Thick And Rich Macaroni And Cheese Recipes

EXTRA RICH-AND-CREAMY MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Combine the evaporated milk, eggs, havarti, Colby jack, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the nutmeg in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until smooth and thickened, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Add the pasta and sour cream to the sauce; toss to coat, then let sit 5 minutes so the sauce thickens slightly. Add the reserved cooking water to loosen, if desired.

RICH 'N' CHEESY MACARONI

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Place in a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish. In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, salt and sugar until smooth. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. , Reduce heat; stir in American cheese until melted. Stir in cottage cheese and sour cream. Pour over macaroni. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Melt remaining butter and toss with bread crumbs; sprinkle over top. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

CREAMY MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in large soup kettle. Add salt and pasta. Using package directions as a guide, cook until al dente. Drain. To prevent sticking, drain and immediately pour onto a large lipped baking sheet and let cool while preparing sauce.
• Meanwhile, microwave the milk and chicken broth in a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup or bowl until hot and steamy (not boiling). Melt butter in the empty pasta pot; whisk in flour, then hot milk mixture. Continue to whisk until thick and bubbly, 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in mustard, Parmesan and pepper. Turn off heat, stir in cheddar until melted.
• Add drained pasta (and optional flavoring ingredients, see notes) to sauce, and stir until everything is well combined over low heat. Stir to heat through, and thin with a little water if the sauce is too thick. Serve hot.

ULTIMATE MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cook macaroni in large saucepan as directed on package for al dente pasta. Rinse under cold water; drain well.
• Melt butter in same saucepan on medium heat. Sprinkle with flour and seasonings. Cook and stir 2 minutes or until well blended. Gradually stir in milk until smooth. Stirring constantly, cook 3 minutes or until sauce starts to thicken. Stir in cheese until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Add macaroni; toss gently to coat. Pour into greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Mix panko and paprika; sprinkle evenly over top.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

ULTRA RICH MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the macaroni for 3 minutes (it will still be very chewy). Drain the macaroni and return it to the pot. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and toss well.
• Butter a 10-by-15-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk the heavy cream with the half-and-half, milk, eggs, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in the cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses and the macaroni. Spread the mac and cheese in the prepared baking dish and scatter the cream cheese cubes on top.
• Bake the macaroni for 5 minutes. Using the back of a large spoon, spread the melted cream cheese cubes evenly over the surface. Bake for 40 minutes, until bubbling.
• Remove the baking dish from the oven and preheat the broiler. Broil the mac and cheese about 3 inches from the heat source until richly browned, about 2 minutes. Let stand for at least 10 and up to 20 minutes before serving.
• Make Ahead: The assembled mac and cheese can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before baking, or add 15 minutes to the baking time.

THICK AND CREAMY MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Boil about 7 cups of water in saucepan.
• When water is boiling, add macaroni. Cook until al dente (about 7 or 8 minutes).
• Remove from burner and strain out access water. Turn burner to lowest setting.
• Melt butter and mix into macaroni with milk.
• *Replace macaroni on burner ONLY AFTER you've added milk and butter (otherwise you'll burn some of your macaroni).
• Put both cheeses through a food processor if you have one. It's ok to put them in together. If you don't have a food processor, grate the cheese. If you don't have a grater, get to cutting :).
• Mix cheese into macaroni and stir until it's melted.
• Add salt and pepper.

SUPER MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 2-quart casserole; set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and celery and saute for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are very soft. Lower the heat and stir in the flour until well incorporated. Whisk in the hot half-and-half and then the wine. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes, or until the mixture has begun to thicken. Remove from the heat and beat in the cheeses, stirring until they have melted into the sauce.
• Stir in the macaroni and season, to taste, with hot sauce and salt. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole.
• If using the Parmesan, combine it with the bread crumbs in a small bowl. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the macaroni. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling and the top is golden. Serve hot.

CREAMY MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions. , Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add 1-1/2 cups milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in sour cream, Velveeta, Parmesan cheese, salt, mustard and pepper until smooth and cheese is melted. Add additional milk to reach desired consistency. , Drain macaroni; toss with cheddar cheese. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Stir in cream sauce. , Bake, uncovered, 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

LIGHTER MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread tomatoes in a single layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle each sheet with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until tomatoes have softened, about 20 minutes. (Leave oven on.)
• Process bread in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Melt 1 tablespoon butter with remaining tablespoon oil in amedium skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta. Cook pasta until almost al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain, and run under cold water to stop cooking. Transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
• Whisk 1/2 cup stock into the flour in a medium bowl; set aside. Melt remaining tablespoon butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in nutmeg, cayenne, remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add milk and remaining 1 1/2 cups stock. Whisk in flour mixture. Bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce to a simmer. Cook 8 minutes, whisking frequently. Add cheeses; cook, stirring, until melted. Pour over macaroni, stirring to combine.
• Put eight 4 1/2-by-1 1/4-inch ramekins on a baking sheet. Put 2 tomato slices in bottom of each ramekin. Divide macaroni mixture evenly among ramekins. Top each with a tomato slice. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and thyme sprigs. Bake until bubbling and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

THICK AND RICH MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. Rinse with warm water, and drain again; set aside.
• Saute onion and green pepper in butter in a large saucepan until tender.
• Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Gradually add milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.
• Add 3 cups Cheddar cheese, Velveeta, and pepper; stir until smooth.
• Stir in macaroni. Pour mixture into a lightly greased 3-quart casserole.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese, and paprika; bake 5 minutes.