Joanne's Mac 'n Cheese

For the first post on this blog I had to think about what to post. Since the first post sets the stage for the rest of the blog, I wanted to be careful about what I posted today.

Since January is here with a new year and I know a lot of you probably made New Year's resolutions to eat healthier I thought about posting something really healthy. I have a bunch of those recipes too...

Then I thought about the weather here in Oregon and how wet and cold it is at this time of year. I always crave comfort food in this weather. So I started thinking about my favorite comfort foods. Mac 'n Cheese is probably my all time favorite comfort food.

This debate comfort food vs. healthy food went on in my head for what seemed like forever. In the end comfort won out.

I have been working on my Mac 'n Cheese for years. It really doesn't come out the same twice because this is one of my “clean out the fridge” recipes.

So if I have bacon I use it, if not no problem. If I have onions they go in (I almost always have onions) same with garlic.

As for the cheese I use up what is in the cheese drawer. You know those little bits of this and that. The last slice of that package of Swiss that was purchased because someone wanted a ham cheese sandwich. The last string cheese in the package, the leftover shredded cheese that was purchased to go on the pizza last week. Take a look in your fridge, you probably have some cheese left over that should get used up.

We always have some shredded cheese in the fridge, most of the time it is the cheddar/ jack mix that is labeled “Mexican blend” We prefer it to straight cheddar and it works pretty much anywhere shredded cheddar is called for. I also always have a block of parm in the fridge and a can of the pre-grated parm in the cupboard. You can use up pretty much any cheese from Feta to Bleu to cream cheese, whatever you like and have in the fridge. Just go light on the really strong ones.

As for the pasta in my Mac 'n Cheese I seldom use just one shape. I have a canister in the cabinet that dump the ends of packages of pasta into. You know how you buy pasta in the 1 lb. package and then the recipe calls for half a pound or some odd amount. I have a plastic container that I dump those odds and ends of pasta into. Then I use that pasta for soups and casseroles. I have been doing that for so long that when I do have to use a single shape pasta my kids tell me it doesn't taste the same. LOL

Most of the time I add some Tabasco sauce of some kind (yeah, we have all the flavors in the fridge) or some mustard depending on the cheese I have on hand at that moment.

So for this week's Mac 'n Cheese I had mostly Penne pasta in the jar so that is mostly what you see in the photo. There was a small smattering of other pasta shapes in there too.

The first step is to measure out the amount of pasta you need. I use the casserole dish I am going to bake/serve my Mac 'n Cheese in. Just fill the casserole dish up about half way, that will give you just enough cooked pasta to fill the dish.

Now bring a pan of water to boil and cook the pasta, generally about 9 minutes works well with different kinds in there.

For cheese this time I had the following: a slice of Swiss, 2 slices of smoked Gouda, a slice of provolone, about ½ to ¾ cup of Italian blend shredded cheese, a chunk of Pepper-Jack, a bag of the cheddar mix (Mexican Blend) some Parmesan (block) and some Parmesan in the can. Since I had quite a bit of the Pepper-Jack I decided I didn't need the Tabasco or the mustard.

The following amounts are what I use for an 8” by 8” Pyrex baking dish. If you are using a different size casserole you will need to adjust according.

Joanne's Mac 'n Cheese

Pasta (enough to half fill the casserole dish)

2 slices bacon, chopped

-or-

¼ butter or oil

1 onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ flour

2 ½ cups milk

Tabasco sauce (the smoked one is really good in this) or mustard to taste if desired

3 cups of cheese (shredded and/or chopped)

Dry bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese to top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling water and drain.

Meanwhile:

In a mixing bowl (I use one of those 8 cup measuring bowls) cook the bacon in the microwave on high. Stir after 1 minute and continue to cook stirring after every minute until the bacon is crispy. It took about 3 minutes in my microwave.

If you aren't using bacon melt the butter in the microwave (or heat the oil) this should take about 30 seconds or so.

Add the chopped onion to the container cook at high in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Just until it softens and starts to look translucent. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute on high.

Now take a good look at the contents of your bowl. You are going to need about ¼ of melted fat (or oil) to make a thick cheese sauce. If you don't have ¼ cup of melted bacon fat in there add a bit of oil or butter to make enough.

Now stir in the salt, pepper and flour and cook in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Add the milk stirring well.

Cook in the microwave stirring every 2 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. It took 4 minutes in my microwave.

Add the cheese and stir. Return to the microwave for 2 more minutes to soften and partially melt the cheese. The cheese doesn't have to be completely melted though.

Add the cooked pasta and mix well.

Pour into the casserole dish, sprinkle with some dry bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese. You don't need much just a sprinkle over the top.

Now into the oven for 20- 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and top is lightly browned.