursday, October 16, 2008

Julie's Best Mac & Cheese

The rain has arrived this week, and it had us stuck in the house all day yesterday. So it seemed like the perfect day for a warm bowl of one my kids' favorite comfort foods - macaroni and cheese.

Homemade macaroni and cheese is really not much more complicated than the stuff in the blue box. No, really, it isn't. And for some reason, my girls won't eat the boxed stuff, anyway. (Okay, the obvious reason is because this is much better.) So this is how we make it in our house.

In this dish, I forgo the traditional bechamel sauce, favoring instead a carbonara-esque sauce made with egg and milk. The result is an incredibly rich, creamy, cheesy sauce. Easy and yummy!



Ingredients:

1 cup small pasta (we like whole-wheat organic elbows)
1 egg
1/4 cup milk (although I never measure - just splash it into the bowl with the egg)
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
salt (and pepper) to taste

Boil the pasta as directed.

Meanwhile, beat the egg and milk together in a small bowl. When the pasta is done, drain off the hot water in a strainer and immediately put the empty pot back on the burner over low heat.

Pour the egg-milk mixture into the pot and stir while cooking over low heat for a few minutes. You want to heat the mixture so it gets hot and kills any bacteria and thickens just so slightly, but not scramble the eggs.

Stir in the hot, drained pasta (which will also help cook the egg sauce a bit), and then mix in the shredded cheese until melted and smooth. Add salt to taste (and pepper, if desired), and then EAT!

This makes enough to feed about two hungry kids.

1 comment:

Beth said...

I am glad you made this while you guys were visiting, it was so good! Adding in the roasted tomatoes for the adults was good too.

 

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