Ultimate Macaroni ‘n’ Cheese
Macaroni ‘n’ Cheese is, in my opinion, the ultimate comfort food. Pasta covered in copious amounts of creamy, flavorful, ooey-gooey cheese… what could be better?
It’s impastable not to love macaroni ‘n’ cheese…
Interestingly, most people I’ve talked to seem to have very strong feelings and opinions on just what does or doesn’t constitute “good” mac ‘n’ cheese. While I certainly agreed with this notion strongly enough to go on a years long quest to develop the “ultimate” best-of-the-best recipe, I’m also not ashamed to say that if you put cheese on a noodle, I’ll eat it. I would probably be thinner if I felt a modicum of shame, but, sadly, I even enjoy that artificial-tasting stuff out of the blue box.
“Sweet dreams are made of cheese, who am I to dis a brie?”
There are certainly many ways to make macaroni ‘n’ cheese, from the “just noodles and shredded cheese tossed into a casserole dish and left to melt”, to that yummy, cheesy roux-based concoction that, unfortunately, starts to congeal before you can finish eating it (and never reheats properly).
And don’t forget that eggy or mayonnaisey version beloved of great-aunts, which doesn’t taste bad, per se, just fails to taste anything at all like mac ‘n’ cheese. What these poor dears fail to realize, bless their hearts, is that simply renaming it would redeem it’s popularity in the potluck lineup — Bacon Parmesan Penne Pasta, anyone? Because everyone knows that while Junior may happily scarf down “Cheesy Pasta Casserole” with peas and carrots, just try serving him “Macaroni ‘n’ Cheese” with suspicious green and orange bits and see how far you get. To live up to society’s expectations, true mac ‘n’ cheese shouldn’t contain visible evidence of anything more suspicious than a bit of bacon.
And then there are the Velveeta folks (insert redneck joke here) — I can get away with saying that because, 1.) I love Velveeta in certain recipes (preferably ones that aren’t mac ‘n’ cheese), and 2.) half my relatives are redneck enough to think a 7 course dinner is a possum and a six-pack. Now, I’m not ashamed of enjoying a bowl of mac ‘n’ cheese made with Velveeta, but, let’s face it, any mac ‘n’ cheese made with Velveeta is going to end up tasting like Velveeta, and that’s just not what comes to mind when I imagine the “ultimate” anything.
I have also recently heard tell of an old-fashioned methodology that involves layering the cooked noodles with dry flour and shredded cheese, pouring milk over the whole shebang and baking until bubbly. Since I’ve yet to try this version (though I definitely intend to soon!), I can’t speak as to how it stacks up in the line-up, but I don’t really see how it can be any easier or more delicious than this ever-creamy, bacon and sweet onion infused bowl of supreme goodness, that is — the Ultimate Macaroni ‘n’ Cheese.
“I’ll stop the world and melt with you. You’ve seen the difference and it’s getting cheddar all the time.”
Personally, after trying just about every imaginable combination out there, I find that I actually prefer to keep the cheese selection in my mac’n’cheese simple — a bit of parmesan for it’s salty nuttiness and “je ne sais quoi”, a little mozzarella for it’s creamy meltability and delectable stringiness, and a whole lotta sharp cheddar, ‘cuz that’s what I like my mac to taste like! Whatever you do, don’t let the onion in this recipe scare you off — it’s cooked down to where it disappears into oblivion, leaving only it’s sweet (and hard to strictly identify) essence lingering to tantalize your tongue with it’s mysterious presence. Even my onion-hating kids ask specifically for THIS mac’n’cheese. Because it really is The Ultimate.
Ultimate Macaroni ‘n’ Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 – 24 oz elbow macaroni
- 1/4 large sweet onion finely diced
- 8 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled
- 4 T butter or bacon grease
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 1 tbsp Johnny's Garlic Spread & Seasoning
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 3 c half 'n' half
- 2 c sharp or extra sharp cheddar grated
- 1 c mozzarella grated
- 1/4 c parmesan grated
- 1 c finely crushed seasoned croutons optional
Instructions
- If starting with raw bacon: Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, along with all but 2 – 4 tbsp of bacon grease.
- If starting with cooked bacon: Melt butter over medium heat.
- Add onion and cook until dark golden brown, stirring frequently and being careful not to scorch.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to the package directions, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
- Add half 'n' half and seasonings to onions in skillet. Add bacon back in. Heat to scalding. Turn off heat and add cheese, stirring until melted.
- Add cooked pasta to skillet, using reserved cooking water to thin sauce as needed.
- Option 1: Pasta is now ready to eat, or, if you used an oven-proof skillet, you can top it with crumbs and place under the broiler to brown for a few minutes. Watch it very carefully — it will probably only take 3 – 4 minutes, and it goes from no color to burnt faster than small-town gossip.
- Option 2: Pour pasta into buttered casserole dish (9"x13" or equivalent), top with crumbs and broil as above, OR cover with foil and refrigerate until later. When ready to bake, heat oven to 375F and bake, covered, for 40 minutes or until it gets bubbly. Remove cover and broil top briefly as above.