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An individual serving of Mac 'n Cheese sits on blue napkin with bread and butter on a wooden board in background

Macaroni and Cheese

This Macaroni and Cheese is flavorful and delicious with its rich, creamy, and cheese-filled sauce. A family favorite for sure.
Course Pasta
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword cheese, macaroni, macaroni and cheese
Servings 4
My Island Bistro Kitchen Barbara - My Island Bistro Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 cups whole milk, room temperature
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • ¼ tsp dry mustard powder
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • Olive oil (for drizzling cooked macaroni)
  • 2 cups shredded aged cheddar cheese
  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbsp sour cream, room temperature

Instructions

  1. Grease 2-quart casserole or individual serving size oven-safe baking dishes of desired size. Preheat oven to 325°F.
  2. Cook macaroni according to package directions.
  3. While pasta is cooking, melt butter in separate saucepan over medium heat. Combine flour and cornstarch and whisk into butter until mixture starts bubbling, approximately less than 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is heated, smooth, and starts to thicken. Add the shredded cheddar cheese, grated parmesan cheese, and sour cream. Stir until cheeses are melted and ingredients fully blended. Reduce heat to medium-low and season with the sea salt, dry mustard, paprika, nutmeg, and cayenne. Stirring constantly, cook mixture for approximately one minute longer. Remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Drain cooked macaroni, reserving about 3 tablespoons of the cooking water. Return drained macaroni to the pot or a large heatproof bowl and drizzle lightly with olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together. Toss gently to coat. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni and stir gently. If mixture is a bit drier than, or not as fluid as desired (different brands of pasta can absorb liquids differently), add liquid reserved from the macaroni cooking, adding the extra liquid only one-half tablespoon at a time, and adding only enough for the desired consistency (pasta may take some, but not all, of the liquid or none at all). Stir gently.
  5. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish or, alternatively, divide mixture equally between individual greased oven-safe ramekins or other single-serving baking dishes of desired size. Bake for 15-18 minutes (slightly less for individual baking dishes), or just until cheese starts to bubble around the edges of the casserole dish. Do not overbake. Serve immediately.
  6. This Macaroni and Cheese freezes well, unbaked.

Recipe Notes

Yield: Apx. 4-5 servings

[Copyright My Island Bistro Kitchen]

Note 1: For a really creamy macaroni and cheese, skip the oven baking and serve as soon as the cheese sauce is incorporated with the pasta.