Skip to main content

White Cheddar Mac and Cheese: Finger-lickin' Good Recipes Friday/Weighing in...

 
Weighing in...

I lost 1 pound this week! 
Recipes like the one below aren't helping me to make a lot of progress!!

It's Finger-lickin' Good Recipes Friday! 

Here's my submission: 
White Cheddar Mac and Cheese!
It's a family favorite!


White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

My gang loves macaroni and cheese. Like many other Southerners, they consider mac & cheese a vegetable!
This is a really good recipe. I love the flavor of the white cheddar, but you can use regular, if you prefer. A mixture of the two is nice, also! 
This recipe makes a large (9x13-inch) panful and is great for serving a crowd. You can half the recipe for a smaller group and bake it in an 8x8-inch pan. It does heat over well!
Since I was serving baked beans with bacon the day I made this, I didn't add the bacon garnish to this batch of mac and cheese, but the dish is really tasty with the bacon crumbles. But then, what savory recipe isn't usually improved upon by adding a bit of bacon?!
Oh, by the way, you don't really have to bake this. If you prefer, or if time is short, you can just combine the cheese sauce with the noodles and dish it out! 

White Cheddar Mac and Cheese

1 pound elbow macaroni
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups milk
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5½ cups shredded sharp white Cheddar
Freshly ground black pepper

Optional Garnish:
4 slices bacon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Add salt.
Add the macaroni and cook for 8 to 9 minutes; drain. Return to cooking pot and cover with cold water.
Melt the butter over medium-high heat.
Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute; whisk constantly.
Gradually add milk.
Continue to whisk vigorously, and cook until the mixture is nice and smooth.
Add 4 cups of the cheese and continue to cook and stir to melt the cheese.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Drain macaroni. Return to cooking pot.
Pour cheese sauce over macaroni. Stir gently until all the macaroni is coated well with the cheese sauce.
Spoon into prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Garnish:
While the pasta bakes, cook the bacon until crispy; crumble.
To serve, sprinkle the bacon over the macaroni and cheese.
Labels:

Comments

  1. mubApril 23, 2010 at 9:23 AM

    I have a GREAT finger-lickin' recipe... literally!

    Crockpot BBQ Ribs- http://misadventuresofmub.blogspot.com/2008/10/crockpot-barbecue-ribs.html

    I bet they'd be tasty with this Mac & Cheese too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. susieloulouApril 23, 2010 at 9:56 AM

    Whoa - macaroni in a white sauce - sounds sinfully good! I did not lose an ounce but hung precariously to my previous one-pound loss. My recipe is 4h corn casserole - I have no idea what I've already posted. I'm going to have to make myself a LIST :-)
    I recommended this recipe to THREE people who made it in the last couple weeks!!
    http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=325819

    ReplyDelete
  3. EmilyApril 23, 2010 at 1:18 PM

    Hi Connie. I think I messed something up because my name showed up instead of my recipe name. Your mac & cheese looks and sounds wonderful! Hope you have a great weekend! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. DonnaApril 27, 2010 at 3:59 AM

    You mean mac and cheese isn't a veggie?
    ;-)

    Did you make it through our southern storms?

    ReplyDelete
  5. ConnieApril 27, 2010 at 2:14 PM

    Yes, Donna, we are all well. Our prayers are with others in our state who didn't fare as well.
    Thank you for asking, Donna! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. DonnaApril 28, 2010 at 2:31 AM

    Wonderful!
    We've heard some very sad stories- glad your family is safe and well!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for sharing! I love comments!

Popular posts from this blog

Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup Substitute - Regular and Reduced-Fat Versions

Although very convenient, commercially prepared condensed soups are expensive and may contain additives and ingredients you'd prefer to skip. You can use these condensed soup substitutes in dishes instead of commercially prepared condensed soups. These homemade substitutes are very easy and quick to make! They taste much better, too. I have almost stopped purchasing the canned versions. Using heart-healthy butter spreads, low-fat or fat-free milk, and low-sodium broth allows you to make these recipes more healthful. You can customize with these simple recipes by adding other seasonings such as garlic powder, celery salt, onion powder, etc. Condensed Cream of Celery Soup Condensed Cream of Chicken Substitute Condensed Cream of Mushroom Substitute Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup Substitute 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup milk 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese salt, to taste Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; add flour and whisk until s
34 comments
Read more

Dough Burgers

  Dough Burgers Dough burgers are popular in our neck of the woods. Phillips Grocery in Oxford has received national acclaim for their top-secret-recipe dough burger. I ate two while I was staying at the hospital with my dad recently! It is the nearest restaurant!  When Larry and I were newlyweds and living in New Albany, we loved going to Latham’s for their yummy version of this delicious sandwich. Several other area cities also offer well-known versions of this unique burger. Tupelo’s Johnny’s Drive-In has the "Johnnieburger," and Corinth even has a festival named in honor of their dough burger, affectionately known as “The Slugburger.” Here in our own dear Pontotoc, we love the "Wonderburger" at Butcher Block! Dough burgers supposedly originated during the Great Depression. Adding flour was a great way to stretch hamburger meat. While possibly born out of necessity, it has remained a part of the Southern diet due to its delectable taste. I’ve eaten my share
20 comments
Read more

Georgia Cornbread Cake

I clipped this recipe several years ago from American Profile, which is a small magazine insert that come with our local newspaper, The Pontotoc Progress. It is yummy, yummy, yummy!  I love the story that accompanied the recipe and was delighted when a Google searched turned up the same article on the web! Larry took this to work, and he said it was a huge hit with everyone! Enjoy! Georgia Cornbread Cake Georgia Cornbread Cake   Recipe of Stella T. Thompson from American Profile "I am 86 years old and have been cooking since I was 9. This recipe has been in my family for many years. The ground pecans give it the texture of cornbread, but there isn’t any cornmeal in it." 1 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar 4 eggs, beaten 1 cup vegetable oil 1 and 1/2 cups self-rising flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups pecans, chopped very fine Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Stir together sugar, brown sugar, eggs and oil in a medium bowl un
10 comments
Read more