If you’re new to cooking, there are some things you should know that will help make this recipe a success. It starts with a quality cheese sauce. When butter and flour are mixed it’s called a roux. The roux acts as a thickener for the sauce. Combined with milk and cheese, it becomes silky-smooth. This is what makes mac and cheese the ultimate comfort food. It couldn’t be accomplished by melted cheese alone. Be patient with this recipe if you’ve never made mac and cheese from scratch. It might take a couple of tries to get it to your liking.

When selecting cheese, stay away from pre-shredded varieties. They have a non-clumping ingredient to keep the cheese from clumping together in the package. Unfortunately, this ingredient causes the cheese to become very stringy when melted into the white sauce. Speaking from experience, the sauce will be a complete waste. It’ll be worth it to get a quality block of sharp cheddar cheese and grate it yourself. There are so many varieties including white cheddar that will perform well for this recipe.

Easy Homemade Stovetop Mac & Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 oz elbow macaroni
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 4-6 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• ½ tsp salt (optional)
• Dash black pepper

Directions

In a large pot, cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. In the same pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, stirring consistently until smooth, about 1 minute. Then slowly whisk in the milk, and salt and pepper, if desired. Stir occasionally. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the mixture thickens. Whisk in the cheese until fully melted. Stir in the cooked macaroni until thoroughly blended. Serve immediately.

The recipe makes about 6 servings. Serving size 1 cup. As a side, ½ cup.

Green Apple Dietitian tips

• Serve this dish with steamed vegetables like broccoli or carrots or a tossed green salad
• For a higher protein meal, serve 4-6 oz chicken or beef with mac and cheese on the side. Keep it vegetarian by serving it with sauteed squares of extra-firm tofu
• Spice up your mac and cheese with a pinch of nutmeg, or 1 tsp mustard powder and ¼ tsp paprika
• Add a splash of water or milk to the desired consistency if the mac and cheese dry out