Recipe: Tasty Better Than Boxed Stovetop Mac and Cheese

Better Than Boxed Stovetop Mac and Cheese. But when it comes to dinner, you can do better than a powdered packet of cheese. It is off the charts delicious! But sometimes we need a super quick meal and that is when we turn to Stovetop Mac and Cheese.

Your whole family will love it. If you add the shredded cheese when the sauce is too hot it will get stringy so take the pot off the burner first. That's what makes SeriousEats' stovetop mac and cheese recipe so great: It's just as quick and easy as box mixes, but elevates the flavor with just three ingredients. You can cook Better Than Boxed Stovetop Mac and Cheese using 7 ingredients and 4 steps. Here is how you achieve that.

Ingredients of Better Than Boxed Stovetop Mac and Cheese

1. You need 16 oz of cavatappi macaroni.
2. You need 1/2 cup of powdered cheddar cheese.
3. It's 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour.
4. Prepare 1/2 stick of butter.
5. You need 1/2 tbsp of salt.
6. It's 1/2 tbsp of ground black pepper.
7. Prepare 2 cup of whole milk.

All you need is macaroni noodles, freshly grated cheese, and evaporated milk. That's it! (It's also worth noting that this is one less ingredient than most box mixes, which usually require butter, milk, the cheese. Ingredients in Homemade Macaroni and Cheese. Pasta Noodles- I used shells however you can use any shape you like; Salted Butter - This is a big component in flavor however unsalted is fine too.; Flour - use all-purpose flour, this is the thickening agent for your cheese sauce.; Whole milk - the creamier the better!; Mild cheddar cheese - if you can shred it yourself it's even.

Better Than Boxed Stovetop Mac and Cheese instructions

1. In a large pot of salted water, cook the cavatappi to al dente. Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside..
2. In the same pan as before, melt the butter on low heat, and mix in the flour, then cheese, then salt, pepper, and then, slowly, milk..
3. Make sure that you don't ever flood the mixture with milk, which causes lumps. Only add more of the milk as the mixture thickens and incorporates the previous small dose of milk..
4. Incorporate the pasta into the sauce, and mix thoroughly. Serve..

There's nothing better than homemade mac and cheese, and there are so many different ways to prepare it. Salt the water - One of the best things you can do for pasta is to add salt to the water. This is the only time any flavor is going to get into the noodles. 'Under cook' the pasta - The familiar Italian term is 'al dente,' which means to leave the texture a bit firmer. The Kraft box recommends seven and a half minutes, I go for. Skip the box and make the good stuff!