Recently I mentioned to several people I know my family’s version of homemade mac ‘n cheese. It’s one of our favorite meals to make, so I thought I’d share it with all of you, too. I actually just made a batch yesterday for my dad’s birthday. And judging by the phone call I received last night after he ate it, I outdid myself. I did, however, to doublecheck with my mother this morning to make sure she enjoyed it, as well. She did. SCORE FOR ME!
This recipe makes two huge batches of mac ‘n cheese. Whenever I make it I always make two big pans because my parents love it so much. (I’m a good daughter.) You can also freeze the second pan if you wish. And you’ll definitely have leftovers for a few days with the first pan.
Ingredients:
2 boxes of medium shells
10 tbsp. of flour
10 tbsp. of butter
5 cups of milk
Shrimp, lobster or ham (Or non at all, if you prefer)
2 large blocks of cheese of your choice (I use sharp white cheddar.)
2 cups of mozzarella
Directions
- Melt 10 tbsp. of butter in a large saucepan.
- Once melted, blend in 10 tbsp. of flour over low heat until thoroughly mixed.
- Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.
- Remove from heat and slowly add in the milk, stirring constantly to make a smooth paste.
- Continuing adding milk and stir until you’ve added all five cups.
- Return to burner and bring to boil. Continue to stir so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from burner again and add in cheese. Stir to melt.
- Add cooked shells to sauce and stir. (This is when you can also add in shrimp, lobster or ham.)
- Once your macaroni is thoroughly coated, spoon mixture into casserole dishes.
- Sprinkle the top with Italian Style Breadcrumbs.
- Bake at 375 until the mac ‘n cheese is bubbly and golden brown around the edges.