Mac Cheese For One
- Boil a pot of water and cook the pasta for 8 to 10 minutes; drain when finished and let cool to room temperature. In a separate cup, stir the 'wet' ingredients (soup, pumpkin puree, milk, and mustard), and heat in microwave for 45-60 seconds; stir again until creamy.
- This is one of my favorite week night dinners. I usually eat the whole thing myself since I live on my own, but it could be shared as a side dish. This recipe is easy to change up by substituting a different cheese or vegetable, or using different shapes of pasta (or filled pasta, such as tortellini). Try an Italian blend with Parmesan for an easy Alfredo.
- This mac-n-cheese recipe was absolutely delicious. Loved the flavor and texture - very creamy. Some 'scratch' mac-n-cheese recipes seem to require too much flour or baking time and the texture can be very grainy. Only changes - I omitted the worcestorshire and used a little extra cheese.
This baked mac and cheese is a family favorite recipe, loved by both children and adults. It uses a combination of cheeses, layered in the dish as well as melted into a rich and creamy cheese sauce, for the ultimate in cheesy deliciousness!
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup milk
- 8 ounces elbow macaroni
- 4 ounces American cheese, shredded (1 cup)
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Small pinch cayenne pepper
- 4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
- ⅓ cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Ingredients
Macaroni Cheese For One Year Old
- Bring water and milk to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Stir in macaroni and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until macaroni is soft (slightly past al dente), 6 to 8 minutes. Add American cheese, mustard, and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is completely melted, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in cheddar until evenly distributed but not melted. Cover saucepan and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine panko, oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in 8-inch nonstick skillet until panko is evenly moistened. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until evenly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Off heat, sprinkle Parmesan over panko mixture and stir to combine. Transfer panko mixture to small bowl.
- Stir macaroni until sauce is smooth (sauce may look loose but will thicken as it cools). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to warm serving dish and sprinkle panko mixture over top. Serve immediately.
Directions
Mac In Cheese Recipes
Tips/Techniques
Barilla makes our favorite elbow macaroni. Because the macaroni is cooked in a measured amount of liquid, we don’t recommend using different shapes or sizes of pasta. Use a 4-ounce block of American cheese from the deli counter rather than presliced cheese. Inspired by an innovative macaroni and cheese recipe that calls for adding sodium citrate, an emulsifying salt, to cheese to keep it smooth when heated (instead of adding flour to make a béchamel), we based our sauce on American cheese, which contains a similar ingredient. Because American cheese has plenty of emulsifier but not a lot of flavor, we combined it with more-flavorful extra-sharp cheddar. A bit of mustard and cayenne pepper added piquancy. We cooked the macaroni in a smaller-than-usual amount of water (along with some milk), so we didn’t have to drain it; the liquid that was left after the elbows were hydrated was just enough to form the base of the sauce. Rather than bake the mac and cheese, we sprinkled crunchy, cheesy toasted panko bread crumbs on top. Our simplified mac and cheese recipe takes only about 20 minutes from start to finish.