National Macaroni Day | Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

I need to add an addendum to my statement in my National French Fries Day ^[4] post. In there, I said that my favorite cuisines were, in order, Italian, Cuban, and French Fries. I’d like to add Macaroni and Cheese as my #4. I will take macaroni and cheese any way I can get it. Even if a mac ‘n cheese is subpar, I’ll still finish it off. Call me crazy, because I totally am.

In fact, I made a joke/not so much a joke to my husband the other night that if I were going to open a restaurant, I would open a mac ‘n cheese shack. It probably wouldn’t ever be a joint that would make me filthy rich, but I would be bringing mounds of the good mac ‘n cheese stuff to the masses. It would be National Macaroni Day every day! And I would make all kinds of mac ‘n cheese too, obviously. Burger macaroni, taco macaroni, buffalo, the list goes on..and on.. I can see it now.

Now that I’m thinking about it, I think I’ll create multiples of macaroni recipes next year when I have more time.

Today, I have a classic macaroni and cheese that’s creamy and rich and just cheesy enough that you get your fill, but can still taste all of the other components. This is an excellent go-to macaroni dish because, for God’s sake, you should just throw out the kraft mac ‘n cheese in a box products NOW! Make this, and make your life easier and less processed.

Now tell me: Which mac ‘n cheese flavors would you like to see me make? Sound off in the comments below.

Print Recipe ^[5]

Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1-1.5 cups noodles
• 1/4 cup margarine or butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F.
2. Cook noodles as directed and drain.
3. In another pot, stir together and cook the margarine, onion, salt and pepper over medium heat until onion is slightly tender.
4. Blend the flour in the pot with the margarine and onion. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. *It's very important to continue to stir constantly. It's easy to mess this part up and think the mixture is done before it actually is. But, this step should take between 5-10 minutes and result in a more liquid substance than when you first started.*
5. Remove from heat and stir in milk. Return to heat and heat to boiling. Once the mixture starts to boil, stir constantly for a full minute. Then, remove from heat again. Stir in cheese cubes until melted.
6. Place cooked noodles in an ungreased casserole dish. Stir cheese sauce into noodles. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes.
7. For an added bonus, sprinkle some shredded cheese on top!