One of my husband’s favorite foods is macaroni and cheese, so of course I include it on my dinner menu rotation. I grew up eating macaroni and cheese from a box, and while I have nothing against it, I prefer to make it from scratch. I think the few extra minutes spent on preparing homemade cheese sauce is well worth it and I hope you’ll agree.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add 1 ½ cups of macaroni noodles and cook according to the directions, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large skillet, you’re going to first create a roux. Heat ½ tablespoon of vegetable oil with 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat.
When melted, add 1 ½ tablespoons of flour and whisk together using a silicone coated whisk. Let the flour cook for a minute.
Reduce the heat to low. Create a bechamel sauce by adding 1 cup of milk and whisking constantly until the milk and flour are incorporated. Increase the heat to medium low.
Break up 4 slices of American cheese into small pieces and lay on top of the milk. Let the cheese melt for a minute or two, then whisk until fully combined.
If the cheese mixture is too thick, add more milk until the desired consistency is reached. I aim for a sauce that’s a little thinner than I’d prefer at this point because once the noodles are added and the heat is reduced, it will thicken up perfectly.
Add ½ teaspoon each of pepper and nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Stir in the noodles and toss until they are coated in the cheese sauce.
Grill up a small chicken breast and add it on top of the macaroni if you’d like.
- 1 1/2 c macaroni noodles
- 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp flour
- 1 c milk
- 4 slices American cheese
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- Grilled chicken
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain.
- In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Add flour and stir using a silicone whisk until well combined (about 1 minute). Reduce heat to low and add milk. Continue to whisk until the milk and flour are incorporated.
- Increase heat to medium low. Break up the cheese slices into small pieces, lay on top of the milk. Let melt and stir. Add in salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Add cooked noodles and mix until they are coated in the cheese sauce.
- Serve in individual bowls and top with grilled chicken.
- This recipe creates 2 entree sized servings or 4 side servings.