Smart Baked Mac Cheese With A Kick Food

KICKED UP MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. A little at a time, whisk in milk, mustard, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat and whisk in pepperjack, Cheddar and Parmesan until smooth. Stir in cooked pasta and pour into shallow 2 quart baking dish.
• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in bread crumbs and chili powder. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture.
• Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

SOUTHERN BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Cook the macaroni according to the package directions until 3 minutes less than fully cooked. Drain and rinse under cold water until cooled; drain well. Add the cooked pasta back to the pot.
• Put the eggs, heavy cream, Cajun seasoning, ground mustard, nutmeg and a big pinch of salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over the cooked pasta and stir to combine.
• Toss together the Cheddar, mozzarella and Gouda in a large bowl. Add the cheeses to the pot and stir to evenly combine. Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Bake until the center of the mac and cheese is set and the top is golden brown, 60 to 70 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

THE BEST BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just slightly softened, about 6 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and rinse under cold water.
• Meanwhile, remove the crusts from the bread and cut into 1-inch cubes. Pulse in the food processor until the bread breaks into bean-sized pieces.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until toasted, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
• Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, mustard powder and cayenne. Cook, whisking constantly, until smooth and slightly golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce begins to boil and thicken, about 7 minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in the fontina, Gruyere and all but 1 1/2 cups of the Cheddar until fully melted. Stir in the pasta, adding the reserved pasta water as needed to make a creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
• Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Brush a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with the melted butter. Spread the pasta mixture in the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar evenly over the pasta, then scatter the toasted breadcrumbs on top. Bake until heated through and just bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

KICKED UP MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 9 by 2-inch square baking dish with the butter. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese, 1 cup of the White Cheddar cheese, the ham and the tater tots. Mix the mixture thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

SMART BAKED MAC & CHEESE WITH A KICK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cook pasta in large pot of salted water to al dente. Drain pasta and leave to cool.
• To begin the roux, melt butter in seperate medium pot. Whisk in flour and mustard, stirring while cooking for about 5 minutes. Stir in the milk and continue cooking and stirring until liquid begins to thicken. Then stir in onion, bay leaf, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin and hot sauce. Let simmer for ten minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the bay leaf.
• In small bowl, whisk egg until smooth and temper into the roux. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and egg is mixed throughout. Season cheese sauce with salt and pepper.
• Pour half the cooked macaroni into 2 quart casserole dish. Pour half the cheese sauce over the macaroni. Pour remainder of macaroni in casserole dish and top with remaining cheese sauce. Mix well and sprinke leftover cheese on top.
• *If a topping is desired, melt 2-3 TBSP Smart Balance and mix with 3/4 cup whole wheat or Panko bread crumbs. Sprinkle over top of macaroni.*.
• Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from over and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

DAD'S OVEN BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH A KICK

Steps:

• Cook and drain macaroni; rinse with cold water.
• Meanwhile, melt butter or margarine either in a pot on the stove or in a microwavable container in the microwave.
• Stir in flour.
• Add milk and cook, stirring frequently (5 - 6 minutes in the microwave, stirring every minute) until thickened.
• Add seasonings and continue cooking on stove or in microwave for 1 - 2 minutes longer.
• Add 1 1/2 cups cheese and stir until melted (may need to be cooked for 1 more minute to melt the cheese).
• Grease a large casserole dish and pour in macaroni noodles and cheese sauce, stirring to mix. My dad always layered the noodles and sauce, so that's an option, too.
• Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top, followed by the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
• Bake at 375 for 25 - 30 minutes, or until mixture is heated through and the cheese on top is completely melted.

MAC N CHEESE WITH A KICK

Steps:

• Melt butter on low in skillet. Add flour, salt, pepper and mix with a whisk. Pour in milk, continue to whisk until slightly thickened and gradually add grated cheese. Whisk until completely melted. Add cauliflower and mix well. Add pasta and stir gently until everything is incorporated. Add salad dressing (Miracle whip works best) and sour cream and stir. Heat thoroughly. Add butter to taste.
• Alternate ingredients can be added such as broccoli, ham chunks, etc.