Wanting recipe for Mac & Cheese that is creamy, not hard baked...

[BC]

I have had macaroni & cheese that is creamy and has more of a cheese "sauce" than just baked firm. You know, some recipes call for the cheese mixture to be poured over the pasta and then baked, but they come out sort of firm and somewhat "rubbery". I am looking for your best mac & cheese recipe that has to be spooned out of the dish rather than being able to pick up a chunk with a fork. Hope you all know the kind I am talking about. Please share your favorite recipe!

 

[krcit]

This will sound weird but I just made it for dinner and my kids love it. People ask me to make it all the time.



1 lb macaroni(I use elbows or small shells)

1 lb Velveet

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 soup cans of milk.


Boil macaroni. While it is cooking, heat up soup and milk, add the Velveeta cut up in chunks..stir until it all melts and is smooth. I also add a bit of black pepper. Drain macaroni, pour in a 9x11 baking dish and pour soup/cheese mixture over it and stir it up so it's all evenly coated. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 35 min utes. Creamy goodness, lol

 

[BC]

that sounds really good and EASY!!

 

[Robinrs]

Use any basic mac and cheese recipe and just substitute the milk for heavy whipping cream or half and half.

 

[RunningGirl]

2 C elbows, cooked 5 mins and drained
2 1/2 C milk
2 T butter
2 T cornstarch
2 C shredded cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Stir together milk, butter and cornstarch over medium-high heat. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently. Boil 1 minute. Add cheese (and salt and pepper) and stir until melted. Stir in elbows. Pour into greased casserole dish and bake 20 minutes at 375.

Comes out very creamy and never hard! You can keep some of the cheese out to sprinkle on top but I don't like it that way.

 

[crazelion]

Beleive or not cooked mac and cheese according to directions. Then us dump real chesse and and milk until it becomes creamy.

The kids and my mom eat the whole pot too. I get none sometimes. LOL

 

[BC]

Thanks, all! Keep 'em coming!

 

[lovetoscrap]

I feel the exact same way you do! I think one thing that differentiates the hard baked kind is that they usually have eggs in them. The egg is there so that they will "set" I haven't tried it but I keep meaning to find a good baked recipe and see what happens without the egg and maybe a little more milk/cream. Most of them are made just like a basic creamy Mac and Cheese-- a roux, milk/cream and then the cheeses and other ingredients to make a sauce on the stovetop. Pour it over the cooked noodles and maybe add some more cheese. I think without the egg and not much or no baking time they would be much better.

 

[We_love_WDW]

This is how I make it. Sometimes I add alittle more milk so it is more creamy and I only cook it for 18- 20 min. YUM!

2 cups elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Directionsrep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2 Cook macaroni in 5 quarts boiling water for 8 minutes. Drain macaroni. 3 In medium saucepan, melt butter. 4 Stir in flour, mustard, and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir until mixture thickens slightly. 5 Remove from heat. 6 Add 1 1/2 cups cheese to milk mixture and stir until melted. 7 Stir in macaroni. 8 Turn into greased 2 quart baking dish. 9 Top with remaining cheese. 10 Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

 

[luvsJack]

I made mac and cheese from "the Barefoot Contessa" once that was easy, baked and very creamy.

I don't have the exact recipe (its on foodnetwork.com) but it was more of a method than a matter of which ingredients.

While the macaroni cooks, melt margarine/butter in a pan and add flour heat for a moment and add enough milk or cream to make thinner than gravy. Let that cook for just a couple of minutes and add shredded chedder cheese, swiss cheese and colby jack, let melt to make cheese sauce. Put half the macaroni in your baking dish and pour half the sauce over and stir gently. Then add some extra shredded cheeses plus some shredded provolone and stir. Repeat with the remaining macaroni, sauce and more cheeses. Let bake at 350 until slightly browned on top and bubbly. VERY good, very creamy--not hard or rubbery at all.

Every so often I will make this as our main dish for supper and sometimes i have different types of cheese. We don't like to use mozzerella but everything else works great. I especially like provolone so always have that but not always swiss so will interchange some of the others for the swiss.

 

[MELSMICE]

My niece named my mac & cheese "Fantastic Macaroni & Cheese".......

Obviously, you used cooked pasta - the shells or bow ties are the best for "holding" the cheese on the noodle.

For the cheese sauce I make a rue with some butter & flour, a little salt & pepper. Then I add some milk & heat it until it bubbles a bit. We drink skim, so it even gets thick with skim milk. I then add cheese - any kind, Velveeta, sliced, whatever you have on hand.

Melt lots of cheese & continue to let it heat to get a little thick, but not too thick. If it does get too thick add a little more milk.

Add noodles, remove from heat & mix.

It's soooooooo creamy! It seems that one of my DD's make it for themselves at least every day.

 

[dakcp2001]

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/moms-baked-macaroni-and-cheese/Detail.aspx

but add an extra can of cheddar cheese soup & an extra 1/2 to 3/4 c of milk. delish

super super easy!!!! Oh and I dont use all colby I use half colby jack and half cheddar cheese.

 

[Sorsha]

Make a roux - equal amounts melted butter and flour (I use 4 tbsp of each, use 2 each for a smaller batch.) - and cook for a few minutes to get the starchiness out of the flour but do not let it burn or darken. Then add half the number of Tbsp in cups of milk - i.e. if you used 4 Tbsp, add 2 cups of milk. Using a whisk, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Season with S & P or a seasoning salt.

Now, start adding bags of grated cheese, or cheese you have grated up yourself. I like to add several different varieties. Sharp cheddar is nice, mixed with some mozzarella, and some colby-jack. A little smoky cheese mixes nicely in there too. If you really want it to be rich and creamy melt some cream cheese in there too. A little bit of Dijon mustard mixed in adds an interesting tang too.

Now just boil up your macaroni, drain it, and mix it into the sauce. That's it, you don't bake it or anything. Its super creamy and delicious. After making it a few times you can experiment with the mix of cheeses to make it just how you want it to taste.

 

[BC]

Thanks so much to all of you for your response! I'm going to go to the store today and give a couple of these a try!

 

[2Kds2K9]

Nope, the absolute best is the Macaroni and Cheese Reciped from Alton Brown on the Food Network. It is the BEST and the easiest! It uses evaporated milk and is awesome! It's practically a staple in our house.

My DH makes it all the time and always makes a double batch. Especially since it only calls for half a can of evaporated milk. This way it's easier. He will also adjust and add more milk if needed.

Enjoy!

 

[luvsJack]

Someone mentioned cream cheese and reminded me of the cheese sauce that a cook in a resteraunt I worked in used to make. They used it over veggies with mac and cheese. It was just the normal sauce with butter flour and chedder cheese and they added a block of cream cheese. OH MY! It was sooo yummy! It could get kind of thick though so would need to add more cream/milk if doing mac and cheese.

 

[Jingle]

I've had people say they just love this mac & cheese. Someone who studied as a chef actually told me to do it this way.

One jar of the Ragu cheddar sauce.

Add some cut up some chunks of velveta cheese and slowly melt them in the Ragu sauce. I don't have an exact amount I use, but it's not that much. Maybe about an inch slab cut off a chunk of velvetta.

Prepare a box of elbow macaroni or whatever pasta you want to use. I always add the pasta to the sauce a bit at a time so I don't accidentally put in too much pasta. That's it.