Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

When it comes to foods, my weakness is macaroni and cheese.  And soups… I really like the versatility of soups.  You can add almost any ingredient together in a pot with some broth, and some delicious magic happens!  But back to my weakness… macaroni and cheese.  I grew up eating mac & cheese out of the blue box, but my kids prefer Annie’s brand.  It’s a little more expensive than the type I grew up with, but if I catch it on a sale, it’s no big deal.  But I’m not a fan of mac & cheese in the box, Hubs isn’t a fan of it as a meal in general, and the the boys aren’t a fan of homemade macaroni and cheese.

But then there’s Lady Bug.  She’s my mac & cheese girl.  She was home sick one day, and really wanted some for lunch, but was a little upset we didn’t have any more Annie’s boxes.  So I scoured my pantry, and my fridge.  That’s got to be the best part about this recipe… it is the ultimate frugal meal since it uses those rouge ingredients hanging out in my fridge and pantry.

And since this recipe is a stove top version, there’s no need to worry about dirtying more dishes by baking it.  It also cuts the cook time by a significant amount too since there’s no baking involved!

But the best part, is that it’s Bookworm and Monkey approved!  The two in this house that don’t care for homemade macaroni and cheese, the ones that would rather have the boxed variety, they ate up their servings and then some!

Ingredients

• 12 oz noodles of your choice, I used Penne Rigate
• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• dash of ground white pepper
• 3 cups milk
• 8-10 oz cheddar, shredded

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions.  Drain, and set aside.
2. While pasta is cooking, melt butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan.  Turn heat to low, and add in flour.  Whisk continuously so the flour evenly distributes.
3. Once flour-butter mixture is no longer foamy and turns a little darker, slowly add in milk, continuously whisking to make sure that there are no lumps.
4. Once all the milk is incorporated, add in the onion salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika.  After the mixture has thickened, add the shredded cheese in multiple additions.
5. Add cheese sauce to drained pasta, stirring to coat.  Serve warm.

For more frugal recipes, check these out:

• Creamy Tuna Noodles
• Easy Vegetables Eggs & Rice
• Greens, Beans & Rice
• Homemade Hamburger Helper
• Creamy Tomato Soup