Hello everybody, I hope you’re having an incredible day today. Today, we’re going to prepare a special dish, stephie's best ever mac n' cheese. It is one of my favorites food recipes. This time, I will make it a bit tasty. This will be really delicious.
Stephie's Best Ever Mac n' Cheese is one of the most well liked of recent trending foods in the world. It’s easy, it’s fast, it tastes yummy. It’s appreciated by millions every day. They are fine and they look wonderful. Stephie's Best Ever Mac n' Cheese is something which I have loved my entire life.
A simple, easy to follow recipe for a yummy meal. I'm so proud of my daughter for creating magic in the kitchen! This truly is the BEST stovetop mac and cheese recipe!
To begin with this particular recipe, we have to prepare a few components. You can have stephie's best ever mac n' cheese using 13 ingredients and 13 steps. Here is how you can achieve it.
The ingredients needed to make Stephie's Best Ever Mac n' Cheese:
- Make ready 1 (8 oz) package elbow macaroni (penne and rotini work good too)
- Prepare 2 tbsp butter
- Prepare 1/2 tsp pure olive oil (better than evoo for sauteeing)
- Make ready 1/2 small onion - finely chopped
- Prepare 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Prepare 2 cup (1 pint) half and half
- Prepare 2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese - shredded
- Get 1/2 tsp salt
- Prepare 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- Prepare 1 dash ground cayenne pepper (roughly 1/8 tsp)
- Make ready Optional topping
- Make ready 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Take 1 tbsp olive oil
It's loaded with all kinds of cheese (five whole cups!), is insanely decadent, and certainly not for calorie counters — but isn't that what makes mac 'n' cheese taste so good? Mac 'n Cheese is a source of comfort for me as I'm sure it is for most of you all. See I was that child who, while fat, was the pickiest eater EVER. For me, this is simply the best mac and cheese ever!
Steps to make Stephie's Best Ever Mac n' Cheese:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 8x8 in. casserole dish with softened butter our spray with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
- In a large sauce pan cook macaroni according to package directions, drain in colander and set aside.
- In the same sauce pan, melt butter with olive oil over med heat. The olive oil helps prevent browning of the butter.
- Stir in chopped onion and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally. About 2 minutes.
- Add flour stirring with whisk constantly for about 2 minutes more (to cook flour).
- Gradually pour in half and half, whisking constantly. Stir in salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a low boil and continue boiling for 2 minutes. Still whisking constantly. (Half and half makes the best creamy sauce in my opinion. You could use milk if you want, but then stand a bigger chance of the sauce "breaking").
- Reduce heat and gently simmer (stirring constantly, you guessed it) for 10 minutes to thicken.
- Add shredded cheese a handful at a time. Whisking to incorporate each addition. Simmer, stirring, an additional 5 minutes, or until all cheese is melted. Turn off heat.
- Return macaroni to sauce pan and gently fold into cheese sauce. Adjust seasoning to taste. I usually need to add a little more salt once the pasta is added (up to another 1/2 tsp), and sometimes add extra cayenne if we want a little extra kick.
- Transfer to casserole dish. Now is where you add the topping if you want a little crunch. In a small bowl toss panko breadcrumbs with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle over top of mac n cheese.
- Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until top is golden brown and edges are bubbly.
- Notes: It is important to use extra sharp cheddar (or a mixture of sharp, strong cheeses) in order to really taste the cheese. Milder cheeses are not strong enough to truly provide a rich, cheesy flavor. I like using Kraft Shredded Triple Cheddar with a touch of Philly. If I feel like shedding my own I will get a block of good quality Vermont extra sharp white cheddar. If you want it extra, super cheese add up to an extra cup of cheese to your sauce. It's ok. I won't tell. ;-)
- Substitutions and mix-ins: you can sub 1/4 cup sliced leeks for the onion, or omit this ingredient completely (although I say keep it). Can also sub nutmeg for cayenne, these brighten all the flavors and bring it all together (i would not use both). For variations in flavor, mix in about 4 slices crispy, crumbled bacon or 1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained with all excess liquid squeezed out when you sure in pasta.
This is one of those recipes EVERYONE should know how to make. If you can make this, the sky is. Creamy and carby, mac 'n' cheese is the perfect comfort food for cold weather. It's inexpensive, simple to make, can be eaten as a main or as a side dish, and mixed in - or topped - with all sorts of lovely extras. Here we cover the history of the dish, how to make it, tips for easy and deluxe versions.
So that’s going to wrap this up for this exceptional food stephie's best ever mac n' cheese recipe. Thanks so much for reading. I am confident that you can make this at home. There is gonna be interesting food in home recipes coming up. Remember to bookmark this page in your browser, and share it to your loved ones, colleague and friends. Thank you for reading. Go on get cooking!
